Another day another couple of cards!!! I received some stamped images from Claire from the image swap on the forum, so got straight to work with the Magnolia image of the boy and the balloon (I think he is Edwin, not sure!), same layout as the purple Maggie card I made a couple of days ago, I will be using this layout a lot!!! The following card is using my Sugar Nelie -Duck in Boots stamp and painted using my new pearl watercolours so there is a slight sparkle which looks pretty, I also like this layout and intend to use it a lot more with various different images, I made a blue baby boy card the other day this is the pink baby girl version!!!
It's our 6th Wedding Anniversary today so we are off out to the pub for a meal this evening, the girls are having a couple of hours with Nannie and Grandad so they are pleased. Matthew liked his little gift and flashed his card off at the tea bar!! (Yep another 1 I hid in his dinner tin, along with 2 heart shaped choccie biccies in a bag tied with red ribbon LOL!! I got another very nice bunch of flowers, not really shown at their best here they are a bit squashed in the vase but it was the first one I could find,
the orchids at the front weren't part of the bunch they are still the ones from my QCME celebrity card bouquet (received 2nd week in Dec.), I can't believe how long they have lasted!
Right must start working out what to wear and get the girls their tea!!!

Had quite a productive day today, I've made 11 atc's which are for organized swaps on the CM&PC forum (link on left), 1 card and a little gift for Matthew for our anniversary tomorrow.
These atc's are the last that I owe for the 'alphabet swap' I really can't get into atc's at the moment, but thought I'd better get my swaps done and in the post, so here are S,T,U and V and here are W,X,Y and Z This has been a really nice swap, as you will end up with 26 atc's of which each letter should be made by a different person!
The following 3 atc's are part of a 'mystery item swap' Claire sent out 3 items which had to be used each on a different atc, it will be very interesting to see what everyone comes up with
This card uses one of the Magnolia Tilda images that I received as part of a swap, this may well end up being the little girls whose party Lillie is going to at the weekends birthday card I will just put a 5 in the corner, now that I know how old she will be! It's a shame I couldn't have gotten hold of a Tilda mermaid or that I can't print a 3d sheet of Ariel (the mermaid) for her card, as her party theme is 'mermaids and pirates!'
We got Lillie's mermaid out-fit yesterday, it's quite sweet and will last her a good year and then Hollie will be able to have it!
Finally made this very quick (so far from neat, nothing measured!) cover for a bar of white chocolate for Matthew as a token gift for our anniversary, we don't bother with presents as such, think he may have got me some more flowers, we are going to the pub for a meal tomorrow evening without the girls, we would like to do this more often but time and funds don't always allow it!
Oh and how cold has it been these past couple of days??? Freeeezzziinnggg.....!!! We have had freezing fog for the past 2 days, I thought someone was having a bonfire yesterday as it looked just like smoke blowing past the window, but it was out of every window, then I worked out it was the fog! Everywhere was white this morning, every cobweb, the plants, the trampoline, car etc so it was scarf and gloves on each time we left the house today! Here's a piccie of a cobweb hanging from the girls playhouse

Woo...Hoo.... I've won the 'orange' challenge on the Sugar Nellie challenge blog (see link on the left) I couldn't believe it when I was reading my comments and there was one saying I had won, I should be getting some 'zooms' they look a bit like gems? I've already made my card for the next challenge in which you have to use any sugar nellie image and baby pink, I have used my bunny with flowers image and it's also my first attempt at paper piecing!!! Not that you can tell all that well because the paper is quite plain but it is the same as the backing paper I have also used, not added a greeting as I can't decide yet if it will be a 'baby girl' or easter card! So here is my challenge entry
Here is another attempt at paper piecing, you can see the effect better with this one! It was a bit fiddly cutting around the bunny slippers but I think it's pretty cool! The greeting was a freebie with one of my mags and I think it finishes it off nicely. This is my entry into the Sweet Sugar Challenge (a new challenge blog for sugar nellies yeah...!!)(see link on the left)
My last card for now is my entry into Claudia's blog candy challenge (see link on the left) you have to make a card using your favourite colours, guess mine is purple for now LOL..!
Lillie had a lovely time at her friends party yesterday afternoon, we left Hollie at mum and dad's so she could play with her cousins. Matthew and I had a quick shop and it was quick as the shops were set to close they locked me in the works as I was the last customer but I didn't care, I bought a set of pearl watercolour paints (used on todays cards, they sparkle and look quite pretty!) a watercolour pad, some paint brushes and a pack of square cards with envelopes. We then nipped round Matthews bro and sis-in-laws for a quick cuppa and look around their new house, so quite a hectic afternoon!!
Now off to get Lillie and then off to the fancy dress shop to pick up her mermaids out-fit for the party at the weekend!

I had a bit of a stampathon this afternoon LOL.... I owed some images as part of a swap on the CM&PC forum, thought it would be nice to send some to a friend who is going through a bit of a rough time at home at the moment, hopefully cheer her up a little bit (you know who you are!!) and then of course I need some spares for myself for when the urge takes me to make a card etc...!!!
I made my cakes this afternoon, 7 again, so they will get delivered on the way to taking Lillie to her friends birthday party tomorrow. Can you believe she has 2 parties next week, and the times don't clash so she can go to both, I been chasing around trying to find a mermaids out-fit for her for one of them the theme is mermaids and pirates, a pirate would've been much easier but I don't think she would like that much LOL..!
So only the one card made today and that's for the little girl who's party it is tomorrow, nothing spectacular but children are more interested in the presents anyway aren't they?!
Had a text this morning from Kay who I made the footy card for (her hubby picked it up last night) she loved it, so that was good. She's coming for a visit in the week, seems like ages since we've had a good chinway, in fact I don't think we have since before christmas so lots to catch up on.

Only the one card to show and nothing to report.
The image that I have used for this card is from a swap I did on the CM&PC forum, I thought the little rag doll was cute
The second picture is not of a card or anything craft related (unless you call flower arranging a craft I suppose) these are some of the miniture daffodils that have popped up in the flower beds in our front garden, I just love the minitures they are sooooo...... cute, not sure if we planted any tulips or not, shame if we didn't because I think I like them more than the daffs!!!
No doubt next time I see mum and dad I will come away with a bunch of full size daffs as they have dozens of them and I think they brighten up the place even if they don't last that long!
I cannot believe that there is still life in the orchids that I received for having my 'celebrity card' printed in the Quick Cards mag, I've had them since the 2nd week in december and naughty naughty haven't changed the water once, but there are still beautiful flowers at the tips of the stalks even if the bottom flowers have died away, so impressed!!!
We had ffaaaarr.... too much food last night, and neither me or Matthew particularly enjoyed it as we both felt pants!! It's the thought that counts!!!!! I am feeling better again today, but for how long, who knows?!

Happy Valentine's Day one and all! Matthew had left me a bunch of flowers, a pressie and 2 cards in the kitchen this morning, 1 card he bought and 1 he made last night (the bought card lights up!!) bless him!
my flowers and funky fairy stamp
We don't tend to push the boat out, as long as I get some flowers and I hide his little treats in his lunch box that's about it. We had toyed with going to the local pub (well local to mum and dad, about 10mins away) for a meal but changed our minds so now I am cooking, we'll go out next week for our anniversary! I've got the prawns thawing for the prawn cocktails served with heart shaped bread and butter (would've done creamy garlic mushrooms with prawn on a bread crouton, but it's too filling!) then we have gammon steaks which we bought from our local butchers, so it'sll be chips, mushrooms, tomato, egg, pineapple, the works!! Then not sure what to end on, may be butterscotch angel delight served in the heart shaped ramekin dishes I bought last week (not v exciting but one of our faves!) and I have made heart shaped mixed choc chip cookies to go with them!!!
Anyhow I'm feeling a bit pants again, I've got the sniffles and a really annoying tickly cough. Don't know why I keep getting ill, seems to be a regular occurance of late, yet normally I go months without catching anything even when the rest of the family have it. So no crafting done by me today, I've been blog surfing and still kind find the urge, so I'm going to slob out in the room with the kids for a while until it's time to start the tea!
I was really pleased to receive my sugar nellie candy this morning, and yippee it's one of the stamps I don't already have!
Oh we had a lovely trip yesterday afternoon, I met up with my friend and her 2 boys and we went to the local windmill, they had a 'make and bake' session for the children. They learnt how flour was made and were then given some dough which they made into a shape, of course I had to help LOL... Hollie made a cottage roll and Lillie with a lot of help made a plait. Whilst they proved (is that right? were rising) they had juice and a bun and a biscuit and got to colour windmill pictures. Then after that they played music and put a bubble machine on for them to dance and play with whilst the bread was cooking. Their rolls were quite big and they were really excited with them, we sliced them and had them with butter and jam as our dessert after tea!

Very pleased with what I've made today. This being a card for the sugar nellie challenge blog (see link on the left) you have to use any nellie stamp and it had to have the coloure orange somewhere on the card. For this I used my latest nellie stamp 'Lola with bunny'
The 2nd is also using another of my new nellie's this time it's 'Duck in boots' I bought this one thinking if I coloured the bib/boots and flower in either blue or pink it could be used as a 'new baby' card. My bestest buddy is pregnant at the moment so thought I'd use the stamp to practise on some baby cards! Only made a blue one today as I'd already got the papers laying on my desk, hope it's not an omen as she would really really love a little girl this time as she already has 2 boys!!
Last card and yep you guessed it, another of my new nellie's (only got the 'bunny' left to play with, so watch this space!) this is the oh so cute 'Simon and Lola' and I decided to make make Matthew another valentine's card, I always tuck one away in his dinner tin along with choccie hearts or something similar, this year it's a jelly rose thing on a stick!! Still very unsure about my watercolouring on these images, I have no idea how to do the shading properly or nicely, I've been lucky with the penny black images as I can go onto a website that sells them and they show the image coloured!!!! anyhow here's my lovey card for hubs