Altered Jewellry Box

Well I'm finally catching up and getting some creating done...whoohooo seems like I have been missing from here for AGES!! I sat down last night and had a play with my stash... just for me!! Had I known that today everything technical would stick it's tongue out at me and refuse to play I may not have spent so long playing paper cutting...lol but hey ho... gotta have SOME me time eh.

I need a fixer of all things computer connected to come move in here I think... not being very technical minded myself when my printer decided to play chewing up my paper (doesn't it know it's only s'posed to eat INK) and my camera didn't want to show my photos to my computer, I was all for pulling out chunks of my own hair with my teeth (errr well if I could reach that is... gawd I say the daftest things sometimes) lol. Well my camera decided to play game after what seems like hours of messing around and finally I can show you what I was up to.

I bought this little jewellry box in the 'Next' sale for £1 and have been saving it for a day when I needed cheering up so I could lose myself in altering it. I just HAD to do it though because it was crying out for some colourful treatment from these gorgeous papers designed by Marieke . Marieke has now opened an Etsy shop and is selling her FABULOUS designs as PDF files HERE. She is adding more and more designs all the time and I am drooling!! So my little jewellry box got the treatment but I wanted it to look a bit tattered so after covering it all with gesso, I stuck all the papers on and then used an emery board to take off some of the paper and paint. I ended up being really happy with it. I ended up stuck up with glue and covered in dust but it was worth it.

Now then for those of you who haven't already, don't forget to visit the new Fiskars’ blog don't forget to pop by. There £500 worth of goodies up for grabs if you register(free) and answer a simple question. I just know you want some lovely goodies to add to your stash...but you gotta be in it to win it as the saying goes :)

I hope you are all having a fab time creating and will be round to visit your blogs in a little while... got me a lot of catching up to do me thinks. See you soon.

Hugs

Chris xx

Fiskars' blog Launch.

Hi everyone... I bet you were wondering where I had got to. I'm sorry for the delay in letting you know what has been happening but it has been a totally MAD week for me this week. The blog launch is happening as I type this post so now's your chance to pop over there and have a nosy. I hope you will like what you see and that you will join me for some fun. You can visit here at http://www.fiskarettes.co.uk. I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you to all of you who have given me your support over the last months and stuck with me even though I haven't posted here very much. I am grateful to you all :)

Chris xxxx

A quick digi layout and .... MY NEWS !!!

Okay so I've been missing in action again.... what's new you ask..LOL. I know, I know, I HAVE been a bad blogger and I have really missed visiting your blogs BUT I have a REALLY REALLY GOOD REASON for it and I'm sure you will understand when I tell you my news!! :)
I have to keep you in suspense for just a little longer though (scroll down if you can't wait. lol) so I can let you have a giggle at my expense ;-) It was my sisters birthday a little while ago and she decided to have a fancy dress party to celebrate. Now fancy dress is not usually my thing BUT a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do... so I went hunting for a costume and opted for this one..... but when I saw the photos I almost fell over laughing... when you put a round wig on a girl with a round face you are just asking for trouble... take the glasses away and my head resemble a football fit for Newcastle football lovers to play with..ROFL. Ahhh well..lesson learned ;-)
Okay when you've stopped laughing and wiping your eyes (do I look that bad..lol) Now for my news. I have been extremely lucky and have been given the opportunity to be the UK Ambassador for Fiskars crafts and to facilitate their new blog (whoooohooooo am I excited.... you bet I am.) The new blog will be launched some time next week and will feature tutorials, a gallery, tips and tricks and monthly competitions, among other things and the VERY BEST BIT for me is that YOU can all be part of it and join me there. How COOL is that!! I do hope you will come and join in with the fun. I will be letting you know the launch date as soon as I know myself. So keep popping by, I will still be keeping up with this blog as this is MY space and because I love it, so I will be posting more often once things settle down a bit and taking part in my usual challenges too.

Hugs
Chris x

Road test a craft product

A while ago I was chosen to road test a craft product... and ... I waited in anticipation for my freebie to drop through my letterbox. The waiting is so exciting and I do love it when my postie rattles my letterbox BUT when my parcel dropped onto my mat with a little thud and I opened it to find this adhesive runner inside I almost pee'd my pants laughing. Now don't get me wrong, I have never used THIS EZ runner before so it wasn't this particular product that had me almost convulsing with laughter but the memory of the last run in I had with a similar one. The one I previously bought had a carrier tape and I DO have to compare...it would be wrong not to... simply because when TRYING to use the OTHER product I totally tied myself up in knots!! Managed to stick my clothes to my skin, got adhesive in my hair and on the carpet and stuck everything together that shouldn't have been stuck without completing a single thing craftwise. I totally gave up, never to use that type of adhesive again!!

I use lots of different adhesives in my crafting including but not limited to PVA, glossy accents, glue sticks, double sided tapes and 3d foams and all I really ask of any of them is that they STICK...lol I really want them to stop things from coming apart or dropping off of my creations and so far I haven't been disappointed with what I use. However I was ready to give this adhesive a fair crack of the whip (although I was wary of sticking myself to the floor) and it did not disappoint me. I obviously haven't used it on every item I've created BUT when it was my Sisters birthday I forgot to buy a gift bag for her pressie and needed to recycle one in a hurry. The EZ runner was a gem for this little project and totally proved itself to me... I didn't need to wrestle with the packaging before I got to work...it came out really easily, without me having to grab a knife or pair of scissors to attack it with and the runner sat really nicely in my hand.

I had a nice pink gift bag to play with and first of all added a strip of paper followed by two lengths of velvet ribbon. Both adhered really well, I also used the tape to stick on hand cut felt flowers and the buttons because the little strips on the runner transfer themselves one at a time if you just tap the roller onto the button instead of rolling it. whoohooo how cool is that!!
So very quickly with the minimum amount of fuss I had a decorated gift bag that I was totally happy with AND as my sis didn't get her gift till the next day the bits had every opportunity to fall off, but I'm glad to say they stayed secure. The only exception to this was when I STUFFED the pressie in and BUCKLED the bag!! A bit of the ribbon parted company a little but this really was I think, more due to my heavy handedness :) All in all I thought the runner was very impressive although a little too expensive at £4.99 to use on every project. I would be more likely to buy it again if the price was less or if it was refillable but it redeemed itself in my eyes b-e-c-a-u-s-e it comes in my favourite colour RED!! How fickle am I eh... that my head can be turned by the colour of a product and not what it does. LOL

Catch ya later

hugs

Chris xx

I haven't disappeared....

off the face of the earth :) though I bet you thought I had. Just having a hectic time right now!!! You know when you wait hours for a bus and then they all come at once... well that's what's happening to me...lol except instead of buses it's demands on my time!! In a completely nice way though, so I can't complain but I have been out and about so much in the last week that I am beginning to forget where I live and the tyres on my car are HOT!! lol. I'm still not finished yet as I am going to be decorating for my Mam and Dad for the next few days, so may not get chance to blog again before Wednesday. I may not get chance to play with my stash either but the good news is ... hey one kind of paint and paper is as good as another and I will take a wager on it that by the time I have finished decorating I will be covered in the stuff... as 'good and messy' is my moto whatever I seem to be doing..lol Anyway I just wanted to thank all of you who have sent me e-mails concerned that I was ill and let you know I'm okay. I will get round to returning your mails as soon as I can and in the meantime I hope you are all having loads of crafty fun :D Just a couple of quick atc's to show you before I pop off... the first similar to one I did the other week EXCEPT this little bunny got to hold on to his whiskers (didn't chop his off like I managed to do last time..lol) isn't he just a cutie bunny :D The next one has a more vintage look and more words cut from magazines because I am addicted now to doing that!! There are holes in all of my pages now and I haven't even read them properly..lol Okay I gotta run but thanks for popping by and I hope to be back soon with some more goodies :D and some news. Can't tell you yet (cos i'd have to kill you :D) but soon honest...soon!!
Have a fun day
hugs
Chris xxx

Dude love art layout

Morning campers :D I am doing that meeting myself coming back thing again this week. Lots to do and little time to do it in. I just had to tell you what happened to me the other day I am really worrying about my state of mind...lol I have applied for the first time for a 'passport' (don't laugh I know I'm over 40 but never felt the need to go abroad before!!) I can just hear you all going OMG 'never had a passport before' lol. Well because all of the rules have changed to get a first passport you now have to have an interview!! So I have my interview booked right... have to be there for 3.15... got stuck in the traffic jam from hell and arrived 15 mins late only for Mrs Murphy(my sat nav lady) to tell me I had arrived at my destination. Nooooooo waaaaaaay!!! Couldn't see it anywhere, asked about 5 people and NO-ONE knew where the place was. OMG was in pure panic mode by this time. Decided to follow my nose and spotted 3 suits.... and asked them if they knew where the place was and they started to laugh hysterically!!! "How are you going to go on holiday abroad if you can't even find the passport office!!" was the response. Now my state of mind at that moment didn't find them even remotely funny until they decided to tell me where it was at........ wait for it...... RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!! Exit one very RED FACED embarressed lady!!! Could only happen to me right...ROFL

Okay when you've stopped laughing at me here is my crafty offering for today, I didn't do it today but forgot to show you. I wanted to play with this gorgeous Graffiti sampler I got from Cen’s Loft because I think it is just so funky and I had loads of fun doing this layout. Not a traditional kind of layout but I sooooo enjoyed doing it. I changed the photo of DG in Photoshop so that it had a more arty look to fit in with the theme of the paper and used one of my brushes to sort of spray out the words and arrow. I had such a great time playing with this that I didn't want to stop. Think there will be lots more pages getting done with this kit.... it's just soooo BOY...lol Think my paint brushes will be coming out too because this kit is so making me want to splodge my paint and make a bit of touchy feely art. I know that graffitti art rubs some people up the wrong way... but to me it IS art and some graffiti artists are sooooooo talented. I'm not talking about just anyone going out and spraying walls with tin cans of paint to deface them so please don't shoot me down in flames... but I have seen some fantastic artwork created with just spray cans and it makes me want to lift my hat off to the creator.
That's it for today
Will be back soon, have a great day
Hugs
Chris xx

Saying it in blue...

today. I love blue as a colour almost as much as I love red and though lots of people think it a cold colour I think it always looks really pretty. Just a quickie post today as DG is coming to stay and I very much doubt I will get much time to myself. Playing games will be the order of the day and I guess I had better prepare myself to get whipped at Monopoly again as it seems to be his favourite game of all time... even above the PlayStation and DS. Can't beat the old games eh!!
Now on the subject of 'old' I decided not to 'toot' my Birthday yesterday as being on the wrong side of 40 doesn't quite rock it for me... but my pal Chriss had other ideas (thanks Chriss..lol) So I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the Birthday wishes that I received. You are all stars!!
Hope you like my couple of Atc's for today, the black and white images are from crafty individuals and the butterflies cut from the new Papermania Spring life papers. Background papers are my own digital ones.

The cards look a bit distorted in these pics but I think it was just the way I laid them to take the photos. Anyway these are up for swaps so if you would like either of them give me a shout in the comments or e-mail me. First come... first served...lol

Have a fab day everyone

Hugs

Chris xx

Cen's loft Monday Gimme Five challenge Layouts

The challenge was to create a layout using bits from 5 different kits. I ended up getting carried away and doing two :D This one of DG on his playstation, credits :- Pumpkin pie alpha, Boys mini freebie, JS arrows, JSCH blog overlay(recoloured) and Graffiti Sampler frame.... all from Cen's loft.

This one of one of the beautiful butterflies at Butterfly world.

Credits :- Happy Easter freebie(letters)Blossom and shine freebie(flower) and doodled paper hearts freebie from Kate Hatfield. Jsch Country check papers and windy washday kit(flowers) from Cen's loft and bubbles freebie from Kim's Scrappin'.

Sorry haven't been around much and not visited your blogs for a few days, I have had some family stuff going on but I shall be popping to see you soon.

Have a great day

Chris xx

Vintage Style

I thought I would have a change from those fun funky floral papers etc that I have been playing with for a while and show you some more vintage inspired stuff today. I used a frame from Victorian Memories kit from Cen’s stuff for this vintage style photograph (sorry I can't remember at the moment where I got the photo from). I used Papermania paper for the background and added a little bit of gold ribbon and inked the edges of some plain card for the other decoration. Still on the vintage theme I decided to show you another atc I did while I was away. I used lots of letters and numbers cut from magazines and unmounted stamps from the Artistic Stamper for this one. Keep telling myself I need to do more stamping I haven't done any real stamping in a long while. I have so many stamps and it is such a waste for them to be sitting there doing nothing :D Hope you are having a fab day.
Catch you later
Hugs Chris xx

bling card and angel atc

Well I had a fab time with Chriss last night... crafting and chatting eating fish and chips and chocolate....ooooer how naughty!! but do I care... at the moment not a jot :D I suppose that when my thighs start falling over the sides of my computer chair then I may sit quietly and weep over my keyboard,but right now I can still sit here in comfort with a minuscule inch to spare ROFL. If I purged my craft room I would probably have a massive weight loss without resorting to no food treats... because at the moment it looks like a massive party popper has exploded !! but do I want to do that.... nahhhh!! Another thing to put off for another day. The thing about a good crafting session is that you just want it to go on and on and on... why we have to sleep is beyond me. Wouldn't it be fab if you just didn't become tired until you had done all you wanted to do, felt satisfied you had achieved everything you had intended to... until you were happy and content and then you could go lie down and dream lovely dreams of hot beaches, cool drinks and mountains of new stash... my kind of Heaven!! Tisn't going to happen though is it and as I can't show you yet what Chriss and I did last night (cos we were doing stuff for the atc club) I can show you this card which was another created with some more of the goodies Ana sent me. Just check out that bling!!
Another ATC to show you that I made while I was away too with images from crafty individuals and a gorgeous crown from Scrapz. I just love these crowns. There is no doubt that the little girl in me resurfaces every time I am faced with wings, crowns or bling...lol

I am sorely tempted right now to create some dress up dolls like I used to when I was a kid... you know the kind with tabs on their clothes so you can dress them up... I soooo used to love doing that and even resorted when I was younger to cutting clothes out of newspapers and colouring them in with my well loved pencils. I think I was born to play with paper and pencils because the urge to create has never really dimmed throughout my life... just had it's peaks and troughs as they say and at the moment my urge to make things is at an all time high. Only trouble is it gives me brain ache!! Anyone else have this problem :D Altering stuff is the thing running round in my head right now... well ideas for and I find myself wherever I am, looking for liddle bits of stuff that I can stick paper on. So while I was out today what did I buy.... a little jewellery box from Next that cost the princely sum of £1 ha ha that magical number!! So more girly stuff to add bling and flowers to... oooooer MAGIC or what :D Watch this space!!

Hope you've had a fun day

Hugs

Chris xx

Tongue in cheek atc's

Just a quickie for you today as I am off to my pal Chriss's for some serious (oh alright giggly, crazy,random) crafting. I hope she is going to ply me with good food (stuff the diet) and I know I am going to have good company. Crafting always seems more fun when you've someone to share it with doesn't it. Mind you there have been times when all we have done is talk (very unusual for me... not!! LOL) I do try to concentrate and be quiet but there is a little gremlin in my head that prods me with a three pronged fork when I do... seems he likes me better when I'm rowdy!!So a couple of ATC's for you that I did on my little break. Images from crafty individuals, words cut from a mag. I can't read a magazine now without looking for daft phrases in the wording and Chriss is getting the blame for that because she started me off. Last time I was there I ended up looking through a mag for an hour before I found the phrase I wanted. Tis quite good fun though when you find what you are looking for. I am keeping the one above hoping it will bring me some luck...lol Don't want to win millions but a couple of thousand to spend on crafty goodies would be right up my street. Whaddya say... bet you all would'nt mind more crafty spending money eh. Tell you what I'll share if you will...lol
Have a great day
Hugs
Chris xxx
p.s. Chriss has some SERIOUS blog candy up for grabs so get yourself over to her blog and get in the draw :D

I had a jolly good time....

while I've been away, fabulous company, good food and little drinky poohs :D The weather was fab, the few shops that I visited had brill stuff and I had time to chill out AND do some crafting too...what more can a girl ask?? Mind you had it been up to Hovis the little break may never have happened... he was so toootally sulking at being left behind and decided to sit on my case to keep me here...didn't work of course...lol but it was a good try.
I stayed with family in Cottesmore a little village in Lincoln and while I don't think I could live there permanently (too quiet for me) I love to visit because it is just such a chilled out place to be, had my camera out to show you some of the things I loved... first of all there are some gorgeous cottages it's such a quaint village...

I saw this too which a lady used to sell flowers from, unfortunately I didn't have my camera the day she had all her flowers on display but I loved it anyway.

There are some wonderful shops...where everything is soooo unusual... good job I don't have a credit card or it would have been well and truly hot. I was ooooing and awwwing over all sorts of delightful homeware just check these out... Gooooorgeous!!

Yummy bits and pieces....

for every room, love the dream beach kitchen wear theme ...

and in another shop I saw this mirror covered torso which I thought was absolutely fab...didn't like the price though...lol The shopkeepers must've thought I was nuts with my camera out, but no-one complained so I just carried on :D

I couldn't have wished for better weather cos it meant I got some fab outdoor pics too how cool is this... all the lush greenery and a red postbox...smack in the middle...lol

First signs of spring showing up with the new growth on the trees and a beautiful blue sky just made my day...especially as I came back to snow here in the Northeast!! Different worlds only miles apart...freaky eh!!

Now before I went away my lovely sis presented me with this darling pencil and now I understand why I'm not losing weight... and I feel ever so less depressed now that I have a reason for it...rofl...

now just before I sign off and give you some peace... a couple of crafty goodies I did while I was away. I used some of the lovely stash that Ana sent me to create this Atc... errm the rabbit was meant to have whiskers but... I slipped and errrrm chopped em off , see that's what you get when you don't concentrate..lol Still think the bunny looks cute thoughFinally a quick card using one of the stamped images and some Papermania papers and a cream base card. I was in the mood for doodling so it's a bit crazy... but well you could say that that wouldn't be unusual coming from me eh!!

Got lots more to show you but all in good time...don't wanna scare you off. Hope you've all had a fab week and I will be off in a mo to catch up with you all. :D

hugs

Chris xx

Free Rose-Chocolate digi kit...

is here today for you to grab as promised yesterday. I've had a little play myself and what a laugh I had this morning. I decided after looking at this photo ...aaargh ...that white hair is just not cutting it with me any more. Now I already had a hair dye that I've been going to use for ages but being the lazy so and so that I am it just got put on the back burner :D

So as I am going on my jollies for a few days... I know I'm leaving you...waaaaah... but I will be back soon honest :D I thought now was the time!! and as I also just got some fabby new specs (cos not only is my hair white but I am going blind too...lol) I thought my image could do with updating a wee bit. There upon the fun started... as a former hairdresser I should know better but does my brain come into gear when vanity creeps in...not bloomin likely!! I promptly shook the two said components of my new look colour creme together and began to apply it. No probs...done it all before. Finished and went for a coffee until it cooked and half way decided to look in the mirror. AAAAAAARRRRRGH.... G-I-N-G-E-R !!!! lady looking back at me!!!! Now don't get me wrong I love auburn hair and would love long flowing ginger tresses BUT Orange ginger on someone with WHITE skin just does not cut it and no amount of designer in my specs will put the world to rights on that one. You have never seen anyone run to a bathroom so fast in your life...speedy gonzales just wouldn't get a look in :D proceeded to fall over the cat, grabbed the edge of the sink within an inch of my life and stuck my head under the tap. No time for niceties... it had to come off. RESULT!! Hair not ginger... just dark blond...ROFL Bathroom looks like massacre been committed and now I have to clean it up before I can go away!! So here I am blogging instead...ROFLSo panic over... do you like my new specs... and the best bit... the clear box they came in...whooohooo something new to decorate...lol

So back to the choccy kit... another layout cos I just got carried away, this time of DD but I altered her pic in photoshop cos I just love to play... maybe a bit fussy but there you go :D

So here is the preview of what's in the kit, it's quite large so sorry it may take a while to download... I just didn't have time to split it. However if you really want the kit and have problems downloading it don't hesitate to e-mail me and as soon as I get back I will divide it and upload it in separate bits for you ok :D
Download your freebie HERE

Now onto some gorgeous goodies that I have received over the past week... OMG I love all of my fellow bloggers you are just the best!!! Ana ((hugs)) Ana thank you so much!! sent me a gorgeous pack of lovely yumminess... oh those buttons!! and BLING... can you see the BLING !! This was a PIF RAK... so watch your inboxes because I will be pinging an e-mail to one lucky person who in return will receive a yummy little RAK from me very soon :D
Then I received this AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL atc from Linda who has not been blogging long but who is one very talented lady as you can see. Thank you so much Linda xx
and that's not all she also sent me this wonderful pile of yumminess for my own crafting... how fab is that...I am totally in LOVE with those Laura Ashley ribbons.... oooooerOkay girlie's (and gents if there are any reading) best disappear now or I will be coming back from my jollies before I even get there...ok what's new...lol Got packing to do, clothes to iron (yuk) and stash to dig out (you didn't think I would go without stash did you). Hope you have a fab week... sorry it's been such a long post and thank you if you managed to get to the end...you rock!!

Be back soon

Hugs

Chris xxx

What do you get if....

you lick a chocolate Easter egg.... Fat that's what. Why am I telling you this ? ... because despite being a really good girl (apart from that little lick) and eating healthy nonfattening stuff, suffering a naughty tummy bug for a few days which meant I didn't know which way was up and exercising too(which in my book is usually a sweary word) HAVE I lost a measly 1lb??.. you can bet my sorry little (rephrase that !! BIG) rear end I definitely did not. To say I am gutted is the understatement of the century. All of those Easter eggs that DG would have gladly shared with me were untouched by my fair hands... Now what I want to know is WHERE'S the JUSTICE in THAT!! Sorry for the mini moan but if you visit my blog regularly you will know that my mouth rules my fingers and well.... it just has to come out...lol
Crafty stuff follows :) this is my funny little nephew...well not so little now as you can see in the spring LO further down. Couldn't resist this photo, he was wearing his uncles wellies and how he managed to stay on his feet Heaven only knows...cos I sure as heck don't.

Next is a GORGEOUS atc that my lovely crafting buddy Chriss made for me... it's a little joke because she watched me at Butterfly world follow one butterfly round and round with my camera for an age... but he just wouldn't stay still long enough for me to take a photo... maybe I smelled funny...I don't know but he was havin' none of it. I will get him next time though supposing I have to stay there all day. Unless he has gone to butterfly Heaven by then... don't know how long Butterflies live actually!! Oh what a sad thought :(I have some more yummy, gorgeous stuff to share with you tomorrow that I have received from some gorgeous kind girlie's... sorry can't show you today just haven't had time to upload them but they are worth the wait. Also I will be sharing a little freebie with you tomorrow... a sneaky peak below... and would you Adam and Eve it... it's to do with CHOCOLATE... ROFL. Well if I can't eat it I have to have the next best thing!! So don't forget to pop by tomorrow and grab yours. Okay that's my lot today... so much to do... so little time... is that how it goes. LOL Need to come bloghopping now and catch up with all of your gorgeous creations so see you tomorrow :)

Hugs

Chris xxx