Rubber Stamping - North Wales

Good afternoon everyone I hope you are all keeping nice & warm during this cold spell. Today I have a member showcase to show you & it was sent just before Christmas from Joanna of Mold club.  A birthday card for a friend; It has a flip flop design so this is the card as it  would come from the envelope Two other views - to show the flip flop action. Thank you for sending those in Joanna. I will probably show you some of the last Christmas cards I made tomorrow, after I have loaded them onto my computer. Keep warm & stay safe.  'Bye for now.

......................    my garden at about 4:30 - 5:00 pm tonight - (Boxing Day); & then about 8:00 pm we looked out of the window again & ....................... ............... yes this is really the colour of the view from our patio doors onto the back garden.  We think the big house at the back of us had lights on that turned things this yellow colour. it was weird & magical. Hope you had a great Boxing Day.

Popping in to wish you all  a Very Merry Christmas I hope you have a wonderful day

Right, that's it ............. Bob went out early to pick up the turkey & fresh bread & milk. The presents have been wrapped & put under the tree. I have even updated the clubs programmes on the blog. The cars are put away & the gates closed. So for us - it is the same message to ourselves at this time as it is every year - "If we haven't got it now - we haven't got it at all" Let's not forget all those people away from Home at this time of year, those in hospital, & those who are no longer with us now, & at this moment those people in Glasgow & other places in the world  caught up in these recent dreadful tragedies Our thoughts are with them all. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Just to let you know I have updated the three club pages with their first months of 2015 programme. There will be some photos to add to the projects photo pages I will do that in the first few days after Christmas.

Good evening everyone - wow, I hope that wind is going to drop - I thought it was going to blow me over today. This morning I met with Caroline for our Christmas Stocking swap.  We met up at the garden centre behind Hulme Hall, & had a good look round then went for a coffee & a natter. I also bought another couple of small decorations - I am trying to keep up the tradition of a new decoration or ornament each Christmas.  Just small ones. Tomorrow afternoon I am off to have my hair done so hopefully I look neat & tidy over Christmas - mind you with the wind the way it is that could be a waste of time.  Then in the evening we are off to visit Gareth & Elayne, when I think we are having a take away - so that is a nice evening to look forward to. But before that we will be doing the very last of the food shopping except for Christmas eve when Bob goes to get the turkey.  Once we have that - its sit back & wait for the day. I hope all your plans are going well.

Hi - just popping in for a quick chat, I thought I would bring you up to date with things I have been doing over the last few days. Over the last few days we have been getting the house into the festive spirit.  I never put my tree & decorations up early - it stems from times as a child, which I am sure I have told you of before. When my brother & I were children our house was not decorated until after we had gone to bed on Christmas Eve.  I don't know when our parents slept because on top of the Aladdin's cave we got up to in the morning - Mum was already in the kitchen with the turkey in the oven. Consequently I have never been able to decorate my home(s) before that date.  But. of course, when you are out working the day has to be moved - so usually I now decorate the weekend before Christmas. Thursday last week - Russ & Nadine came over & Russ helped Bob get the decorations & trees down from the loft.  Then we had a very nice Fish & Chip meal t

Hi everyone Just popping in really quickly to give you this link   http://www.affixitcraft.co.uk/ If you follow the link it takes you to one of the AFFIXIT pages - look just below the logo & click on the *buy one get one free weekend*. They have some great offers on adhesives - offer ends midnight tomorrow (21st December).  Hope this is helpful to you. Just think - I know we haven'[t got to Christmas quite yet - but tomorrow is the shortest day of the year.  The days will start to lengthen out. Bye for now.

Today is 20 December & a Mold II member has a birthday Happy Birthday Chris Have a lovely day

Good evening everyone Tonight I have another member showcase for you & it is, once again, from Rita of Mold II club. Here is what Rita said in her email;   "Here is a card I have made for my sons girlfriend, she has a horse and 2 dogs  and will be 40 they will be spending in London at the horse event.   Have a nice Christmas I see you are still doing some Chrissy cards, one of my friends she said in January that she was going to make 3 Christmas cards every month, think she did it for the first month,  so last time I spoke to her she was having to get a load done.  I did start in October this year as I knew we would be going away for a week in November, but I don’t send everyone a homemade one.  I don’t know if I told you this already but I took 2 of my homemade cards to be posted and they said £2.80 each, I brought them back and did a re vamp this postage system is no good for us card makers." You are absolutely right Rita, but I would hate

... yes - still making them. I have a list that I create each year - based on where I sent cards the previous year.  Before I print it off - I add any new contacts, & sadly sometimes have to remove names as people pass on.  Although I have had this list beside me whilst making my cards I seem to miscount & find myself in the position of needing just a few more cards. So, the one I have to show you today - is this one; I recently purchased the Tattered Lace embossing folders & this is one of the 2 Christmas designs. I love it - it embosses so crisp & clean. I layered it onto a square base card, then die cut the swirly Christmas tree, which is from Memory Box I think, from silver mirri card.  I also cut the Merry Christmas from the silver mirri card.  That die is from a Christmas Cracker set from Tonic which I bought last year. Some of the other folders are really lovely & I can't wait to start using them when I return to birthday card making.  Of

Hello again. This time I have a showcase for another Mold II member & that is Annette.  Rita sent me the photo of your card, Annette. A really beautiful Christmas card, Annette. Well done again. I look forward to seeing more of yours & Rita's work in the magazines in 2015. Right! back to my craft room & some work.

Good afternoon everyone I hope you are having a nice weekend. The member showcase I have for you this time is from Rita of Mold II club, who has scored a hat-trick with 3 cards being published.  Rita emailed me the photos yesterday. They were featured in Papercraft Essentials; This first one was featured on the letters page as you can see. This was Rita's second card that was featured. Have you stamped that on acetate Rita? This card formed the hat-trick A really lovely card. Well done Rita - they are all beautiful (sorry about the shadow from the magazine page - I couldn't erase it). I will be back again in a minute with another showcase - of which Rita also forwarded the photo for me.

... well design wise anyway. Oh, by the way - good evening everyone. Hey, did you think I had lost it last night - totally off my head?  I really couldn't think of the words I needed to express what I was trying to say.  They may have been - sentimental, sentimentality, romantic, romanticism..... - I don't know.  Perhaps I was finally getting swept up in the Christmas festivities.  If you speak to my family - they will tell you that they have to hide the fact that over Christmas there are animated films on the TV,  because I want to watch them all.  They suffered "Happy Feet" one year & have never let me forget it.  They forget these great animated films were not around when I was a child - OK, I went to the cinema & saw Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs - I was seven!  Not the same as what they can watch today.  But still magical. Ah! perhaps that another word I was looking for - Magical.  Santa & Pete was magical even though you could work out what

............ dreamer, romantic; do you like ................. Do you like films that are ............. You may have noticed I ran out of the words to describe what I was asking. Just to explain why I am asking at this particular time - a) its Christmas; b) Bob has been away & when he is away I sometimes watch channels we don't watch together.  When he is away I always keep busy in my craft room & only watch a bit of TV before going to bed.  Don't like soaps & other things - but I am a succour for some style of films.  Anyway at the beginning of the week whilst surfing the channels I found a film channel full of Christmas films.  Not the big ones we all know about - but others - probably TV films.  As Bob records quite a few programmes whilst he is away I am sometimes stuck on some rare moments I want to watch TV, not being able to watch a live programme.  So when I found this channel & watched one film - I recorded a couple. Whoo! this is long winded I k

Good evening everyone - well!, it's 2 weeks to go now. Here are 2 more of my cards - which I made yesterday. I needed 2 more for a lunch I attended today. I had miscalculated so I needed something quick & simple; They are a sort of recycling pair, as the trees are off other Christmas cards  - I always have a standby box of cards each Christmas & this is this years.  So I just cut out the trees, added a gold star & placed them on a piece of background paper I had that went with the trees so well.  The background paper was edged with gold border peel-offs to lift it from the white card, & a peel-off greeting added. I have done some stamping though - the message inside is a stamped message. That bottom card must have got bent,because the bottom edge looks a bit peculiar - it was definitely straight & level. Tomorrow there should be the last of my cards to show you, except for the family ones - which I will show you after Christmas. Have a go

Good evening everyone - what an awful day! I walked down our drive this morning to retrieve our rubbish bin & nearly got blown off my feet. I am pleased to say though that I did manage to get some washing done & dry - just managed to miss showers. As well as washing I have also been busy making some more cards - I seem to have been making them for ages, but the list of what I need doesn't seem to be getting any shorter. These - once again are from a set I had bought sometime earlier in the year & forgotten about; I still had some of the gold embossed parchment papers left - so used those for backgrounds. I love the colours - they are so rich & warm. The frames have been stuck flat on the background & the shaped centre pieces are mounted on foam pads to raise them just a little./ I made 2 other cards as well - but will save those for tomorrow to show you. That's me - night night.

Good evening everyone. Tonight I have a photo of another of my snowman cards that I made; I used 2 of the images to make this card.  On the panel of white card I stamped the snowman in black ink.  Having adhered it to the base card I then edged it with red border peel offs.  Next I cut around another snowman image & coloured it in with red & green Promarkers & placed that over the base image with foam pads.  A broad "Happy Christmas" peel off was then added to the side off the design (twice in fact). I am happy with this card. Today I have also been busy creating my last batch Christmas cards - so when I have put one together I will share it with you. Talking of sharing - I also, yesterday - made a card for an elderly cousin of mine - using the Pollyanna Pickering pack I had.  I so needed to get it into the post - that I forgot to photograph it.  I have a similar topper left & will make that into a card tomorrow & show you. At this

Good evening everyone - I have another member showcase for you this evening. In fact it's two cards & they are from Betty of Mold II club.  They are cards she made for her niece Molly - in fact I think Betty said Molly is her great-niece. The first one is a Birthday Card That is so bright & lively Betty - just right for a 15 year old. The second one is her Christmas card This is a really fun card - Betty called it the melting snowman card. They are brilliant Betty - thank you for sharing them with us.

Good morning everyone - what a wintry day - but then I guess it is winter. I have another member showcase for you this morning & it is a follow on from one of those for Joanna of Mold club.  She emailed me with a photo of her prize from her Affixit win (I posted about it on Wednesday 3 December) That should keep you going for a while Joanna. Have a good day everyone - may be back later, if not - more tomorrow.

Good evening everyone - I hope you are having a good weekend. Tonight I have a member showcase from Rita of Mold II who recently wrote a letter to "Quick Cards" magazine enclosing a photo of one of her cards.  She received a message from them asking for a photo to put with the letter when they published it.  A photo of Rita that is. Here is the letter, photo & card; Well done Rita, keep up the good work, & what a lovely smiley photo too. If you read the letter, in the photo, (I have added it quite large), you can see that Rita had used some freebie stamps from an earlier issue of the magazine.   ore tomorrow.  'Bye for now.

Good morning everyone & here I am with the second set of photos from CSNW's meeting on Wednesday evening. This time the photos are of their project for the evening, which was the little wallet card; This lovely clean & simple design was made by Joan - I particularly like the way the flowers on the flap have been partially stamped. This one was made by Margaret - making use of a very elegant piece of burgundy floral paper. This lovely crisp & clean lilac design was made by Verena & that circular message makes a great fastener tab doesn't it. Another clean & crisp design this time made by Ruth - that flower on the fastening tab is beautiful The use of this marble patterned paper works so well on the flap,  this one was made by Ann (F). Ann also used a corner punch with the wings removed to make the fastener. A really bright fun striped paper for the flap on this one made by Joyce, who also used a corner punch

Good morning everyone This morning I have the photos from last night's CSNW meeting, & they are of their Show & Tell which was to make a Christmas bookmark. There were only 2 entries - but I guess it is understandable at this time of year when everyone is busy finishing Christmas cards, sorting Christmas presents & food for the meals. Here they are; A lovely holly design with a red tassel - this one was made by Ann (F) & on the reverse ..... ............. it says "Seasons Greetings" This very festive red bookmark complete with snowflakes & bells was made by Gwen. If you are wondering about the strange green object sticking out from each side - it is my little easel which I often use to photograph items on.  The bookmarks would not stand up on their short edge on it - they would only lay down - so in order to show them here I have had to flip them.  Hence the strange easel. Well done ladies. We had a very nice &quo

Good afternoon everyone I am popping in to show you another of my Christmas card designs; This design uses the same embossed card front but this time has a gold embossed star image on it topped with a bow.  (This bow looks like it is about to fall off - I better check it before I use it).  I also embossed in gold the word Joy above & below the image.  The star was cut out & then placed on foam pads. So that is my Show & Tell for today.  More later.

Yesterday I had an email from Joanna of Mold club she had found out via Facebook that she had won a runners up prize - this was her message; "Cowling and Wilcox: The winning number for our Winsor & Newton Watercolour Stick giveaway is 4! Congratulations Lynne Gibbins! Well done also to Runner Up, Joanna MacKintosh, who will receive a goody bag from us. Thank you to everyone who entered, keep an eye out for more freebies soon! :) Today, my prize arrived from Woodware (the Dreamweaver stencil prize) and I picked the Picasso tool - should be very useful:" The motto for competitions is - you have to be in it to win it.  This is so true, & as I have said before I think - some of the things Joanna has won has been down to merely putting a comment on a website. Then..................... This morning I had another email from her which was headed - "I did it again!" - here's the email; "Just seen on FaceBook: Affixit Craft Wow...what a fantastic r

Good evening I thought it was time I showed you some photos of the different styles of stamped Christmas cards I have been making recently. This is the first one; I have embossed the front of a scalloped edge card with an embossing folder that has snowflakes bordering an open plaque.  Amongst my collection of Christmas stamps that I do not recall using before, was this lacy Christmas tree.  I stamped & embossed in gold then cut them out.  A couple of gems to add some sparkle & mounted on foam pads.  The word Noel was stamped above & below & also embossed in gold. There are two more to show you & I will save them for other posts. Tomorrow is the final 2014 meeting for the CSNW ladies, & as I am not 100% yet Bob is going to be driving me over.  He does spoil me doesn't he.  So Thursday there will be photos from the meeting. More tomorrow.  'Bye for now.

Today is 2 December & a Mold II member has a birthday Happy Birthday Elizabeth Have a lovely day

........ and here I am again with the second of tonight's posts. This time it is a card by Annette also of Mold II & also for the same magazine & challenge; Another beautiful card Annette. The magazine certainly seems to like yours & Rita's work & usually putting you in the same issue of the magazine together as well. Keep up the good work. That's it for today - night night.

Good evening everyone. This is the first of two posts tonight - & this one is of a card by Rita of Mold II that has been featured in a recent issue of Papercraft  Essentials magazine - where readers were asked to send in their cards using a stamp & papers that had been freebees on a previous issue; Well done Rita - it is beautiful.

Hi again At the Mold meeting a week ago two of the ladies were discussing the popularity of the card-in-a-box that everybody was making.  It was Sheelagh & Joanna that were talking about it.  I mentioned to them that as I normally do whilst I was on holiday in Italy I searched out an Italian craft magazine & lo & behold they had this card in the magazine - but - with a difference. I briefly explained how they had used it & lo & behold a couple of days later these photos appear in my email inbox; An interesting front cover! first glimpse of the inside better view of the inside. Isn't it great?  It is the work of Joanna.  Simply - you make a card-in-a-box then glue 2 sides of it to the inside of the base card - placing one corner in the centre fold. Thank you Joanna.  I really must try & make one myself now. More member showcase tomorrow.

Just popping in to catch up ............ sorry I haven't blogged for a couple of days, but this cough eventually knocked me off my feet.  I also lost my voice - not that that stops you typing, but it also sapped any energy I had. I am being cossetted & not doing a lot so that I will be well enough to go to the CSNW meeting Wednesday - their last meeting of 2015. I have some members news to show you - & will follow this post with one of them.  Then the others I will probably put up tomorrow. I hope you are all well & not suffering coughs & colds. 'Bye for now.

Good morning everyone Today I have the photos from the Mold II project where we made the inner blocks card.  Those of you who have already made this may notice these look a little different.  This was due to an error on my part & wasn't noticed until all the cutting was done & the decoration was being started.  I read my own instructions wrong & gave them a measurement of 1" related to the blocks & it should have been 1.5", so their blocks are smaller than they should be. I did apologise & asked to be excused on the bases I was not well.  Aah!  But really there was no excuse I shouldn't make those sort of mistakes.  But being the lovely ladies they are they just carried on & made the best of it. This lovely cream vintage card was made by Elizabeth Oh, those Christmas puds are just right for those blocks / steps , aren't they! Lovely card by Carol. This lovely jade colour seems to be popular at the moment - the