Last week of summer...yaaayyyy! Oh, and a bit of news!

I bet you didn't know Ruby was so talented huh...I wonder if there are any other pooches out there that can blog lol? She was thrilled when I read out all the comments left to her and wants me to say...now I'm a bit embarrassed about this but she insists....erm...woof woof! I do believe that's thank you in doggy lol.

I am so glad the summer is almost over and I can get back into a proper routine. I've missed TLT and although I've posted most if not all Tuesdays over the holidays it's not the same without all the Ladybugs.

As the challenge has been Favourite Stamp for the month of August I thought I'd finish off with one more of my favourites. This is Tracey and the Reindeer...I love Reindeers expression :-D I thought all reindeer liked their antlers decorated lol.

 Anywho here's my card....

I followed a challenge sketch I saw it on Gaynor's blog and thought I'd have a bash. I never know if you're supposed to follow the sketch to the letter, so to speak, so to be on the safe side I did (although I added some ribbon so I guess I didn't lol!)

I used my Wink Of Stella sparklicious glitter pens on all the baubles (red) and bows (clear) but you can't see how much they sparkle...they're amazing!

Not sure if mouse is standing in the best place lmao

This is one of the gorgeous new ribbons that arrived the other week, olive sheer satin stripe...I also have it in violet and white...scrumptious and a steal at 85p a yard!

I'd like to enter my card in

Craft Your Passion - Challenge #73 Sketch

Ok...I've got some fabulicious news...next week...September 6th...we're having a blog hop to celebrate a new release. OMG...just wait till you see this one....I think you're gonna L-O-V-E it! There are going to be prizes so make sure you pop by and see the wonderful inspiration the DT will have for you. None of us...including myself...will have seen what the other girls have done so it's going to be a surprise for us too. All you have to do to win is grab the banner below and place it proudly on your blog and join us in the fun next week.

Ok I'm outta here...looks like I'm gonna have to hide my laptop now cuz Ruby's lurking and I think she may have got the blogging bug!

Hope you have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

Catch ya later x

Hijacked by Ruby

Hiya...it's me Ruby! Just wanted to let you know that I've had my op and now I'm home again. Boy is it good to be home...that cage was ca-ramped and the doggy ward was a bit noisy for my delicate ears. My mom told me that you have been asking after me and I want to say a big woof woof (thank you).

Mom took a few pictures of me post op (I saw the one she posted pre-op...not a good look!) and insisted I show you. Remember not so long ago when she got in a fight with a wax strip and lost (notice she didn't post any pictures of herself looking like Jack Nicholson as The Joker in the Batman movie)? Well I kinda look like that now too but at least mine wasn't self-inflicted (don't think she'll do that again in a hurry)!! I don't think I look very nice now but mom says I'm still beautiful :-D

This is me yesterday not long after getting home...you'd think she would have tidied me up first...look at that drool! No I'm not being attacked by a neck pillow...this is the latest contraption used to stop us scratching...better than those cone thingamajigs and much more comfortable to sleep on!

This is me today...what do you think? Still beautiful?

 Can you tell I'm not impressed! Hopefully it won't be long before my fur grows back and covers my scars.

Somehow grass seeds managed to find their way into my cheeks..Kinley (my handsome vet) said there were about 12 seeds in there...12!!!! There was a lot of gunk that had to come out along with the seeds and Kinley and Catherine had to do a bit of re-constructive surgery. Looks like I got a bit of a facelift which kinda worries me cuz I think I'm gonna be a bit lopsided hmph.  I got off lucky though...there was another dog in with me who ate some grass which went straight into his lung along with a seed and he had to get part of his lung removed!! Good news is he's making a great recovery too :-D

Did you see Jeanie's card she posted on Friday using Gossip Nikki? Mom was going to mention it but was busy worrying about me and Ryan. If you haven't here it is but still go over and leave her some love cuz me and mom think is mega!

That's it from me...I'm going to keep this short...mom does go on a bit! Thanks again for asking about me...it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :-D

Love Ruby xx

Woof Woof

Happy Birthday DLS!!

I think this is my last birthday in August...if it isn't I'm in big poop lol!!!

Today is DLS's birthday and I hope she has a fantastic one :-D I sent her card and prezzie a couple of weeks (on time for a change) and she got it the other day and loved it...well she has to say that right lol?

You've already seen her card but here it is again...

Ruby update...she's doing great :-D The vet removed a lot of debris (grass seeds), dead tissue and pus from her cheek yuk! Once the swelling goes down she should look like herself though she might have a bald patch where the abscess was. Today's report is she's eating like a horse...absolutely NOTHING will put Ruby off her food lol. Although the drainage from the wound is good it sounds like she might be in until Sunday but it could change to either Saturday or Monday. As long as she's ok that's the main thing...I'd rather she stayed put and have everything right then come home too soon and something happen.

Ryan's doing ok...he's in better spirits than I thought he would be. He went into the club yesterday...I thought he would just be getting treatment but he was doing weights and riding the bike! He said it helped to ease his knee and he's able to put more pressure on it and doesn't need his crutches. My friend has been sending him Reiki and I think this has helped...it certainly helped me when I had a couple of operations 5/6 years ago. His operation is scheduled for September 22 and then the hard part really begins.

That's it from me...hope you have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

Catch ya later x

Happy Birthday Mary J!

It's my Lovely Ladybug Mary J's birthday today...phew, another busy birthday month! I made her card before I made my SIL's and they're pretty similar as I liked the layout but I prefer this one. I LOVE the colour of the shoes and bag...Copic E71, E74, E77 and a bit of E79...these are in my top 3 favourite Copic colour combo's.

I know Mary J's received it and liked it cuz she told me lol. What do YOU think...

I think the colours go together better in this card

LOOK AT THE COLOUR OF THESE BEAUTIES!! Come on don't you think those E's are da bomb??!!

 I added 2mm Light Rose Swarovski crystals to the handbag and a dusting of GD to the shoes..VERY sparklicious :-D

Inside a la MJ!

I went for a run this morning...4.2 miles!!! But I let myself down by walking some of it...must have been all the birthday cake I ate last night lol.

I'm a bit on tenderhooks waiting for Ruby to have her op. This will be her umpteenth...it started with her amputation at 5 months, 18 months later she broke her front left leg, last November she had her cruciate in her remaining back leg done and then there's the daily thyroid, glaucosomine and pain/anti-inflammatory tablets she takes and now this one. I'll keep you posted on how she gets on.

Right, better get in the shower...mom's taxi is on standby!!

Catch ya later xx

Happy Birthday Ryan

It's my baby's 24th birthday today...my how time flies! If he hadn't of been injured I probably wouldn't have seen much of him but after I took Ruby to the Vet School (more on that below) We went to D'Lish for some lunch then headed to Costco to get a birthday cake. If you've never had a Costco birthday cake then you haven't lived lol. I don't like the icing but the cake is fabulicious! Now he's icing his knee (not with frosting but peas and mixed veg lmao) and here I am. Not very rock and roll and I'm sure he would have liked to spend his birthday with his friends but I enjoyed our day together :-D

The picture below was taken when we were home visiting my mom and he crawled onto the dishwasher door

Normally I'm VERY late making my family's cards but I finished Ryan's BEFORE midnight lol. This is what I came up with...

I love how this turned out and I really enjoyed using Magnum and the Add-On's for ths card.

Lily loves a party :-D

I'd love to enter my card in the following challenge:

That's Krafty Thursday #53

I'm not sure how/why this video is on here but I can't get it off lol

I'm not sure it shows exactly how hard it's raining but it was torrential and  lasted all of 5 minutes and now the sun is splitting the sky!

Like I said I took Ruby to the Vet School this morning. When I took Ruby the last time there was barely any swelling but today he saw her at her worst. He decided an MRI was the only way to get to the bottom of it. I think he's ruled out an allergic reaction but said it could be a seed from the plants/grasses or an abcess but whatever it was it would show up on an MRI. He also said she might need surgery depending on what they find so he went off to check if they had a slot for her today, came back with a time of 1pm and a form for me to sign for the general anestaetic and a rough idea of how much it would cost if the surgery was included....are you sitting down? £4,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All I can say is I'm in the wrong profession....AND thank goodness for pet insurance otherwise the wedding would be off lol. With all her surgeries and trips to the vets she is certainly a very expensive dog and I've definitely had my monies worth from the insurance!

I just this minute got the call from the vet. Apparently it's grass seeds that have somehow implanted in her neck/cheek (she could have inhaled it, it could have gone in through her foot and travelled up) and caused an abcess. She's scheduled for surgery tomorrow at 2pm and will be home for the weekend. The vet told me a dog is having surgery tomorrow to remove a grass seed from it's lung and will lose part of the lung. It's crazy that something so small can cause such problems!

That's it from me...I'm knackered lol!!! I'll let you know how Ruby gets on tomorrow.

Thanks for all your good wishes for Ryan, Ruby and my friend.

Catch ya later x

3 is not a nice number..

The last 3 days have sucked! Three things in 3 days.

Started on Sunday when Ryan had a bad tackle playing football/soccer against Hearts and now needs reconstructive surgery on his cruciate. This is a huge blow as apart from being out of action for 5/6 months he'd just come back after quitting the game last year for all sorts of reasons. After time out he realised he still loved the game and wanted to play and luckily his old team signed again. He was doing brilliantly and now this.

Then last night Ruby's left side of her face started to swell. This morning when I went to check on her she looked like someone had given her a bad batch of collegen injections. See for yourself...

We have an appointment at the Vet School tomorrow at 9:30 but I'm taking her to my own vet in an hour just to make sure she's not going to suffocate as the swelling has gone down her neck. The last time it was her right side. She looks so sad :-(

Finally, today I found out treatment a friend of mine is having for cancer isn't working. I hope and pray the doctors will find something that will help her.

Don't think I like the number 3

In amongst all that I've got a busy week of birthdays starting tomorrow with Ryan and my SIL. I haven't started Ryan's yet but that's not unusual. I usually get to immediate family cards just before midnight the night before. I did get my SIL's done and here it is...

I'm not 100% about it but I don't have time to mull over it. I love The Ruffle. When I first saw the image I was quite daunted on how to colour the handbag but I actually love colouring it...it's very therapeutic.

I'm chuffed how the straps of the shoes turned out...I don't ususally get the shading like that

A bit fuzzy wuzzy...I'll have to sack the photographer

Best get Ruby ready to go.

Thanks for stopping by

Catch ya later x

Something old

I've been working hard on samples for a demo day I've been asked work at Craft World September 10 and 11th but unfortunately I can't show them to you just yet. Hmmm...what do you think that could mean???

 I do however have some 'old' cards to show you. Steven was cleaning out the garage the other day and came across a big plastic box filled with cards I had made at least 5 years ago and used to sell in hairdressers, florists and beauty salons. When I was going through them I couldn't help but cringe...I can't believe people actually paid money for them lol!!! Have a look and see what you think...

The sad thing is I probably thought they were amazing at the time lol. They were obviously pre sewing machine, buttons, Nesties and Copics! I think I was using my water pencils and my fancy scissors. Thank goodness for Nestabilities and Martha Stewart lol.

I'm not sure what I'll do with them...I don't even think a charity shop would want them! They did bring back a lot of memories, one being that when I first started making cards almost 11 years ago I could make 20 plus cards a day. I used to work from my dining room and didn't entertain for almost 2 years lol. I would sit until 2/3 in the morning (I was probably waiting for Nicole to come in from a night out) happily stamping, cutting and sticking and now I'm lucky if I can get ONE card made every couple of days and have to be in my bed well before midnight!

I must have 1000's of stamps that don't see the light of day let alone ink. I really do need to do a major clearout which was supposed to be a job for this summer but I just haven't managed it yet. Along with the stamps I have Sizzlet alphabet sets I don't use so maybe 'one day' I'll get it all cleared out and have a sale. I did try and sell some stamps on Ebay a few years ago but it ended up costing me money hmph. I have seen girls sell SU! sets (I've hunners of those!) on their blogs so maybe I'll try that.

A bit of advice before I wish you a great weekend. If at any time you think you need to tackle that 'tash' don't do it yourself...go to a beautician and get it done proper like. When I was removing my makeup last night I had a good look in the mirror and decided the tash had to go so got out my waxing strips, warmed them up in my hands, applied and ripped...and ripped...and ripped. There were a couple of extremely stubborn hairs so kept at it but I've obviously overdone it and I think I've removed some skin too...the top corners of my mouth are decidedly sore and look like I've got razor burn lol.

On that note I'll love you and leave you!

Catch ya later x

Mid Month Reminder...

...to remind you that we're still here and you've got another 2 weeks to enter our 'Favourite Stamp' challenge. So far we've had some gorgeous entries...keep them coming!

 I don't know about you but even though I don't have small kidlets I find the school holidays totally upset my routine. Roll on Wednesday because that's when the marjority of kids go back to school yaaaaayyyyy!!

I received a lovely surprise in the mail on Friday. Diane, one of my lovely blogging friends sent me one of the notelet folders she likes to make WITH the instructions AND an envelope template.... thank you Diane :-D If you've never been to Diane's blog I urge you to go (once you've finished here of course lol) and look at her beautiful cards. She's the only person I know that decorates all FOUR sides of her cards...that's right, front, both insides AND the back!!! They are fabulicious :-D Diane takes classes from Lyndsey at Lora Crafts and posts the makes. I especially loved this one and all weekend tried to get into my workroom to get one made. It never happened until late this afternoon and I only managed to get the folder made...I'll get cracking on the notecards tomorrow. Anywho, this is my slightly wonky version....

I hummed and hawwwed and finally decided to use another favourite stamp of mine, Swing Ruby on the front. I picked another scrummalicious pp from my Kaiser 6 x 6 pad and cut, mounted and sewed it for the front flap. Stamped Swing Ruby in Momento Ink and coloured her in with my Copics. My fluffly clouds are made from my PTI cloud die, a car wash sponge and a blue ink pad.

I Glamour Dusted Ruby's wings and although you can't tell I've used my NEW clear Wink Of Stella glitter pen to add a bit of shimmer to the trim of Ruby's dress, her shoes and the ladybug. This pen is seriously da bomb! I think it's going to replace my other glitter pen as the sparkle is so vibrant without being OTT. They come in 13 sparklicious colours and I am seriously thinking of stocking some of them :-D

I used a tiny magnet to keep the flap closed. Don't be fooled by the size...it may only measure 5mm but boy oh boy is it strong!

Hmph...see that discoloration in the bottom left corner of the opened flap? For some strange reason Coredinations puts a sticky barcode label on the underside of the cs and that's what you see when you take it off...not pretty and not happy!

You know how much I love my SU! Tiny Tags sentiments and punch right? Well my Tiny Tags punch met an untimely end! Don't know what or how it happened but a tiny screw became unscrewed and my most favouritest punch was rendered useless. I was just about to pass out from shock {seriously} when I remembered another blogging buddy Susan was a SU! demonstrator and quickly emailed her with my sad tale and before you could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious she emailed SU! and they sent her a new one! Boy was I one happy camper when Susan emailed me to tell me. To cut a long story short (I'm trying...really I am) I met Susan on Sunday for a coffee, chat, and my beloved punch. A big thank you Susan and SU!

That's it for today...thanks for popping in.

Catch ya later x

SALE ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!!!

Hello Peeps...just a final reminder that the LCI sales ends at midnight tonight.

You can BUY ONE STAMP GET ONE 1/2 PRICE, BUY TWO STAMPS GET TWO 1/2 PRICE and so on. To make the sale even better there is FREE WORLD WIDE POSTAGE!!!

Go on treat yourself...it would be rude not to lol!!!

3 for 3!

Well are you shocked? I sure am lol. Can you believe this is my third post in as many days? Long may it last :-D

There's only one type of card I dislike making more than a man's card and that's a sympathy card for obvious reasons. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often but when the occasion arises I always reach for one of my favourite Stampin Up! sets Happy Harmony...I know the title is a bit ironic but it's the image stamp in the set I love and I think it's perfect for a sympathy card.

Sadly my neighbours mom passed away at the beginning of the week so I set to work and this is what I came up with...

Does anyone else love this 'flower' as much as I do?

I never know what to call these...I think they're actually weeds but I nicknamed them 'The Wish' because when I was little I used to blow them and make a wish. I'm sure the neighbours weren't too happy with me lol. The sentiment isn't from the set...I can't actually remember where it came from. I'll let you know if it comes back to me.

I'm still running...about 3 times a week. Lately, once I've dropped Ruby and Rocky off at Doggy Daycare I park nearby and just take off. My goal is 5 miles and so far I can manage just under 4 without stopping. Never in a month of Sundays did I see myself starting running at my age (erm 21) AND enjoy it...did I just say that??? I went for a run on Thursday morning but decided to set off from home and do the 'circuit' We have a road that goes all around our village...just about 2 1/2 miles. Thursday had to be the wettest days of the year...this is what I looked like when I finished....

Drowned rat?

The bottom of my jogging pants are usually at my ankles but it was so wet they were dragging on the ground.

Look what BFF found on one of her Edemame plants...no beans though lol

I bought a haircut from Groupon months ago and tomorrow is the day I'm going to use it. I'm a little nervous as I don't know the stylist but the good thing about hair is it grows lol. You can get some really good deals...apart from the haircut I've bought a facial, vitamins and the legendary spray tan and Gellux nails! Have any of you  bought anything from Groupon?

Another reminder that the LCI buy one get one 1/2 price stamp sale finishes on Monday.  Oh yeah...AND free postage!!! Just to tempt you even more I've added some fabulicious new ribbon!! The ribbon on this card is one of the new ones :-D

Hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Catch  ya later x

Not what I was expecting

This is one of those cards that doesn't quite match what I had in my head! I received an email from my lovely friend Susan telling me she'd just ordered the newest MFT die from Dies to Die for and if I didn't want to be trailing her (she knows I LOVE MFT dies and lets me know when new ones are in) I'd better get mine ordered. How's that for friendship lol. Of course I did what I was told and got my die (before Susan did btw ;-p lol) and started churning out flowers with my gorgeous new felt.

I don't know if I'm rolling them wrong and although I LOVE the flower I find that they stick out quite a bit. In fact I think MFT might be in cahoots with the Post Office as I'm sure it would cost over £1 to send this card in the mail lol!!!

Let me know what you think and if I'm rolling them wrong...

The purpose of the card was to show how fabulicious these colours go together

But look how far they stick out!

Another reminder that the LCI sale ends on Monday ...buy two stamps get one 1/2 price, buy two get two 1/2 price etc :-( I've noticed if someone has ordered 4 stamps only one shows the 1/2 price  reductions. Don't panic if you're placing an order and this happens. Continue to checkout and pay as normal and I'll refund the extra that wasn't taken off. I'm trying to get it sorted so it will work automatically :-D 

Two posts in two days...I'm spoiling you lol

Catch ya later x

Happy Hump Day!

Yaaayyyy....I finally got to make a card!!! I have been so craft deprived lately I almost {shock horror} forgot what to do lol. Lucky an idea popped into my head on Monday and this is the end result...

I don't seem to know how to make quick cards anymore but this is as close as it gets lol. I LOVE Lily and felt she deserved to be the centre of attention without her sidekick Magnum. Both Lily and the balloon are from the Add-On set. I cut the felt using a PTI die

First I stamped Lily then just added the balloon and voila! There's so much you can do with the set on it's own.

I was sorting out my felt the other day and these three colours (Lush Jade Green, Coconut Ice and Lilac Rose) were piled on top of each other. They were gorgeous together so this is how the colour scheme came about...accidentally on purpose lol.

I Mary J'd the inside using the remnant piece of felt from the die cutted ric rac on the front (follow?)

I'd love to enter my card in the following challenges:

A Spoonful of Sugar - Birthdays
Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Happy Birthday/Celebration

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Anything Goes (open till August 16th)

Tuesday Throwdown - Birthday

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Sew Mad - Real or Faux

Paper Creations Ink - Stitching

Birthday Sundaes - Birthday Card (birthday wording on front)

Craft Your Days Away - Birthday

Card Makin Mamas - Birthday Cards

Raise The Bar - Anything Goes

The Stampman - Stitching

That's it from me today. I'm hoping to get in a bit more crafting at some point...maybe after dinner. Now that I'm back into the swing of things!

Don't forget the LCI sale is still on until Monday 15th...buy one stamp get one 1/2 price AND free postage WORLD WIDE!!! Now that's too good to miss :-D

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by

Catch ya later x