I'm so excited...

....I think I'm going to be sick! Tomorrow is THE day Nikki launches in Craftology...I can't believe it!! Never in a million years did I think I would have my own range of stamps and that they would be received as well as they have been. I've had so many nice comments about her and I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way.

I thought I'd show you a couple more samples for tomorrow and if you want to see the rest you'll have to come and see for yourself!

Well, that's all for now...I've still got lots to do before tomorrow and I still have to work out what I'm making for dinner. Hope you all have a good weekend and maybe I'll see some of you at Craftology. I'll be there between 10am and 4pm. Wish me luck!

Catch ya later x

Puppy Love

Thought I'd show you a picture of Rocky and I watching The Pride of Britain Awards tonight...well I was watching them LOL. I sent the piccy to my friend Elaine and she asked if I had been crying!!! I suppose I probably had but you would too if you watched TPOBA...there were some heartbreaking stories on there, especially the two sisters from Carmunock who were burned in a scalding bath.

Here is a sneak peak at one of the samples I've made for Craftology on Saturday. Gaynor wanted samples for the stamps she ordered 10 of and Dogwalker Nikki was one of them. I just love this image so was quite happy to make another one. I wanted to make a card without using pp for a change and decided to try scoring the card with my ScorPal. I had seen this done on Paula Tracy's blog recently and loved the effect it gave...kind of warm and welcoming like a homemade quilt. It was so easy to do and I think I will be using this technique a lot more.

Rocky and Ruby are at DDC tomorrow so I plan to finish the samples and then hopefully start building my stock up. I got a call today asking if I'd like to take a stall at The West End Winter Fayre at OranMor on Sunday December 13th and I'd really like to take part. But to do that I really need to get my head down and start making cards by the hunners!!!

I'm off to walk the dogs before bed. Hope you all had a good day.

Catch ya later x

Men's cards...Blech!!!

How's your Monday so far? I've had a pretty productive day...I finally got to make some cards! It was a nice change from cutting LOL. I'm only going to show you one today .... changed my mind...I'll show them both to you : )

The first 2 pictures are of the card for Pierce's friend John who is 50 tomorrow. I don't think I have to worry that he'll see it on my blog before then LOL. I kinda cheated and used the same paper and layout from the card I made with Dogwalker Nikki though I changed the button for a corduroy brad from SU! (thanks Trace!) and moved the location of it. John was about 15 here...I hope he brings his sense of humour with him when they meet for lunch tomorrow LOL. The card looks a bit warped but it's not...must be the photographer : ) I was experimenting with the size of the pictures when I was uploading them so sorry if it's too in your face.

The next card and notebook are for my niece Ciara who's birthday is on Wednesday. I'll be mailing it tomorrow so I hope it gets there in time. I used 2 of my Nikki's and stamped them in Brilliance Graphite Black. I'm finding this is the best ink to use with the stamps and once it dries either on it's own or with a little help from a heat gun you can use your Copics and Prisma Pencils with no problems. I love the pp...it's from Imaginisce and in my favourite colour combo (one of them anyway) of pink and green with a little blue thrown in to mix it up. Ciara's a bit of a shopaholic so the notepad with come in handy.

That's it for tonight folks. I'm going to shut up shop for tonight and get some ironing done so I can work guilt free tomorrow.... I'm going to start the samples for the demo day at Craftology on Saturday.

Catch ya later x

That's what friends are for...

I had two more Fairy Godmother's this week. Annette came over on Thursday to help...we worked on the sentiments...I cut and she did the rest LOL. By the time Annette left we had a small pile of plastic bags that really didn't seem to show the work we put in. We were lucky if we filled half a carrier bag!!! But there were over 200 sentiments so if you look at it that way then we worked our butts off LOL.

My third Fairy Godmother was Elaine...she came armed with our favourite pasta salad from Morrison's and some fab chocolate chip cookies....white and milk chocolate mmmmmm. Annette popped in with Eilidh to pick something up and left us with 2 Maltesery type bar thingy's that were gorgeous. Well come on people....we do need to keep our energy up LOL! After our lunch we set to work...I cut and Elaine did the rest....are you seeing a pattern here??? lol. Like all my Fairy Godmother's Elaine was brilliant and I couldn't have got as much done without them. So a very BIG thank you to Fee, Annette and Elaine for all your help this week.

You've probably noticed I haven't posted any cards recently. I can't remember the last time I made one but that's all going to change this week. I have a 50th man's card to make {screwed up face} for Pierce's friend John. I've taken the easy option and managed to get a picture of him when he was about 14...they mustn't have invented cameras before that LOLOLOL...so I'll do something later today and hopefully post it.

I received an order for Nikki stamps from Craftology on Thursday {jumping} and Gaynor has asked me to demonstrate her on Saturday the 10th. I am really excited and especially so because I'm using my Prisma pencils to colour with. I'm not sure there's many people that use them right now. It's like when the Copic marker's first came out....very slowly and then BAM everyone is using them now! If I can maybe get one or two people interested in them (I am selling Nikki's there not Prisma's LOL) then that would be great. I hope everyone will like Nikki and I hope anyone reading this and who will be in the area will pop in and say hi.

First things first though....shower, dogs to CB, supermarket, deliver Craftology order, tidy, cut, dinner, cut....you get the picture.

Have a great Sunday....you should in Glasgow...the sun is shining!!

Catch ya later x

Reason, Season, Lifetime

Someone sent me this poem quite a few years ago and it's something that has stuck in my mind and has helped me when a friendship has changed and I wasn't able to work out why.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there for a reason, ou need them to be. Then, without any worong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the rfriendship to an end. Sometimes they die, sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met , our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you and experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! but, only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME, relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those thing you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Thank you for being part of my life....

I'm not sure who to credit this poem to because when I looked it up there were about 3 or 4 people arguing that it was them so I'll just leave it as it is. Maybe if you're going through a sticky patch with a friend and you read this, it will help even in a small way.

Happy Anniversary to me!!

Once upon a time a young girl and a young guy met in a nightclub. Two weeks later he proposed but she turned him down (come on...two weeks!!!). Three more proposals and six months to the day they met they married on October 3rd 1983!!

I can't believe it's been a year since we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary. This time last year Pierce was planning a holiday for us but wouldn't tell me where we were going. It wasn't until a week or so before we were going he handed me the tickets and brochure. I squealed like a stuck pig when I saw we were going to the Maldives and Dubai on the way back. To say Reethi Rah was like paradise would be the understatement of the year. I don't think anything can top it. See for yourself ....

Not sure why but I love the photo above

And of course I had to have some reading material LOL!

So that's my little trip down memory lane. Hope you enjoyed it...wish I was there right now as it's blowing a gale outside!

Catch ya later x

Something to think about..

I was reading my PTI News letter today and they were asking Stephanie Ellis some questions about her stamping, style, people who inspire her etc. One of the questions was 'What is the most important thing you've learned about crafting?' She had three things but this one hit closest to home with me and something I totally agree with:

"First, when something is handmade, it will most likely have a flaw or two, and that's OK. Handmade doesn't mean perfectly straight stitches or solid inked images. It means that I thought about someone and made something just for them with my own two hands. It means I made something with thoughtfulness, love and admiration. If I wanted straight stitches and solid inked images, I would simply buy pre-made cards and gifts"

I know I'm guilty of being a perfectionist at times but then I remind myself that it doesn't have to be perfect. It's the thought that goes into it that counts. Ok, there are limits I will let something get passed quality control, LOL, but I have managed to relax a bit when I've committed an 'artisic error'!

Catch ya later x