Caturday: little kitten Spud

There’s another new litter of kittens at the cat shelter and this is the most confident of the three. They arrived with their mother after a dog apparently killed their other two siblings. Cat shelter life isn’t all fluffy and nice; there are some horrendous stories behind many of the kitties. The new cat and kittens don’t have names yet but when I mooted “Spud” as a name for this little fellow I learned that there’s a  competition on Facebook to provide names. Shame, as I really think he/she looks like a little Spud.

Woodland white scene... and stepped up, too

Eek, it’s Friday again already! Another week of no blogging, but don’t worry, we ARE getting somewhere at home and soon I may get some crafting time again. 

But first let me show you what I made for last week’s SU party. The hostess is a big fan of Christmas projects so the theme was festive. I kept the Make & Take really simple, showcasing the new Woodland embossing folder and teaming it up with the Tree Builder punch, which I know a lot of the ladies already have. I love the pop of Cherry Cobbler against the stark white.

Tree Builder Punch [138295]	Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139673]	Cherry Cobbler A4 Card Stock [121681]	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490]
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]	To You & Yours Too Photopolymer Stamp Set [139819]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966]

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I also showed a stepped-up version of the same card, on which I’d (badly) added some colour to the branches. There are two ways you can do this and, trust me, if you take a bit more time and care over it (as I’m afraid I didn’t), it will look a LOT better than this!

1. Before embossing, using a marker, carefully colour the relevant raised areas of the embossing folder, to add colour to the indents on the trees.
2. After embossing, use the fine end of the marker to colour the cardstock in the indented areas on the trees. 

The finishing touch is one of our FABULOUS new wooden snowflakes (LOVE these!) and some nice new gold cord. The addition of just three products turns it into a completely different card.

Oh and the party? It was a lovely, relaxed event and a great opportunity to catch up with everyone. And, on top of this, the workshop total put the hostess into the 16% zone for Stampin’ Rewards so she was a very happy lady!

Tree Builder Punch [138295]	Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139673]	Cherry Cobbler A4 Card Stock [121681]	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490]	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]
To You & Yours Too Photopolymer Stamp Set [139819]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966]	2015-2017 In Color Stampin' Write Markers [138333]	Snowflake Elements [139638]	Gold Cording Trim [139618]

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Mix It Up Monday: Thankful Forest Friends group

Better late than never, it’s Mix It Up Monday and I confess that I’ve only just made this project this morning! Talk about leaving things to the last minute. But I couldn’t miss two Mondays in a row!

Anyway, I needed a masculine card for a friend and I’ve not had chance to play with this set much at all, so it was the obvious choice. And luckily, there was the perfect combo available to me from my In Color charts. Tangerine Tango doesn’t see the light of day much in this house, but it was ideal for this cute little fox. Not sure I fancy the rabbit’s chances much with those two friends, though!

The trees are from another set from the Autumn/Winter catalogue; To You And Yours Too. This co-ordinates with the To You and Yours kit (which we’re using this weekend at my Christmas workshop to make some fun shaker cards) but works well as a standalone set as well. 

Talking of my Christmas workshop, this is now fully booked and all that’s left to do is pack the supplies, so I’d better get cracking on that now!

Thankful Forest Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139723]	To You & Yours Too Photopolymer Stamp Set [139819]	Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set [138946]	Cherry Cobbler A4 Card Stock [121681]
Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock [138343]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966]
Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad [126946]	Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad [126979]

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Caturday: Tibby

This is Tibby… a lovely middle-aged cat who finds herself at Woodland Nook after the death of her owner. She’s really friendly, just doesn’t like other cats, so would love to find a real home!

Extension update: You’ve probably guessed from my silence that the week has been a busy one on the extension front. We’ve now passed the stage where the workmen were conveniently stowed away out of our main living area and the invasion is complete. This means lots of extra work on our part, moving things from room to room to make way for the plumber, for instance. On the plus side, it does mean we’re getting closer and the big news is that we now have a new combi boiler, so hot water whenever we want it and radiators, too. After the last few weeks of chilly weather, with no heating at all, we’re really delighted to get some heat around the house. 

All walls are now plastered and it’s just the finishing touches to go. I say “finishing”… I mean, of course, from the builder’s point of view. From our point of view, this is where the fun begins. We’re having the floor tiled the week after next and the kitchen the week after, then we need to decorate and furnish, which could take some time…

Meanwhile, I did manage a SU party last night... and have a team meeting and workshop next weekend (eek!). Also have taken on some extra hours at work, to complete a project, so busy, busy, busy!

Barnyard Babies thank yous

This goat is such a cutie that I just had to use it for my husband’s thank you cards which he sent out to his pupils who bought him an end-of-term present. If you know me in real life, you’ll know that I get extremely bored making the same card over and over again (swaps are NOT my favourite thing), so I alleviate the problem by making a variety of designs and keeping them really simple. Yes, he got a LOT of presents! All have now been long ago sent out in the post; the children love to get a letter of their own in the mail.

And now it’s a new term… with a new class for the husband, a new uniform for the son and a new college for the daughter. 

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328]	Something To Say Clear-Mount Stamp Set [134180]	Marina Mist A4 Card Stock [121682]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]
Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad [126962]	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad [126959]

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No Mix It Up Monday this week...

So sorry, no Mix It Up Monday today; I just haven’t had chance to make a suitable project. I planned to do it today but it’s been chaotic, with my son’s birthday, last day of school holidays, a tiresome building-related issue which lost me so small amount of time this afternoon and a good couple of hours this evening.  

I can’t deny that I have been doing a small amount of crafting over the weekend… because I have a party coming up this week – but I don’t want to showcase those projects until after the party. I just hope the guests will understand when I don’t have any other Autumn/Winter catalogue samples to show them!

Meanwhile, here’s a gorgeous sample from the new catalogue, using the rather fabulous Acorn Punch which I forgot to order. What was I thinking? It’s gorgeous!

Anyway, that’s all for today. I’ll root around in the computer and see if I have any samples to post for tomorrow…

Caturday: A cute ginger and white kitten

I still don’t know the names of all the kittens at the shelter but, regardless of name, this one is adorable. There are a few ginger and white kittens like this and they’re sure to get adopted quickly (the cute ones usually do). Look at that little pink nose!

Extension update: We have hit the worst part I think (I hope). The dust! The dirt! And apart from anything else, it’s blimmin’ freezing!

But other than that, all of it is now boarded and insulated and ready for the plasterers to arrive on Monday. And we have a fireplace! A fake one, of course, but it’s somewhere to house our new gas stove (when we can afford to buy it).

The new catalogue is here!

Here it is! The new Autumn/Winter catalogue. Have a browse HERE and let me know if you’d like to order.

I love this catalogue; I’m not sure I’m ready to think about Christmas just yet but the autumnal products are fabulous. I particularly love the Into The Woods section which starts on p42. Take a look...

Mix It Up Monday: Tin of Cards kit

Do you like my post-modern industrial backdrop? Underneath the skylight in our future kitchen was the brightest spot I could find in the house on such a rainy, miserable day. Of course it’s raining: it’s a Bank Holiday here in the UK.

Last night I realised that I have run out of Mix It Up Monday projects to show you, and I have no space for crafting. Fortunately I have my Tin of Cards Project Kit and all I’d done at that point was open it, take out the contents, look at them and return them to the tin. Several times actually. 

So, with a couple of additional products, to fulfil the colour combo requirements, I quickly threw together this simple card. At least it’s a bright and cheerful combination for a pretty dismal day!

Tin Of Cards Project Kit [138378]

Watermelon Wonder 1" Dotted Lace Trim [138425]

Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock [138344]

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack [133787]

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