Happy New Year ....

Well, these are a couple of layouts for Scrappydos design team using 7 gypsies products, and lots of other added embellishments etc.

Happy New Year to everyone who calls in, I hope 2009 is kind to you and yours.

Well, we had a fantastic time in the South of France with my twin brother and his fiancee. We went to some fantastic places, and had a real hoot !! I'll post some photographs in a couple of days once I've had time to download em and sort them all out - last count there was over 300, but a load of them were rubbish. Thankfully, the ones of Father Christmas arriving on an iceberg into St Tropez harbour have turned, which considering the crowds of people, i'm most surprised about !!

Jeez - was it expensive there .. *insert shocked smiley* £27 for 4 coffees, 1 tea and coke !!

Anyway, it was all worth it, and a good time was had by everybody !

Oh, oh, oh ... did I mention that my brothers friends live next door to Johnny Depp ??? Whilst visiting Lisa and Evan, I excused myself to go for a cigarette and tried to crawl through the hedge - but it was too thick, so I tried to peep through, but the hedge was too thick ... so I climbed onto the roof of the pool room and slid off ... damned security grease ... In the end, the dogs gave me away by barking - little sods ... but hey=ho .. I can claim that I attempted to crawl through Johnny Depps hedge. Is this really the rational behaviour of a grown woman ??? Does it matter - its Johnny Depp !!!!!

Apparently he's there this week - now THATS sods law !

More photos to follow ................

Award, Mags & Going Away ....

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

This lovely award was given to me from Toni, and I am so delighted to be given it from someone so very special xxx

I will pass it on when I get back from my Christmas holiday.

Talking of holidays .... We are all off to the South of France to spend Christmas with my twin brother and his fiancee. It will be the first time in 7 years, that we have all been together as a family for Christmas, and I am soooo looking forward to going. I love the South of France .. its such a beautiful area of the Country,partcularly where Colin and Del live. They live in a traditional French village with a really cute village square which has a pond and the obligatory boulles square, surrounded by tiny little shops. We will be attending the Christmas Eve Mass procession through the village and up to the church with the locals who will all be bearing lit candles - it really is a stunning event. While there we will be ski-ing and ice skating, and maybe a bit of snowboarding *insert shocked smiley* so please think of me and hope that nothing untoward gets broken !!!

Oh, just a quick mention that I was extremely privileged to have two layouts published in Scrapbook Inspirations this month - my first ever - yay !!! I'll scan a photo of the pages when I get back !

I'd just like to wish everyone who comes to visit this blog, a very merry, happy christmas whatever you are doing, and whatever your 'faith' is or isn't. xxxxxxxxxx

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow .....

... yay !!! We have snow !

I woke up to the normal sound of Jack Jnr crying and scratching for one of us to come down and see to him ... so I dragged myself down he stairs. Peeped out of the landing window - and there it was - snow !! Heaps and heaps of it - yay !!!! I tentatively opened the back door and Jack flew out ... oh my god, did he love the snow .... he was leaping and jumping at the snow flakes and chasing the flurries of snow - sooooooo funny ! Downside was that he didn't want to come back in :( so after much shaking of doggy biscuits, he finally gave in, and came back in for a warm.

Its quite amusing how a flurry of snow brings everything in the UK to a stand still. What is normally a 5 minutes drive to my school, turned into a 45 minutes nightmare journey of skidding and skating all over the place. There was therefore no way that Stewart could have driven the extra distance to Aaron's school, so it was a day off for Aaron.

When I eventually arrived at school, there were very few staff who had managed to make the drive, so our school was closed for the day and I was sent home early - yay !!!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photographs of Jack at approx 6.30am this morning and then later on this afternoon on the green outside our house.... happy snow everyone !

Want some candy ???

............... My friend Jo (madhattermillie) is giving away some blog candy HERE. There's some amazing Stampin Up ribbon (which is truly brilliant quality - and the colours are lush, lush, lush) together with some 3x3 notelets and envies.

Her creations are stunning - so why not pop along and have a nosy at her work and pick up some inspiration...

My Unity Customer Challenge

.......... in order to recognise Aaron's 13th Birthday this weekend, you must use the colours red and white. AND ... in recognition of my American friends celebrating Thanksgiving, the card must have a 'thankful' theme.

The above is the card I produced.

Recipe: Bazzill Kraft cardstock, Anna Griffin papers, Dewdrops and most importantly - Unity September and November monthly stamp kits.

Wishing all my American friends a happy Thanksgiving xxxxxxxxxx

I'm back ..... and Unity Customer Challenge

After heaps of PC problems, caused by a certain almost-13-year-old, I have a new PC with Vista - so I'm still finding my way around ... hence my lack of postings.

Major apologies to those lovely people who regularly pop on for a visit, and who have either emailed, PMd me or spoke to me - I'm fine honest !

Anyway, this weeks Unity challenge was to take inspiration from the plates above. Hopefully, you will think my effort is appropriate.

I used K&Co Amy Butler papers, with the individual quote stamp from Unity, and the butterflies from the September Unity Kit of the month. Oh, and heaps and heaps of Jo Sonja's Opal Dust !!

Come back soon - hysterical photos of Jack coming shortly ...and maybe some more pieces of my work that I can show off ..... some has to stay hidden for now due to the Secret Santa Advent Swap on UKS .......

7th Unity Customer Challenge ........

......... and the challenge was set by Jess. We were asked to make a card any shape that we wanted, but NOT A2 size ... Please support the other girls by visiting their blogs - links are on the left.

Don't forget to join the Unity Thursday Hip Hop fun ... with heaps of prizes from Unity and lots of fun - go to Splitcoaststampers and click onto the Unity forum ... you'll find us all there ! Any new customers to Unity who order stamps tomorrow valued at $15 or more, will get the single So&So AND *all* orders to the value of $30 or more will receive a free single stamp OF YOUR CHOICE.

Recipe:- Paper/card - Tinkering Ink, Bazill. Stamp Set(s):- Dogstooth background Stamp, and Flaunt it set (not the right name, but can't access stamps at the moment). Inks:- Stazon, colorbox chalks .. and lastly, fabby Dewdrops !

Thanks for popping by xxxxxxx

24-hour Pink Booby Crop .....

....... well it was the annual 24-hour Pink Booby Crop @ Golbourne, and laughter and merriment were the order of the day ......... oh, and some scrapping and crafting ! Thanks go to the fabby Sonja, Nina and Ali for organising the whole day and for keeping us fed and watered.

Thanks also go to everyone for being such a fab crowd of the most talented girls I know. The work on display was incredible - particularly, the 'booby' layouts - brill, brill, brill.

Above are a few layouts that I managed to work on and the other 'projects' will be ready shortly. The last layout was done for Jayne, and she is going to add her own journalling.

If you are reading this ... please remember to check your 'boobs' - its better to be safe than sorry xxxxx

6th Unity Customer Challenge

YAY !!! Its the 6th Unity Customer Challenge, and this week the challenge was set by Maggie and the challenge was to use the above sketch. Please follow the links on the left to see everyone else's examples.

Don't forget Unity Hip Hop Thursday on Splicoaststampers - loads of giveaways, new releases and great discounts - what more could a stamper ask for .... so hip hop over to the Unity forum on SCS every Thursday - see ya there !

Recipe: Stamps: Unity Stamp Co September kit of themonth, Bazzill: kraft cardstock, paper: KI lace cardstock, Scenic Route Sanoma papers, colorbox chalks, dewdrops, American Craft ribbons.

Maggie's Challenge

The lovely Maggie is one of the gorgeous Unity Challenge girls, and invited us to join in her challenge on the Challenge blog that she is a member of, and this is my attempt.

Recipe: Papers: American Craft Travel papers and ribbons, Unity Stamps: August kit of the month stamps, dewdrops, Adornit alphas.

What does YOUR name mean ..

What Carole Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Wow - how accurate is this ?!!!! It describes me to a 'T'.

Scrummy time !

Just thought on .... i've not blogged about our gorgeous new addition to the family .... Jack Jnr. Isn't he just as cute as a button ?? He's a 9 weeks old Jack Russell and believe me, he is keeping us on our toes !!! Yesterday he ate - amongst other things - a slug. There was no way I could grab the slippery little bugger out of Jacks mouth, and within mili-seconds, the slug was gone :(

All afternoon Jack was as sick as a .... erm dog .... and I was really worried. However, I'm pleased to say that he's back to normal this morning ! YAY !!

Also on the scrummy side of things - dontcha just loooooove the new Sanoma papers .. The contents of the picture frame above was made using them together with the fabby Unity Stamp Co. September Kit of the month. The whole range of papers (and embellishments) are currently available from http://www.scrappydos.co.uk/RANGES-Scenic-Route-Scenic-Route-Sonoma/c363_392_616/index.html?osCsid=4q75ef4mjbhv71o2966le37pu4 and believe me .... i've been buying it up. The papers are so adaptable - i'm going to use them for my Xmas cards this year as the colours are so lush ! The stamps are (as always) available from Unity Stamp Co.

5th Unity Customer Challenge !!

Soooooooo this is the 5th Unity Customer Challenge. This weeks challenge was set by Sherryl, and we were asked to make a card using paper piecing. I (obviously) pieced together the lion and the monkey ! Sherryl's friend is recovering from a broken foot, but sadly injured herself again on Saturday, so my card is going to be sent to Kim Muhl (Nutsymuhl) on SCS in the hope that she picks up soon !

Recipe 1st card:- Blank card, Papers: Scenic Route- Sanoma, Stamps: Unity Sept Kit of the Month stamps, Embellies: SR - chipboard bird, dewdrops !

Recipe 2nd card: - Blank card, papers: Scenic Route - Sanoma, KI Mem lace cardstock, Stamps: Unity Wild & Crazy Bunch, Sentiment: 7 gypsies and lastly - some dewdrops !

Thanks for dropping by xx

4th Unity Customer Challenge

The challenge this week was set by Jeanne, and she asked us to make a card using the colours Pink & Black and using Unity Stamps - of course ! I made a pop up card, the tutorial for which is on SCS.

To view everyone else's cards, please follow the links on the right >>>>>>>>>>>

Once again, well done to Jenn (Jennifer Buck) on being selected for the dirty dozen on SCS.

Recipe: Bazzill cardstock, Tinkering Ink papers, Unity:- Dogtooth background stamp, Hey Chick set.

What dya think of the new Blog ??

...... the utterly fantastic-extremely-patient-extremely-talented Veronica from VK Designs designed it all for me ... new banner, new layout, new siggy, new Ollie Owl ... I love, love, love it ! Veronica's details can be found on the left hand side under VK Designs.

Once again Veronica, thank you so much for sharing your talent.

The 3rd Unity Customer Hop !!!

The third Unity customer hop is underway - yay !!!!

Latisha chose the fabby challenge this week, which is to make a square card using scallops and to follow her sketch. My offering is above.

Ingredients:-

Scenic Route Sonoma papers, bazzill border - Scrappydos
Unity Stamp Co stamps - Growing in Unity, Wild Bunch and distressed dots b/ground
Please make a cup of coffee and have a hop around the Unity blogs on the right >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Enjoy !!!!!!!

The 2nd Unity Customer Hop Hunt !

The challenge this week was set by Cat, and her challenge is to make a card using the Unity colours.

Again, if you visit the other Unity blogs >>>>>>>>>>> (on the right) you will find some amazing work.

Products Used:-

Unity Stamps:- paisley background stamp, United in Unity
Inks:- Brilliance
Card:- Bazzill
Dewdrops:- brown (from crop stop)
Punch:- Stampin Up
Ribbon:- unsure - soz !

Thanks for popping by and visiting !!

Unity Hip Hop Challenge Girls

A group of Unity customers decided to get together and do a Customer blog hop similar to the DT blog hop on Hip Hop Thursday.

We decided that this first challenge should be a 'case/lift' of one of the DT members cards.

Above is Heather Mollstrum's card that I lifted, and below it is my take on it.

All you need to do to join is to hunt for the blog with the prize from the list on the right >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and then leave a link to YOUR 'case/lift'.

Supplies Used:
Patterned Papers: Crate Papers Katlin collection from sarahscards
Stamps: Unity July Kit of the Month

Happy Hip Hopping !!

Fab Kit and Fab Service (includes update)

I received the above fabulous My Minds Eye Kit from Sarah @ Sarahscards last week.

At the time I was feeling that my mojo had upped and left me without so much as goodbye... however, once I got these lush papers in my mucky mawlers ... I couldn't stop.. All the above are made with the kit - and I still have heaps of papers left !

Customer Service

I have been after the tiny glass dew drops for forever and a day, and a thread caught my eye today on Splitcoast stampers discussing the very things ... so I followed a link to an online US store called Crop Stop. Anyway, for one reason or another, I couldn't get through checkout via paypal, so I emailed to explain my problem. I couldn't believe it, but within 10 mins, I had a reply, a fix and the problem sorted. Remember when we had really good customer services, well this company should give lessons to BT, British Gas ... and whoever else has crap customer services. I can wholeheartedly recommend em 100%.

It really made me feel that my custom was appreciated !

ETA: Good lord .... my parcel from Cropstop has arrived already *insert VERY shocked smiley* ... you certainly can't beat that for service !!!

ETA: a couple of the layouts have been moved for publication - sorry !

The Wylde Women Award !

The Wylde Women award has been passed on to me from the wonderfully talented Voodoo Vixen - Annette, whose work is sickeningly brilliant - link HERE.

The Wylde Women award was created by Tammy Vitale can be passed on to one person or a hundred. It is for being generous (for instance with your ideas or time) towards other crafters. You must take a minute and go and see Tammy's artwork it is truly stunning and inspirational. Try following some of the links on her blog, and you will find the most amazing work !

So I would like to give this award to ROZ - because she is another wild woman, and I learned everything I know from her !!!!! *insert grinning smiley* and also her jokes are hilarious - and if you scroll down her blog to the last two videos, you will understand why this Award is so very well deserved !