Pink Candy by Caroline

Orange and Almond Cupcakes

I made some cupcakes recently and made a little flag decoration for them for the Fiskarettes blog HERE....

I just thought I would share the recipe as they were so darn yummy....

Ingredients:

• 185g softened butter
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
• 220g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 225g self-raising flour
• 75g plain flour
• 60g ground almonds
• 125ml orange juice
• 60ml milk

Butter cream:

• 125g softened butter
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
• 240g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat Oven to 180C/160 fan assisted.  Line 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, rind and sugar in a small bowl until fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time.  Transfer mixture to medium bowl; stir in sifted flours, ground almonds, juice and milk, in two batches.
3. Place mixture into paper cases.  Bake for approx. 30 minutes.  Leave to stand for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
4. Make orange butter cream.  Beat butter and rind in small bowl with electric mixter until as white as possible, beat in icing sugar and milk, in two batches.
5.  This makes super fluffy buttercream which you pop into a piping bag and swirl over the cake.  Add your decoration!

Caroline x :)

A bit of an update... (picture heavy)

This is a very picture heavy post showing some of the projects done since I last posted, which was ages ago!

All of these projects can be seen on the Fiskarettes blog...if you are not part of the community already then please join!

Phew! :)

Something for me...

So, I bought myself an iPad. Something just for me. Not sure yet if this is an extravagant and costly mistake or a good investment.

One big downside is not being able to upload photos onto a website (unless you do it via PhotoBucket or something like) - something I would have liked to be able to do.  But then it does so many other things that I might be able to actually stick to work stuff at work and keep the fun of the iPad just for home. ;o)    and there a so many apps that I am sure I will have fun using those. Love the funky touch screen keyboard too, so easy to use!

So the jury is still out on the iPad. I am hoping I have not wasted my money though! Do you have one?   Let me know what you think...

Design work...

Over the Summer I was sent some gorgeous K&CO bits to work with for Karen at Charmed Cards and Crafts.  I made a fair few projects, so this post is very picture heavy.... ;o)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All projects made using K&Co Nature collection......

Tando Leaves....

Happy Sunday!  What a mega rainy day it is here.  Yesterday was lovely though - not that it matters much as I was inside crafting anyway!  I had left the weekend free to catch up with DT work and to get some crafting done.  I have been playing with some Tando Creative chipboard, white-lined, leaves for the Tando DT, together with lots of lovely Prima and Viva Decor!  What a lovely combination to work with.....

 

Ingredients for both cards:

• Tando Creative - Leaf Group Pointed
• Prima 6x6 Paper Pad - Jack and Jill
• Prima Flowers - Roosevelt Deland
• Prima Flowers - Solid Coordinates Jack and Jill
• Prima Butterflies - Vlinder
• Prima Stamp - Jack and Jill Sky
• Prima Pebbles - Music Notes
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp - Pattern Pieces
• Viva Decor Inka Gold - Green Yellow, Old Silver
• Ink Pad - Archival Ink-Sepia

The Tando leaves I used were white-lined so the Inka Gold just smoothed on beautifully, no preparation needed.  For the green leaf I stamped the leaf with the Prima Stamp and Sepia ink and dried the ink using a heat gun.

Ingredients for Tag:

• Tando Creative - Leaf branch with loose leaves
• Prima Flower - Autumn Harvest Clore
• Prima Butterflies - Vlinder
• Viva Decor Inka Gold - Green Yellow, Old Silver

I embossed the whole tag using a Sizzix Tim Holtz embossing folder.  I then inked over the embossed design using an orange ink pad and some Inka Gold.  The white-lined leaf was covered with Ink Gold Old Silver first and then a little of the Green Yellow.  The little 'gift card' is K&Co.

OK, must go and shift my daughter and one of my sons - can you believe they are still in bed?!  Mind you, teenage years and bed are very close friends aren't they, lol.

Summer House

OK, now Summer has bypassed my blog somewhat (three months since I last posted - 3 months?!) but the Summer didn't bypass me personally, lol.  I made the most of the nice weather we did have (even though it wasn't much) and with Abi's help we converted our shed-like summer house into somewhere really rather pleasant to sit.

It was originally wood stained a very dark colour, almost black, and we painted over it in a nice natural stone coloured wood paint.  It took a couple of coats and the help of a sprayer (would have taken a lot longer without buying a battery operated sprayer - great time saver) and two days solid work by Abi and myself and we transformed a dull, dark summer house into somewhere gorgeously light, clean and comfy to sit - an outdoors inside if you like.

Here is a couple of photos I remembered to take once we had started to paint.  You can see how dark the wood was.  I tell you what, my daughter Abi is a great painter and decorator.  She did a City and Guilds course at school and she is well up on her painting and I couldn't have done it without her... :o)

 

I filled in lots of little holes and around the windows with some wood filler (get me! - I do not do DIY.  At least I didn't used to, now I do!) and we have made the little Summer House quite weather proof.

See how dark and dingy it looked.

Look at it now.......I love this little space in the garden.......

 

I manage to keep this little area nice and tidy - the other 150ft of garden has gone to rack and ruin a little, but that will be my task for next summer.  The sweeping hedge you see to the right of the photo falls over into a lovely arch right over this whole area.  I much prefer a natural garden, with natural curves as opposed to structure and straight lines.

I do have to keep a feather duster in here though, and dust regularly.  You should have seen this one spider we had to get rid of when we were painting (by 'rid of' I mean move - we would never kill one), it was mahoosive and black and quite scary looking.  So a quick flick around before we sit and enjoy a cuppa is all thats needed to be sure of a spider free room.

Wonder how long we can pop out and sit in it?  Weather is turning so not long I suppose :(

I'll enjoy it while I can then!

WOYWW #54

Wednesday again!  And its time for WOYWW......

On my desk today is a work-in-progress for some design work.  Didn't get chance to carry on with this yesterday - hoping today I will have more luck - we will see!

Lots of you last week commented on my little green spotty tubs.  I got these from a garden centre in the sale for £1 each!  Don't you just love a bargain like that?!  Rather than having them lined up in the centre of my desk I have shifted some of them to the side and its given me more room.  Mainly because I have put them in a place where I used to just plonk stuff down for me to 'sort later'. 

Rather than just a shot of my desk every week, here is another area of my craft room - its my RUB boxes filled with paper and card.  One box is filled with metal and tools and another has compartments for bits and pieces and two of them are Christmassy!  I love these boxes, so useful.

Thanks for all the comments last week - I really appreciated it!  I did manage to go around about 50-60 blogs and comment but I was blearly eyed by the end of that.  Do any of you manage to go through the whole list?  I also found I couldn't comment on everyones blog - Typepad and Blogger don't always like the OpenID thingie.  I can comment OK if the Name/URL option is available.  Didn't want anyone to think I was ignoring their blog.  I really wish I could comment on them all.

 

Only managed to make one card this week - well I have made others but they are DT work which I can't show yet.  This is one for my son Jake, who is 15 on 25th June.  Bit of an awkward age but I thought good old BasicGrey papers with froggies on would work OK!  For more info on the card pop along to the Fiskarettes blog.....x

Thanks for popping by my little blog.  I'll do my best to pop by yours too!  Have a great week and see you again next Wednesday!.....x

WOYWW and catch up!

Well, another month (or two) went by without me having chance to update my own little blog.  After the other blogs I work on my own Dear Diary does come bottom of the list.  I need to change that!

Anyway, Wednesday is a good prompt for me to change that with the WOYWW update.  My desk is quite tidy actually (might be something to do with tidying it yesterday, lol).  There is some work in progress - mainly some DT work for Charmed Cards, which I need to get on with.  I absolutely cannot work when my desk is a tip - I should really have taken a Before and After photo.  It was really a mess and I do hate it when it gets like that.  I always vow to keep it tidy but it never quite works that way.

I thought I would show you my wooden stamp storage.  Its a fab little cupboard which I think was intended for CD's but its ideal as the doors have diffused glass which means the sunlight which hits that part of the room doesn't bother the stamps.  I need something more organised for my acrylic stamps now.  I keep them in their original packets, but as there are quite a few I think I need to rethink how to store them, not just for space but also for usability - I tend to forget what I have!  Any ideas for some cool acrylic stamp storage???

As I haven't updated in so long I have posted some of the projects I've worked upon over the past month or so.  I do actually craft, believe it or not ;o)  - although you wouldn't think so by the amount of times I update my blog!  Most of the work is for Fiskarettes, although the Hanging Snowman Decoration is for this months Vanilla Sugar project.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last baby card is on Fiskarettes today!  Hows that for up-to-date!

Dear Diary - I promise to visit you more often....x ;-)

WOYWW

Well, its that day again - WOYWW - when you can be amazed at the mess that is my desk, and can wonder how on earth I ever get anything done in such an untidy space!  Only this week its not so bad and relatively tidy and just begging to be made a mess of again - which I plan to do at some point today. :o)

I rescued a little pink pot from my sons' room, which had been holding pens and pencils for years, but seemed to be a fixture and not really being used so I nabbed it.  Being pink too I didn't think they would really want it anymore and I have to say they haven't missed it, lol.  But it needs a new lick of paint and some craftiness added to it - so thats on my 'to do' list.

And also on my 'to do' list is to create something for tomorows Bubbly Scrumptious - might use last weeks Whispers of Colour as inspiration as those colours are gorgeous together.  I had some queries as to what the little eggs were made of - they are plastic but covered in tidy globules of plastic to create a glistening effect.  Not sure how better to describe it but they are lovely.

Thought I would also show you an overview of my room from where I sit at my desk.

 

Not too bad really, although the sewing machine should be covered up and tucked away and I wish I knew what to do with all the magazines I seem to accumulate.  The grey cabinets on the wall house all my Sizzix dies - not got room for anymore though so those new ones from Tim Holtz are gonna have to find a home somewhere else.

I am also re-reading The Secret.  Anyone else read it?  I do love the whole idea of it and am trying to think positive at all times!  Not always easy but I am trying!

Anyways, must get on - kids are still asleep (its 10.35am) and I think its about time I made a little extra noise to get them moving!

Look forward to seeing your desks too.........xx

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Some of you have seen these on other blogs, but if you haven't you might like to see what I have made this past week:

My Distressed Tag

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My Embossed Butterfly

Chocolate bunnies........

Well, this little lot is mine - all mine!

.....and yes, I have starting eating the Thorntons.  Actually I scoffed those three with a cuppa tea for brekkie!  lol

Happy Easter - hope you all get lots of choc and stuff...........x

WOYWW - on a Saturday.....

I know its Saturday and the WOYWW is for a Wednesday, but I forget, ok! lol 

Better late than never?  Not sure, especially when my desk is such a mess!  Again....

You can see a pink butterfly - partially decorated.....pop onto Bubbly Scrumptious tomorrow to see what I have done with that.  :o)

Just looking at the photo I can see another brush ruined.  That has been used and should have been placed in water!   The end of it is clogged with Ferro Old Gold which I used to decorate my little bird house for the Vanilla Sugar April Challenge.   I'll pop it into water anyway and see if it can be salvaged.  Good job I don't buy expensive brushes!

Over on Bubbly Scrumptious there is todays Whispers of Colour #6, which is a gorgeously gentle colour palette which I hope will inspire you in any projects you may do.

You can see what I have done with that inspiration, it didn't take me long :o)

 

'Life is Tweet' - hope your Easter is too!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Workshop with Tim, Claudine and Suze

Now I know this was a month ago and really I should blog as it happens but my blog always seems to be at the bottom of my 'to do' list - hence the delay.  I am looking to change that though and put it a bit nearer the top of my list, so pop by more regularly and you might see more posts from me.  There I have said it - got to do it now!

So, end of February Abi and me hop on the train to the NEC for a three hour workshop, with Tim Holtz, Claudine Hellmuth and Suze Weinburg.  And it was a fab three hours.   I enjoyed every minute, although it went too quickly!

We played with Suzes Melt Pot (and of course I have since 'had to' have one), Claudines paints and sticky canvas paper, and Tims Alcohol Inks, Distress Inks, Fragments, and more....

Abi is not a crafter per se, but she is an Artist dahling and so she really enjoyed getting inky and painty.  Even to the extent of getting paint in her hair (I clipped mine up so it was free from my face and paint, lol).  Please excuse the quality of some of these photos - they were taken in haste (and excitement)  with my iPhone!

Three hours flew by, and we learnt new stuff, revisited older stuff and generally had a fun time.  Suze, Claudine and Tim and so friendly, so helpful and down-to earth - they made the three hours a complete joy.  So if you ever have the chance to take a workshop from any of these guys then go for it!

At the end we had a gooooorgeous arty framed mirror!  Mirror is from Ikea!  So pop one into your basket next time you are there, it has a lovely deep frame to create some arty damage to.

WOYWW

Well, February really did pass me by.  A combination of awful weather, dark and dismal days and nothing very exciting happening made me just want to hibernate.  What a difference a bit of sun makes though!  Come March and some sun and I feel wonderful again!  Bring on the Spring!.....

Anyway, back to today, for now, and I have just this minute taken a picture of my work desk for WOYWW.  It is shocking, really.  I am mortally embarrassed but here it is:

Its a combination of end results of making a Mothers Day card and having some new toys to play with.  Hence you can see the Maya Mists (oh be still my beating heart - they are gorgeous) and a Melt Pot!  The Melt Pot was the result of my workshop with Tim Holtz, Claudine Hellmuth and Suze Weinburg.  Thats another story and one I must share on this blog soon.  I have pics and I have autographs! woohoo!

Right, I really must tidy up - this is my desk and the floor is not much better - boxes everywhere!  Perhaps we should have a Whats on Your Floor day - then again, perhaps not, lol.

Hot choccie yumminess...

Take a look at what Abi made me a couple of evenings ago....

 

'Ab, would you do me a drink before we sit and watch Big Brother?...." I said.  And this is what greeted me.  Milky Aero hot chocolate, whippie cream and marshmallows.  Sprinkled with chocolate powder.  Ooooh, it really did taste as good as it looks.  This is now my favourite nighttime drink - whats yours?

Please pop on over to Bubbly Scrumptious to see details of my Abigail Word Book, and if you want to hear what I sound like then pop on over to Fiskarettes to see a video I made.  How is it that we always sound different to how we think we sound?!

25th Club - Blue, Silver, Glitter and Swirls

On the Bubbly Funk Forum we have a 25th Club, where we try to commit to making some Christmas Cards by 25th of each month, with a view to having some ready in time for Christmas.  I wasn't sure if I could do this and time will tell whether I will continue or not, but I am certainly going to try to do two a month.

Joanne set a theme for January which was Blue, Silver, Glitter and Swirl so I've incorporated those elements into the two cards I've made...

 

I inked the card blank with Distress Ink and then added a snowflake stamp in two colours of ink.

I added some sequin waste and the silver snowflake, and the swirl is stamped and then heat embossed.  I added some crystals and dots and there is a tiny blue butterfly just above the snowflake - not sure if that is clear.

I sanded away part of the inked design before I stamped on the sentiment, bottom right.

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This is a stamped image which I coloured with Copics, heat embossed a glittery frame around and stuck to a  card blank, the edges of which were inked with Distress Inks.  The border is created using a Martha Stewart deep edged punch and I stamped a swirl over the top. 

The snowflake is bedded onto a crocheted flower and secured with a brad.

* * * * * *

Thanks for the theme Joanne!  I enjoyed making these.  It always seems a shame to only use Christmas and festive crafty bits for such a limited time in the year.  How nice to be able to spread that use throughout the rest of the year.  Onto the next theme now which TraceyR has set - pop onto the Forum and join in!!

Caroline x

Art Journal 2010

Over at the Kathryn Wheel there is a challenge to journal your 2010.  I put my name down despite me wondering if I could ever keep up with it - but I have so far.  I know we are only 8 days in but still...

My journal is 12x12 and is layered with with gorgeous paper that Abi experimented on at College.  She dropped ink into a bowl of water, laid the paper on top and created the gorgeous swirly pattern.  She was going to throw them away!  Nooooooooooo I said (running in slow motion as I shouted Noooooooo and grabbing them from her hand as I did a stunt man skid across the floor).  I can do something with them.

Click on pic to get a bigger image....

 

and yes, you can see, I am up to date!  woohoo.........

Sooooo, I grunged them up a bit, inked and stamped and glittered and I am doing the daily squares each day and then sticking, cos I have decided to use lots of my stickers, labels, rub-ons etc. and thought it would be easier to decorate the square before adhering to the main sheet.  I love layering and overlapping so this will work better for me than having them stuck down already.

 

So far the snowy theme chosen for January is working out to be a good idea!

WOYWW....on a Saturday

Well, this past week has been manic!  Got a lot done though - all the wrapping is now done, pressies under the tree or bagged up waiting to be delivered.  All cards and pressies posted and I did actually manage to make a few cards this year, woo hoo!  Popping to Sainsburys and/or Tesco on Wednesday for the final fresh stuff and I am done.

Doesn't mean to say my to do list is empty though.  Just done a list of things I have to do - mainly work/craft (house list is separate altogether!) and its humoungous.  Just as well I love what I do!

Top of the list is tidy my craft room - again!  I took the WOYWW pictures on Thursday - messy in the morning and tidy(ish) by evening.......

BEFORE

* * *

AFTER

* * *

But now I am back to square one and its actually messier than the 'before' picture.  How does it happen!  lol

I have a TV card in my computer so I can watch TV whilst in my room.  I have to twist the monitor round to see it if watching from my craft desk, and I keep craning my neck to view as I craft which is OK, but not ideal.  You'll see my laptop on the pic.  Isn't iPlayer fab!  I can watch whatever I fancy on ITV or BBC and its right there in front of me.  Love it.  Also found it helpful viewing Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas whilst crafting too.  Oh the power of technology.

Which reminds me - 12 Tags of Christmas.  Still on #2, hehe.  This is on my 'to do' list though.......I will complete them, I will....

Abi went to see Avatar last night and came back saying it was the best film she has ever seem, omg.  We are all going to watch it sometime over the Christmas break so I am looking forward to that, the trailers look amazing.  Anyone else seen it? 

WOYWW....and me tree....

After seeing Kaz and Kathy's WOYWW I thought I would take a pic this week.  Its a bit of a mess, well a lot of a mess actually and I am a little embarrassed to put this online, but it might encourage me to improve on the photo each week if I show and tell on woyww... :-)

 

omg, that really is shocking isn't it.

You can see that I have started Tims 12 Tags of Christmas - Tag 1 and nearly finished Tag 2.  Bit behind there then, but I WILL do them all as I have an Advent Diary to fill up and I thought they would fit neatly in this album...

(details of this on Fiskarettes)...

I'll finish off those two tags and show soon.

And here is a pic of my Christmas tree.  I must say it looks gorgeous, its THE perfect shape.

Fancy a show and tell with your Christmas Tree or decorations?  I would love to see, cos I am nosey like that.........heheheeeeeee.....x

I love my dog I do....

Had a bit of a scare yesterday.  I was getting ready to drop Abi off at College and then go off and meet a friend when I noticed Sam acting a little strange.  He was lifting his front paws up high in the air and I thought he might have had something sticky on his paw so went over to him to have a look and as I did so he started to loose his balance and sank to the floor.

He was trembling and shaking all over, his eyes were glazed and then not and then glazed again.  He was very warm and just shaking all over.  He was having a seizure, and I have never been so scared in all my life.

I shouted for Abi and we both tried to soothe him.  The fit lasted a couple of minutes and I was in pieces.  I was so scared as I have never seen anything like that before.  Sam is super healthy and not had any ill health in the six years we have had him.

After a couple of minutes he came round, stood up, shook himself and seemed right as rain again!  We took him to the vet who examined him and gave him some antibiotics as he did have a high temperature.  The vet explained that it may just be a one off, or it could be the start of an underlying problem.  Either way we have to watch him and give him extra, extra love and cuddles.  Thats not hard to do as he is a super cute and cuddly doggie.

I have to praise Abi though.  Whilst I was in pieces and crying, it was Abi who shouted at me to call the vet and kept her cool.  She has a good head on her shoulders, for sure.  I am so proud of her.

Here are a couple of more recent pics of Sam...

 

This is Sam posing after Abi put one of her little jackets on him!  Would you believe it, he actually posed on the stairs for us, lol.

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and this is Sam sitting watching the TV!  Note that he has the remote handy - typical man!

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All you animal lovers out there will know how scary this episode was for us.  He is part of our family, a much loved member, and its not until something like this happens that you realise just how important he is to our family.

Right, off to give my doggie a big cuddle......x

Hot daaaaamn.....

It bugs me no end that I fail to keep this blog up to date.  I even signed up for Shimelles Blogging class in the hope of improving that, but I've not been able to keep up with it!  I have printed all the prompts off with a view to reading them though, so thats something I guess! 

Went to see New Moon last Tuesday.  Tuesday is a girly day as Abi has the day off from college so we both went to see it.  Fab film - I think I may have to go and see it again.  Abi is in the 'Jacob camp' but even though he is very gooooorgeous, I am more an Edward fan, lean and mean, hehe.  We had a laugh though - there is a part of the film where Jacob takes his shirt off and Abi said 'daaaaaaamn' in a slightly louder voice than she wanted and most of the audience heard her, lol.

Can you believe Christmas is nearly here?!  Its going too quickly for me, although I am organised as far as presents go.  I only have the boys to do and I am done!  Lots of cards to make though and the decorations to do - need to get a tree this week.

Bit worried at the moment though - FIL is in hospital and he is very poorly.  He has an infection in his liver, which is something he suffered from a few years ago.  I worry every time the phone rings.  Keeping fingers crossed he recovers quickly.

And our very last guinea pig died Thursday night, so sad.  He was very old, over five years old, and had been gradually slowing down over the past few weeks.  He died in his sleep, bless him.  I loved Wiggy (he was very long haired and looked like a wig with legs!) and miss him already.  I would stand at the kitchen sink and be able to watch him in his cage outside and loved hearing his squeak when a bag was rattled as he thought it was food.  We had been bringing him in every night for the past couple of months to make sure he was warm and away from the night chill.  The last couple of pets we had died from ill health and had to be put down by the vet, so I am thankful he went in his sleep.  RIP Wiggy... :-(

* * *

I am going to do Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas - I am determined too!  I made an Advent Diary for a project on Fiskarettes and will make a little compartment to keep the tags in too.  Fingers crossed I can keep up and be organised this December...

 

We have opened our chocolate advent calendars!  We all have one, how exciting!  Can't remember the last time I bothered with one for myself, but why not, eh?!  Have you had yours?......

Fancy Pants...

I did some design work for Charmed Cards and Crafts recently and got to play with Fancy Pants Summer Soiree alongside other coordinating gorgeousness.

It was fun playing with such bright and vibrant paper and embellishments and this is what I made (if you want to see projects in detail then see HERE)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to London, to London...

This time two weeks ago I was having tea at Buckingham Palace.....

I've not been to London for many years and it was more fantastic than I remembered.  I loved it.  We did fit so much into our three days, each day ended with us exhausted, but it was fun.

 

When we arrived in London we went around Buckingham Palace.  It is open for a couple of months each year, while the Queen is away - and I can now say that I have had tea at Buckingham Palace, haha.

The above pic is Cam - he is never too pleased at having his photo taken and I do seem to acquired quite a few of his grumpy face, bless him.  They do make me smile though....aaawww. 

We then visited Ripleys Museum - full of weird and wonderful things and the kids thought it was fab.  Certainly a good way to spend two or three hours.

 

This is a mini covered in Swarvoski crystals.  Fantastic it is.

By this time we were starving and so went to Planet Hollywood - we ordered a whole load of gorgeousness to eat and our eyes certainly were bigger than our bellies.  Such a great atmosphere in this restaurant though - and the food was great.  I would defo recommend.

 

Abi - hhhmmmm what shall I have to eat...

We literally crawled to the hotel - our bellies were full and our eyes heavy and sleep was certainly welcome!

 

Walking through Hyde Park...

The next day we went on the open top Bus Tour.  This is fantastic and you can get to see so much of London.  One of the things I admire most in London is the history and architecture.  Some of the buildings are really impressive.  The Houses of Parliament certainly caught my eye - absolutely amazing.  The great thing about the bus tour is that you pay for a 24 hour ticket and can then get on an off any of the stops along the way.

We then went on a trip on the Thames.  Lovely.  We ended up in Greenwich (I think) and walked a long tunnel under the Thames to a little market - I got a gorgeously spotty bag.  We then got the tube back to the hotel - another exhausting day!

 

Jake...

On the third day we were travelling home later in the day and so we went shopping.  You really can't go to London without doing a little shopping.  So we visited Hamblys and Harrods and little shops inbetween.

An exhausting break, but great fun.  And I certainly won't be leaving it so long before I visit London again...

Bubbly Scrumptious Challenge - embossing

Today is a new day and a new challenge on the Bubbly Scrumptious Challenges Blog!!

The challenge is 'DRY EMBOSSING' and here is my card:

  

I used papers and embellishments from the current August Kit - His n Hers.  The journalling label is from the kit add-on Journalling Pack.

I used a Sizzix texture plate for the diamond embossing and then inked lightly with a pink ink pad.

Pop on over to the blog now and see what the designers have done and why not take part yourself?!  We will showcase your design and blog on the challenge blog - its a lovely way to share inspiration...

Heres one I may have missed...

I wanted to show you a scrapbook page a did a couple of months ago, for a challenge on UKS.  I thought I had put it on here but I hadn't so here is the info and pics taken from my gallery on UKS...

These are pictures taken of Abi, my daughter, taken in 2006. I’ve actually scrapped a larger version of the top picture before. But I do love these pics in particular as they capture the essence of Abi just before she got to an age where she got more camera savvy. Now she poses very well for pictures, then I could just snap away without her being so bothered. Abi is a real dreamer, loves nature and animals and is very into art...

 

For my layout I took the American Crafts Taffy and painted with a lighter pink paint around the edges. I then inked around it too.

Taking my two pictures I positioned then on the cardstock with dst.
Before using the Swiss Dot cardstock I cut around the edge to make it slightly smaller than 12x12.
I then marked the dot cardstock where the pictures were and cut out the areas slightly within the marks so that the photos showed through.

I then sewed the Dot cardstock on top of the pink, and sewed around the photos twice. One sewn edge was to hold the photo secure, and the outside sewn edge was to create a frame outside of the photo.

 

I then carefully cut, with a blade, inbetween the sewn frame to create a gap to show off the pink cardstock underneath. Emphasise further by curling back the edges of each frame.

Using a mixture of the two K&CO Madeline papers I cut out flowers and swirls and added them to the layout using a mixture of dst and sticky pads to create lift in some areas.

I then added an appropriate rub-on to the journaling panel and put into place.
Added all the little extras like the butterfly and the roses and then I dotted some crystals around too.

The lace created an additional layer with some old book paper on the bottom left.

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I am trying my hardest to keep my blog updated with what I do but there is bound to be some that slip through as I do forget to put them on here.  I will remedy that just for my own sake - tis supposed to be a diary after all!

Now I am off to do some DT work - will keep you posted, promise, haha...x

EDITED TO ADD - just realised I did put this on the BS Blog so you may have already seen it!  I am losing my mind I am sure.  Anyhow its here now... :-)