Eye Candy Alert!

VERY quickly as my day is jam packed. I've no card...if I can get one posted later I will.

I showed you Ryan's modelling pictures a while back and thought I'd show you the ones Steven got back the other day. This is his first proper photo shoot...

Love this one!

The last time I posted the pictures of Ryan Mary Poppins Michele had a funny turn...I hope she doesn't fall and hurt herself when she sees these lol.

Don't forget .... the sale starts tomorrow...I might even have an extra surprise for you but you'll have to come back to find out!!

Gotta fly...have a great day and an even greater weekend!

Catch ya later x

Tight squeeze

I'm going to try and make this quick as I've got a gazillion things to do and more than likely not enough time to do it in!

I think I said a post or two ago that we're heading to Dublin at the weekend for hubby's sister's daughter's 21st. I've also been invited to an event next week (will tell you more later) and needed something to wear to both and both call for a dress. Most people that know me know I don't do dresses...I'm a tomboy at heart (hence Robyn) so it was going to be a bit tricky to find something but I managed. Only thing is I needed something to 'hold in and smooth down' all the lumps and bumps. I headed to M & S and found the perfect thing...an all singing all dancing pull em in and suck it up slip dress thingamajig. They didn't have my size so had to order it, picked it up yesterday and last night before bed decided it was time to try it on. I tried to step into it but couldn't get it over my hips and didn't want to force the issue in case I tore it so decided I would try over the head action.  I  managed to get it over my head BUT I kinda got my arms stuck above my head and the slip thingy lodged around my shoulders...I couldn't pull it down and and I couldn't pull it up! My arms were just dangling there above my head...I was in the bathroom and the hubster was snoring away through the door. What was I going to do? Do I risk waking hubster and face humiliation... do I lie down on the floor and go to sleep hoping the underfloor heating would keep me warm and I didn't lose circulation in my arms and pray the tight slip fairies would rescue me? Neither appealed so for a good 10 minutes I pulled and teased the straight jacket slip down and into it's proper place! By that point I was either having a hot flush or sweating from the exertion but I'd gone to all that trouble so had to at least try the dress on. I think it looked ok...it certainly didn't turn me into Cindy Crawford lol....I'm going to have a quick look at some point today in La Senza and Debenam's to see if they have anything else and if not just go with it. Last Minute Annie again!!

Here's a card I made a while back but hadn't posted of Get Up And Go Wrinkley

These are little disc thingy's I got from Stamping Bella years ago...they are totally sparklicious!!

I've got great news about the sale...I've sorted it so I won't (I hope) have to manually change the prices (thanks for your concern Marianne lol!). I obviously won't be here over the weekend but if you run into any problems don't worry...I'll sort it when I get back!!

Ok..this took longer than I planned so I gotta scram! Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Catch ya later x

TLT - Amanda's Challenge - Fall Colours and/or Fancy Folds

Good morning and welcome to another TLT...boy the weeks are going in faster than usual! I'm glad you enjoyed last weeks new digi release...how wonderful to get your purchase almost instantly?! Thank you for all your lovely comments and entries to our challenge. To see if you're a winner of 'The Whole Shebang', one of 5 winner's of a digi of your choice, the Challenge winner or a Top 3 winner head on over to the Challenge Blog

As you know we had Laurie as our Guest Designer for the hop and wouldn't you know it, she loved being on the team so much she sent me an email that night begging (embarrassing I know!) to be on the DT full time. I was trying to think of a way to let her down gently when the postie arrived the next morning with a note and a blank cheque from Laurie telling me to name my price! Well after going to so much trouble I really couldn't say no now could I lol. So now Laurie is a fully fledged Ladybug yaaaayyyy :-D

Today's challenge has been set by our Amazing Amanda! She opted for Fall Colours and/or Fancy Folds ie Tent, Tri-Fold, Easel etc (you don't have to do both). You'd think it would be easy when you're told exactly what to do but could I find pp I was happy with?? It took me forever BUT I got there in the end....see what you think.

I'm trying to use stamps that haven't seen ink in a while and Best Friends Nikki is one of them. I used MME pp from the Bloom & Grow series, Bazzill and PTI kraft cs, my new MS border punch, MFT flower die and Marianne leaf die

I think Nikki and her friend look a bit glammed up for walking Buttercup...I certainly don't wear my sparkly tops or tracksuits when I take Rocky and Ruby out...not that I have sparkly tracksuits cuz I don't lol

Now I know it's not good to boast about something cuz it might just come back and bite you in the bum!! My colouring took a turn for the worse after I was blowing my horn about my Magnum Remote Control card the other day. I just couldn't get the blending right. Can someone tell me why some Copics blend perfectly yet some colours that should in theory blend, take the colour away making blending almost impossible???!! My gripe is with YG97, YG95 & YG91 with YG 91 being the culprit!

I love my new Marianne flower and leaf dies I got from Dies to Die for last week. The leaf is gorgeous and does look flabulous done in felt but it's VERY fragile because the outline are quite thin. It cuts like butter but you have to be very careful when removing the inside bits. I lost count of the number of leaves I threw out..you can see in the top one that one of the 'veins' has torn slightly hmph!

IRL the card looks much better. I haven't been using my tent to take pictures lately because a) it ends up becoming a fixture on the dining room table and b) I broke one of the lights but I'm going to have to get it fixed because I'm just not happy with my pictures lately. No amount of Photoshop is making them better!

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

Craft Us Crazy - Say Goodbye to Summer

Crafty Catz - Autumn

Crafts 4 Eternity - Autumn Days

Incy Wincy - Fancy Folds

Creative Craft World - Autumn/Fall
Addicted to Stamps - Stitching

That's it from me for today. I hope you enjoy what the Ladybugs have created for you this week and will join us in Amanda's challenge.

Catch ya later x

Nikki's new 'do'!

I was going to post one of my cards today but totally changed my mind when I received several emails from Cecilie of Norway this morning. She's only been making cards for a year and doesn't have a blog but wanted to show me cards she had recently made for her aunt. I cannot tell you how much I love them...do you notice anything different about Martini Nikki???

Look at her amazing red bob!!! Cecilie 'cut' Martini Nikki's hair as her aunt has short red hair...I have never seen Martini Nikki with short hair and I think she looks gorgeous

She looks so different but still sexy lol

This is Nikki before her trip to the hairdresser's lol

And Bathtub Nikki relaxing in the tub...love the 'bubbles' on the card

Thank you so much Cecilie for sharing your beautiful cards with me and allowing me to share them with Blogland. I'm sure your aunt will be thrilled with them...especially since you went to the effort of making Nikki similar to her :-D

Catch ya later xx

Bit of this, bit of that...oh and a card!

I hope you're having a good bank holiday weekend. It was a beautiful day yesterday in Glasgow, today...not so beautiful!

Ryan had his op on Thursday and all went according to plan. Thank you for all your comments, emails, texts etc wishing him well. Can anyone tell me how old your kids should be before you stop waiting for them to come out of surgery...ie just drop them off and phone up to see how they got on? On the drive in I said to Ryan I'd wait till he was back from surgery then I'd go home and he told me not to be silly that he'd be fine. I wondered if that was bravado or he really didn't want me hanging around...afterall he his 24! I thought I'd play it by ear and after he was checked into his room his lovely nurse assured me that waiting for him to get back was totally normal...it was a mom thing! It's like when they're babies and you put them to bed and keep going back and forth into their rooms to check they're breathing (KWIM??)...that's what I like to do after surgery (this is his 4th)...oh and make sure he can wiggle his toes lol.

He went down at 11:45 and was back up at 2:45...I hung around long enough to make sure he was breathing...ask the nurse if it was normal she was giving him oxygen...tell him I smuggled chocolate into his bag then left! Before I did leave the nurse said he could go home when a) he did the toilet (tmi sorry) b) ate without throwing up c) stand without fainting and d) manage the stairs. Hubby went to visit him and got home at 7 without Ryan managing any of them but at 7:30 got the call to pick him up! Since he's been home he's been doing his exercises...he was back at his club the next day and the physio said he's further ahead after this type of surgery than anyone he's known. Even one of his team mates said he couldn't bend his knee for a month after his op for the same thing. Fingers crossed this is the way his healing is going to progress and he'll be back playing sooner rather than later.

I've a couple of pictures of Steven I took today when I was at the  mall. He was modelling a few of the stores A/W lines..

It was nice to see him dressed up for a change...

I love this picture...just wish it wasn't so blurry. He doesn't get much catwalk work as he's so tall (6'6") but I guess they managed to find trousers long enough lol

Nicole, Ben, Steven and I are heading to Ireland next weekend for my nieces 21st and I needed to be organised because October has turned into a nightmare month for birthdays, invites to birthdays and orders for birthday/anniversary cards. Ellyn's is first up and this is what I made the other day...

Winestook Nikki was the perfect choice for a 21st. In fact I think she can be used for 20's through to 50's and beyond lol! I've used one of my favourite Bo Bunny pp's

Her dress is positively sparklicious...

Glitter has been added to the missed bits!

While we're in Ireland I'm going to see the wedding venue for the first time and we've got appointments with a florist, photographer and we'll look at cakes. It's going to be mega busy but at least that will be a few more boxes ticked :-D

You got a bit of everything today...hmmm...actually I think you get that in all my posts lol. You've still got time to enter last weeks challenge and a chance to win all the new release Magnum & Lily digi's or 5 of you a digi of your choice.

Thanks for popping in

Catch ya later x

Magnum & Lily rock!

I don't know about you but I had a great time blog hopping yesterday! I loved seeing all the DT cards and didn't our GD Laurie do an amazing job :-D Judging by your comments there are some real Magnum & Lily lovers out there so I hope these new digi images will find a place on your hard drive :-D

I made this card for my FIL for his birthday in early August (do you know how hard it was not to show it to you???!!!) and Remote Control Magnum was perfect for him. He has fallen out with a number of his grandchildren over the remote control...you know what teenagers are like, flicking from channel to channel. Well, in FIL's world that's a no no cuz it might break lol. I suppose you could say it was very brave of me to use this image and he never actually mentioned he liked like he normally would so maybe he was a bit touchy about the subject lol. Anywho I loved it so here it is...

I mean..what's there not to love lol. I would have liked the sentiment to have read 'stop flicking channels, you're gonna break it' but I think that would have been a bit too brave!

Now I don't like to blow my own horn here but I have seriously impressed myself with my colouring lololol (I can say that because half the time I don't!). I LOVE the colour of the chair. When we first moved to Scotland 26 years ago we were invited to hubby's bosses house for dinner. They had the most amazing orange carpet (pretty way out for back then)... I loved it... and still mention to them when I see them although they seem to have forgotten about it or maybe they're TRYING to forget about it lololol.

Don't you just love Magnum's expression...Lily strikes again!!

So there you have it. I am desperate to play with the digi's more but I have a few (5) cards to make in the next week and unfortunately none of the new images are suitable hmph.

Ryan is going in to have his operation tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's pretty straight forward and he can start the road to recovery and back to being match fit by February and be able to play the rest of the season. This last month seems to have dragged by waiting for the surgery but apparently the recovery time is quicker 5-7 months if you wait for the injury (crutiate)  to settle whereas when they used to operate straight away the recovery was 12-18 months. I'm taking him in for 10:30 and not sure if I'll wait...I don't know how long it will take. I can always take in some digi's and my Copics!

Hope you have a great Hump Day...the weekend's just around the corner!

Catch ya later x

TLT - LCI goes Digi!!!!!!!!!!!! New Release and a Bloghop

OMG...I have been so excited about today...I've hardly slept a wink for all sorts of reason..the main one because I have decided to dip my toe into the world of digital stamps and also this is the most disorganised I've been for a release/bloghop EVER lol (read that as still photographing, editing and posting at 1:30 am!!!)

I've been asked on quite a few occasions if I had digi images and of course the answer has always been no. I've bought a few digi's in the past but stamping was always my first love....until now lol. Ok...digi isn't taking the number one spot just yet but I have just had so much fun with these new images illustrated by the amazing Moira Munro. There are 3 new main Magnum & Lily images and 1 image I've moved over from a stamp (although you can still buy it as a stamp) to go with....are you read for this.... CHRISTMAS ADD ONS!!!!! That's right....I now have Christmas Add Ons that are just going to be sold as digital for now. That means you can now buy Add On Magnum as a digi on his own (without the birthday cake and sentiment) to use with the Christmas Add Ons.

So what do you say we get started! With all blog hops there are rules which are:

a) Visit each of the DT members in order and leave a comment on each of their blog hop posts.

b)  Leave a comment on the Challeng Blog stating which is your most favourite of the new images once you have finished the hop.

c) Display the blog hop banner which is at the top of this post on your blog, either in a post or on your side bar.

The First Prize is the WHOLE DIGI RELEASE...that's 18 images in total!!!

and then 5 runners up will receive a digi of their choice

Winner and runners up will be chosen at random.

The hop will close 12pm midday GMT on Monday 26th September and the winner will be announced at 9am GMT on Tuesday 27th September

For those of you who don't know what digital stamps are they are images that are printed on a printer. They can be sized to any size and if they are a png file they can be layered and manipulated to suit your project. Other advantages of digital over stamps is that they save space...they're stored on your computer and when you order it, wherever you are in the world, you get your image almost instantly AND they're cheaper!

Ok...I can't stand it any longer...let's get started!!! Oh and BTW...the challenge is ANIMALS lol

You should have arrived from the fabulcious Pinky and if you haven't you can head back to the Challenge Blog and start from the beginning.

These images weren't ready in time to give to the Ladybugs so I've made 3 cards for you to see.....

Ta dah!!! Isn't Magnum handsome in his Christmas hat lol. I've used the largest of the large scallop Nesties for the card base so although it's the largest it's a small card which means Magnum is smaller than the usual stamp. You know how I said you can manipulate the image if it's a png file? Well, I've flipped Magnum so his outstretched arm is on the other side. I've added the hat and the Christmas pudding which makes 3 separate images I've used

As always I've coloured the images in with my Copics

Added Glossy Accents to the icing and Swarovski crystals as berries

No Christmas hat would be complete without Fluffy Stuff and a hint of glitter

I love this next card (I loved the previous one too lol). Sue made a gorgeous Christmas card using You Won't Tell Santa Jack and Robyn and a fabulicious embossing/cutting folder. I found out it was a Marianne folder and managed to buy it when I was at Craft World the other week.

I borrowed a few of Sue's elements and added some of my own..I hope you don't mind Sue!

For this card I used 4 different images...the tree, the bow bauble, the Santa Stop Here sign and Lily. I resized the tree 4 times to make it look like a forest and added the bows (resizing them) to the main tree. I was able to make the sign look like it's sitting in front of the tree and it looks like Lily is trying to flag down Santa lol

A totally stunnalicious snowflake

I decided to keep my final card quite simple

 I used Add On Magnum (notice he's opposite to the first card) with Lily putting a bauble on the tree.

I used two more of the baubles for this tree along with the bow. You can still 'decoupage' with digi's...I printed the bow out twice, coloured it, cut it out and GA'd it over the other bow. I know you're screaming at me saying.. but Kerry...you've not 3 D'd it...that's not decoupage! I KNOW but for some reason I coloured the bow red...like go figure duh....a red bow with purple and turquoise baubles...I don't think so!!! I HAD to glue it straight on top otherwise you would have seen the red...smart huh..not lol!

More FS for their hats and a bit of GA on Magnum's nose

So there you have it...what do you think? I've only used a small selection of the 14 Add Ons for these cards but I will be showing you more samples over the coming weeks using other Christmas Add Ons. There is so much you can do with them...the possiblities are endless.

I'd like to enter the following challenges please :

Phindy's Place Challenge Blog - Christmas in September

Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Catch The Bug - Create a Scene- Use at least 2 images
Craft Ribbons Challenge - Anything Goes

MAWTT - Sparkle

Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes

Creatalicious Challenges - Anything Goes

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

NettieG's Digital Gems Challenge - Anything Goes

The total cost to buy all the images is £20.25 but for one week only you can buy all the images for £16.00!!!! How amazing is that :-D Just click on

The Whole Shebang and it will go straight into your cart. When you're at the check out make sure you tick Digi's under delivery otherwise you'll be charged. If you're purchasing products as well as digi images you must pick the appropriate country otherwise it could hold up your order.

We have a special Guest Designer joining us today. I'm sure some of you will know Laurie and her beautiful work...make sure you leave her some extra Ladybug love.

From here you should be hopping on over to the incredibly talented Michele and don't forget to check the Challenge blog to see if you were the winner of last weeks Flower challenge or one of our Top 3!!

I don't know about you but I'm exhausted after all that lol. I'm going to grab a coffee and see what the Ladybugs have created. Although I haven't seen them, I know I'm gonna love 'em! 

One more thing before I go I want share the sad news that Ladybug Gaelle is stepping down from the LCI DT but I KNOW you'll see her from time to time ...so maybe not too sad :-D

I hope you enjoy the new images and the hop...please let me know what you think either in a comment or email. It's the only way I know if I'm getting it right or not.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by to see me :-D

Catch ya later x

One more sleep!

Hope you all had a good weekend. I was busy getting things ready for tomorrow and let me just say I think you're gonna LOVE what I've got for you! I know I say that every release but this one is just a bit different...oops...said too much....my lips are sealed lol!!!

I hope you're not tired of The Wrinkley's? I made this a few weeks back. It was one of those that needed something but I wasn't too sure what. Finally added the pearls on the corner and I was pretty happy with it....

How many friends do you have where this sentiment rings true?! I might have one or two lol

I think the pearls are a nice finishing touch :-D

Another update on Ruby...no infection so she's on medication now to sort her weak bladder. I hope this will be the last visit to the vets for a long while!!

Ok...must walk the dogs then get back to stuff for tomorrow...

Catch ya later x

ps  I'm soooooo excited!!!!

Have you heard the news?

Ruby is doing really well...with the stitches out and her fur growing back she's starting to look more like herself gorgeous self :-D But I had her back at the vet  as it looks like she might have 'womans' problems!!! She's 6 which makes her 42 in human years and isn't that when everything starts to go wrong for us lol. I have to get a urine sample and take it in to get processed...it could either be a urine infection or incontinence!!! Luckily tablets will sort both but if it's the latter she could be on them for a short time and the problem sorted or (and the most likely as we're talking Ruby here lol) she'll be on them for life!!

It was pensioner night Thursday...I picked Sadie up and we headed to Costco, Tesco (12 cans of Tesco own tomato soup, 6 cans of marrowfat peas, 2 cans of mushy peas and 2 packs of paracetamol = £3.56!!) then onto Rosso for a coffee. We just arrived in Bothwell when I got a call from Nic. This is how the conversation went....

me: Hey Nic what's up?...Nic: Hey maw, where are you? ... me: With Sadie, what's up?  Nic: (sounding a bit upset) Are you on your way home? me: No we're just going for a coffee  Nic: (still sounding upset) will you be long?  me: (my stomach started to churn at this point) what's wrong, are you ok? (the last time I got a call like this she had broken down in her car on a pitch black road)  Nic: (sounding tearful and slightly wailing) I'm going to London tomorrow and I can't decide what to wear...can you come over?!!! 

ROFL...I was relieved it wasn't anything serious but honest to goodness I wasn't expecting that from my 27 year old daughter!

When I was making samples for last weekend I noticed I didn't have many of Robyn trimming the Christmas tree so at 9pm on the Friday night I started making a card. I knew what I wanted to make and luckily, apart from one thing, it turned out more or less as planned...

I thought Tree Trimming Robyn was perfect for one of these shadow box cards (can you see where I went wrong??!!) I stamped Robyn and coloured her in with my Copics, glittered, GA'd and dotted her up. I found some gorgeous embossed vellum and stitched it to a piece of pink cs then I cut a window out of this and the front of the card with my Nestie's then cut thin strips of cs to make 'window panes' and a piece of acetate for glass and stuck them to the inside front of the card. I used my snot gun to stick the image to the back of the cs and assembled the shadow box (have you worked out yet where I went wrong?) I trimmed the window with a scallop square with the middle cut out with a smaller square Nestie. My new snowflake dies were put through the Cuttlebug with white felt and adhered to the front with light rose Swarovski Crystals GA'd to the centres. Finally I added a sentiment to finish it off

 

 

I mentioned on Thursday I might have something to tell you...well here's a little teaser!!!

Ok...it's a big teaser but there's MORE and the only way you're going to find out is to come back on Tuesday! All the Ladybugs are extremely excited and can't wait to tell you the news.

I'll leave you to ponder...hope you have a fabulicous weekend. Thanks for stopping by :-D

Catch ya later xx