Altered Note Book

Good evening everyone.

At the moment my PC is broke :( so I have had to use my OH's PC to upload photos etc. It's really annoying not being able to do this on my own PC, but it looks like this might be the only solution until we can get me a new PC. I do have a laptop, but I really don't like working on it!
So until then, this will have to do!

Anyways, I couldn't find my old notebook that I kept details in, on challenges, so I decided to turn a tatty old note book, that I found stuffed away somewhere, in to a brand spanking new 'Challenges' notebook. I know I do have all the challenges listed in my sidebar, but I like to have something by the side of me whist I actually craft.

You will notice that I don't have a watermark on these images, that is because that is stored in PSP on MY computer lol

Note: I really hope entering this notebook in to the listed challenges are okay, but I couldn't find anything in the rules that said it was for cards only. If not, then that is absolutely fine :)

PS. Please ignore the grubby white card on the photos, that is what I use on top of my craft mat when I am colouring in lol

The before picture. Yucky! As always, click on the images to view in full.

Front.

Back.

Inside. Not the most perfect, but it will do! As you can see I removed the old ribbon marker and made a matching spotty one.

And below a few extra photos, juct click on them to enlarge :)

I would like to enter my altered note book in to the following challenges please:

• Magnolia Stamp Lovers: Use Ribbon
• One Stitch at a Time: 3D
  
• Stamptacular: Buttons, Bling & Blooms {4 white buttons, stickles on sheep's hair and tail, and flowers, prima flowers & 1 wild orchid flower}
• Delightful Challenges: Flowers
• Just Magnolia: Anything Goes with Optional use of buttons {4 buttons & magnolia image}
• The Crafty Pad: Flowers
• One Stop Craft: Spots & Dots {spots on the ribbon}
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes
• Pollycraft: Use old or neglected stamp or image {I've had this image in my stash for ages and never used it previously!}
• The Crazy Challenge: Just add flowers
• Papertake: Anything Goes with Optional use of something new {my spotty ribbon was brand spanking new}
• Passion for ProMarkers: Yellow and Pink {The sheep is pink with yellow hair, also pink ribbon, prima flower and wild orchid flower. Yellow prima flower also. ProMarkers used, see recipe below for colours.}
• ABC Challenge: R is for Ribbon
• Allsorts: Blooming Blossoms {2 prima flowers and 1 wild orchid flower}
• Craft Your Days Away: Spots and Stripes {spotted ribbon and striped designer paper}
• Stamp, Scrap & Doodle: Glitz {stickles on sheep's hair and tail}
• Crafts and Me: Glitter {stickles on sheep's hair and tail}

Wow, I didn't realise it was eligable for so many! Hopefully is IS eligable anyways, if not I will have to have a re-think!

Recipe:

• One dirty tatty old notebook
• Striped designer paper is Smirk
• Magnolia sheep and trees images
• Prima flowers
• Wild Orchid flower
  
• Pink spotty ribbon
• White florists ribbon
• To Do {or not to do... that is the question}, Do This ---->, This item belongs to:, and Designed by: Stamps from Basic Grey
  
• White buttons
• Stickles
• Flat back self adhesive Pearls
• Calendar tab
• ProMarkers {Cinnamon, Cool Aqua, Mint Green, Grass, Ivory, Rose Pink, Tulip Yellow and Blush}
  
• White card stock
  

Major Catch Up & Why I Haven't Posted in a While {Sad Story}

Hi everyone, it's been almost 8 months since I last posted!
Gosh, it's a wonder I still have any followers left!

When I last posted in August, I knew that the next time I post would be in September, as I had a lot of birthdays that month, I guess I just never got around to it, and figured, 'oh I will post the pics at Christmas when I so my Christmas cards', however, my Christmas cards didn't photograph very well at all! So I though, 'ahhh screw it, not posting these pics'. On a better note, I got an awesome camera for Christmas!

Then in January, I got some news that would change my life forever.
At the time, I had taken up cross stitching again, which is another reason why I hadn't posted here, but I digress, (I will keep the story short and skip out a lot of details)...

In the early hours of 16th January, my younger brother went missing after a night out in the town with a friend.

At around 00:30, he became seperated from his friend, at this point he must have decided to make his way home. He was last seen about an hour later by a policeman, but because he wasn't aggressive he wasn't taken in, and because he wasn't paralytic no ambulance was called.
Yes, Steven had had a drink or two, but he wasn't a big drinker, so alcohol probably affected him quicker than some people.

The next two days there was an extensive police search including the force helicopter, dogs, police divers and boat, policemen on foot and horses. And of course all his friends and other people who knew Steven, and even people who didn't.

Sadly, on the 19th January Steven was found by a member of the public walking their dog, floating in the river.
When the ambulance arrived he was pronounced dead.

He had accidentally drowned.

Just one night and my baby brother was gone.

We had his funeral on the 2nd February, and we are trying to get back to normal now, though life without Steven will never be normal.

Steven, 08/03/88 - 19/01/11 - Aged 22

And this is why I am back. Steven always liked getting my handmade cards, (probably mostly for the money included in them though lol), and he wouldn't want me to stop doing something that I love, plus I have decided to start selling my cards for charity, one of which will be RASS riverandseasense.com which I have recently become involved in.

Anyways over the next few days you might see some changes to my blog, I thought it was time for a new layout. I am happy with this one, but I want to change this white part to a pink colour, but I can't see in the code where it is, so I will have to have a play with that.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I got an awesome camera for Christmas (I also got a Robo Lite!!!), so I have re-taken pictures of cards that I still had in my possession, so I will re-post those over the next few days.

Anyways, first up is a card I made for my Mum for Mother's Day. Which came as a complete card kit in a magazine, though I chose to omit the card it came with, and used my own.

Remember you can click on the image to view in full detail, and now that I have a new camera, the full versions won't be all crappy and blurry lol

I made a bit of a mistake in the top left corner, so I covered it over with a prima flower lol

I would like to enter this card in to the following challenges:

• One Stitch at a time: Mother's Day/Babies
• Creative Inspirations: Mother's Day/Mum
• Alota Rubber Stamps: Use Green on card (Only just about managed this I think!}
• The Crafty Pad: Mother's Day
• Ooh La La Creations: Mother's Day/Special Friend
• Craft Your Days Away: For Mum or Special Lady
• Aly's: Spring {Nice Spring flowers! And Mother's Day is in Spring!}

And that is all for now.
I will be back with more posts later!

PS. I am having a hard time trying to follow blogs at the moment, but I will keep trying!

Tilda Card, Bracelet & Altered Jar

I am very proud of myself today, not only have I completed a new card, I have also made a 'tester' bracelet and an altered jar.

First up is a Tilda card that I made for my friend in the US' birthday.
I coloured her in a couple of days ago with me new ProMarkers.
I had to order some new ones as I didn't have any 'pastel' coloured ones, and as they were under £5 a pack, I figured why not!

I would like to enter this card in to the following challenges:

• One Stitch At A Time: Follow the sketch or use Pink {I used Pink}
• The Crafty Pad: Ribbons & Flowers {Ribbon in her hair & Mulberry paper flowers}
• Crafty Angels: Something Old, Something New {Old = All the papers used on this were old. New = Flowers, Pin, Pearls and the die to cut the ovals}
• Ooh-La-La Creations: Birthday {Though it doesn't say on the front, but this card is intended for my friend's birthday.}
• Creative Card Crew: Cute & Girlie {my card is umm cute & girlie lol}
• Dutch Dare: Anything Goes
• One Stop Craft: Patterns {Papers are patterned}
  

Recipe:

• Tilda pre-stamped image {from eBay}
• ProMarkers
• Stickles
• Anita's Glossy Accents
• Pin
• Self Adhesive Flat Pearls
• Mulberry Paper Flowers
• Leaf
• Laura Ashley Paper {deep purple}
• Papermania Papers {pink & lighter purple}
• 3D Foam pads to lift Tilda off the card
  

Next up is a little bracelet that I quikcly put together, more of a tester, to see whether I would enjoy making more before I bought all the tools and lots of beads.
And I found some wire and basic beads in my stash, so I gave it a go, and I did enjoy it, so I will be investing in some better beads and tools etc. soon!

Recipe:

• Wire
• Beads

And lastly is an old pasta sauce jar that I altered to put my new mulberry paper flowers in.
As the lid was green all over I decided to keep the green theme.
I didn't have any green ribbon though, so I recycled an old piece of green ribbon I had laying around.

As you can see, the paper didn't go all the way around, but you can see all those yummy flowers and delishious colours!

Recipe:

• Empty glass pasta sauce jar
• Papermania paper
• Ribbon
• Prima Flower
• Lovely mulberry paper flowers to fill jar

I almost forgot....
I got new toys a few days ago, a sealing wax gun, wax, and a 'J' sealing coin, and I totally *heart* it!
I can easily see how addictive this might become!