Mmmmm....

...the cake was delicious, definately one to have warm with icecream, custard or at room temperature with cream.  Of course I hadnt planned it well so there is loads left as there was only me and hubby here last night - so I'm going to send some round to my in-laws (sure they'll be pleased lol).

Right, I'm posting the last of my Easter cards, I dont think I've made so many in  one year:

The image is LOTV that again came free in a little pack with a magazine - I have coloured it with promarkers, the papers I think are papermania with purple cardstock and ribbon from my stash.  I made the sentiment.

I would like to enter this into:

Crafty Little Fairies - Furry friends
Totally Gorjuss - Cuddly
Gem of a challenge - cute and cuddly

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

 

It's Friday!!

Well that's my first week over as a non (p/t) working woman and my plans of decluttering and sorting out the house has resulted in...

...Nothing being done!!! and I'm not sure where all the time has gone I know I've washed, ironed, dusted and hoovered and generally pottered around but I dont have anything major to report, yet!!  I'm starting the declutter and tidy (AGAIN) of my youngests bedroom tomorrow - honestly I dont know how he can make it such a tip if anyone has any tips as to how to keep it organised I'd be all ears - we've tried storage boxes, shelves, new furniture with plenty of storage but noooo it doesnt work :-(

I have made some fairycakes earlier in the week, with lumpy chocolate topping - that was a way to get rid of an easter egg.  It was supposed to be smooth but it just wasnt happening,  and I've just made an Apple Crumb Cake (recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine):

Which looks like it may have been a success!!!  Now what you may not know about me is that things very rarely go right for me (you may have gathered that from the lumpy chocolate topping - how can I even cock that up??), I've not cut it yet so unsure if its cooked all the way through - but my skewer came out clean so I am assuming so!!  and am also concerned as to how I am going to get it off the bottom of my cake tin - this could be my disaster and I know I should leave it alone, but knowing me I'll keep faffing with it and wreck it (or drop it lol).

I also made a card this week for one of my friends:

The image is digistamp boutique, coloured with promarkers, the papers where in a pack from Harrogate and the sentiment is Craftwork cards.

I would like to enter this into:

Passion for Promarkers - sketch
Aud sentiments - use a birthday sentiment

Right off to see if I can sort my cake out, wish me luck (I think I'll hang fire with my GBBO application form!).

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx


*edited I managed to get the bottom off without damaging the cake and it was delicious - served warm with ice-cream - might be a bit too stodgy to have on its own, hubby reckons double cream would help though :-) xx  Go me!!!  I might let you on to my next adventure of trying to make a faux roman blind for my downstairs loo :-) lol

Hope...

... you are enjoying the bank holiday - the weather is lovely up here today (she says as its starting to cloud over !!) as long as it doesnt rain as I've got all my bedding out drying :-). 

Well hubbys on another day shift and the boys have gone over the road to play, so I'm sat with a hair dye on doing this quick post :-).  Glad you cant see me - not a good look!!!!

Anyhoo, I promised something different today from Easter cards and this is it... a Christmas card!!!  One of my resolutions was to make a christmas card a month so I should have four yes??  err no just the one lol.  I saw a challenge mentioned on crafting with cotnobs blog (my latest blog I'm stalking ), and thought I would enter this:

The image is Pink gem, coloured with promarkers and some fluffy stuff for the snow.  The papers I think are eith dovecraft or papermania matted onto pearlised card and ribbon from my stash.

I would like to enter this into:


Winter wonderland - robin redbreast

Right best go and wash this dye off.

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

Happy Easter...

Hope the Easter Bunny has been with lots of chocolate yummmmm, but dont eat to much or you'll get a poorly tum!! :-)  I sound like my mum!!!

Talking of mum we are off there for a big family lunch, lots more chocolate, laughs and noise but unfortunately my hubby has to work today :-( not good!

Just a quickie this morning, as I came across a new to me digi image site called Anonymous stamps, via Facebook and they have some lovely images and they are free too - how kind is that.  They also run a challenge and this month its Easter, so I've used one of their images (which you need to use for the challange) to enter and made this for my in-laws:

The image has been coloured with promarkers, die cut and layered onto a doily.  The dps are from two different types which I have matted onto lemon card.  Made the sentiment myself and added some die cut swirls that I have cut from a bigger die.

I would like to enter this into:

Anonymous stamps - Easter challenge

I dont think I've made so many easter cards as I  have this year lol - tomorrow though I might have something different :-)

Enjoy your Sunday and thank you for looking

Ali
xx

Happy Saturday...

... hope you are all having a lovely long weekend, the sunshine is lovely today so me and hubby took advantage of it to have a walk from the White Horse at Kilburn, and as usual I forgot my camera - the views from the top are stunning.

We were also going to go to Mousy Thompson visitor centre for coffee, but hubby couldnt wait so we had our coffee near Sutton Bank instead :-(.

Now we are back I'll quickly do a blog post before starting my mountain of ironing - boooo!!

I know Steph has received this so I can post about it now :-).  The image was a freebie last year I think, but I cant remember the artist - so if it rings any bells with anyone please let me know and I shall give credit, she has been coloured with promarkers and matted onto lemon card.  The dp's are papermania, matted onto pink card and the sentiment was a freebie from Create with TLC.

I would like to enter this into:

Pink Elephant - Easter
Papertake weekly - Easter
Passion for Promarkers - all creatures great and small

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

Having a go...

... at decoupage.  I won ages and ages ago lots of House Mouse decoupage sheets from Jane and to be honest was slightly scared of them as they seemed to be very intricate to cut and since having a bump in the car thats left me with a slightly wobby hand  - I looked at them but never dared attempt them.   Then recently I came upon Crafting with Cotnob blog and was inspired to get them out and have a go.

So here's my first attempt:

It wasnt as bad as I thought it would be cutting out the little bits :-) and wine helped the wobbly hand lol (cough)

So, I am going to enter this into the House Mouse Monday challenge - flowers & flourish (hope my little flourish in the corner will suffice but if not just let me know :-) ), Also Simon say stamp Wednesday challenge - Animal Antics.  Lastly thanks to Shaz for the head up at the anything goes challenge at Gruffies & guests

Right off to make a teen card as my eldest has received a last minute invite to a sleepover tomorrow night (although the boys birthday was last week - so do I still send a card???), why do I never have any emergency boys cards in my box - rolls eyes.

Have a nice night folks, and thank you for looking.

Ali
xx

I think....

... I am on a roll - third post in a week!!!!! It's a long time since that has happened, just a quickie tonight as I'm just about to start tea - and I cant sit for too long, as we went to the Dry Ski slopes yesterday near Sunderland and ouch!! it does hurt when you fall over - my bum is a huge bruise (I've never seen a bruise so black & blue!) and my cocyx hurts :-( lol.  On the plus side though it has saved us a lot of money as we've realised we dont want to go on a skiing holiday anymore :-).

So, onto my little make:

The image is LOTV that came with a magazine probably last year, coloured with promarkers, matted onto yellow and green card.  I've printed off the sentiment added buttons from my stash and die cut a fence.

I would like to enter this into:

I love promarkers - bounty of buttons
Crafty little fairies - button it up
Papertake weekly - spring has sprung
MAWTT - easter/spring
Divas by design - easter/spring
Crafty sentiments - easter
Simon says stamp (wednesday challenge) - easter/sweet treats

Right best go and start the tea.  Enjoy your night.

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

'ey up!!!

Another post!!! Go me!!!  lol - well we've had a lovely visit to Whitby today - I helped the boys get set up with their crabbing bits & pieces and then I get to go for an uninterupted mooch round the shops - its great no whinging boys/men :-), I was very good as well and didnt buy anything although I saw some lovely bits and pieces (and material and wool - cough) :-).

Anyhoo, a quick look around blog land when I got home and spotted a great challenge over at Passion for Promarkers.  When I made Toms card to give to Jack on his birthday I used a great sentiment from Gingers house:

The image is another from Digistamp boutique, coloured with promarkers and a tiny amout of glossy accents to the glass.  The papers are (I think) Amy Tangerine, which where matted onto turquoise card and a little attempt at distressing.  Finally some card candy from my stash.

I would like to enter this into:

Passion for Promarkers - sentimental
Without words - Gentlement only
Divas by design - anything goes
Digistamp boutique - use one of their images

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

Hellooooo...

.... hoping you are all well.

 Today, is my eldests birthday - 14 how on earth has that happened - I feel far too young to have a son that old (cough) - who is now nearly 6" taller than me, but do you know, even though he's a teenager he's a lovely lad, sociable - will talk to people,  (not sure how I would have coped if he was like a Kevin the teenager lol).  He's a great laugh and can take us lot taking the mickey out of him with going off in a strop.  Sometimes, I forget how lucky we are with him - luckily he doesnt read this blog as he'd be most embarrassed at what I've put lol.  Anyhoo, enough of me being the proud parent - it's not as if I'm bloggin his birthday card (rolls eyes).

I'm sure to blog his card soon though, but here's a one that I made when I saw the Penny Black Saturday challenge, I've had this image ages I think it was in a bundle off ebay and only just got round to having a go at colouring it:

The papers are basic grey that again I've had for ages and thought they were to nice to use.  They have been matted onto brown bazzill card.  The image has been coloured with promarkers and again matted onto brown card.  I have added to swirls that I have cut from a larger corner die and added the sentiment that I had printed up from my stash.

I would like to enter this into:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - cats & dogs

Right off to see if Mary Berrys about to start.  Enjoy your night.

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

Evening...

... just a quick post as the boys are wanting to settle down to watch a movie.  I saw Sarah's blog post about the new challenge at Allsorts and remembered I had a great card I could enter, the challenge is no flowers:

The image is a new one that I was lucky enough to win from Digistamp boutique,  she has been coloured with promarkers.  The easel card was a ready made one from craftwork cards as is the sentiment - the papers are Nikki Sivils.

I would like to enter this into:

Allsorts - no flowers
Divas by design - anything goes
Digistamp boutique - use one of their images

Right best be off to pop some popcorn - as you do - lol.

Thanks for looking

Ali
xx

P.S. I would also like to say a big thank you for all your positive comments on my last post regarding leaving my job - they really cheered me up - thank you!!