New Candy

Hi all,
Just a quick post to say that I have added the new candy for when we reach 40 followers.  I apologise for the terrible picture, but for some reason I cannot remove the blue tint.

We have two boxes of fancy Decorative Pins,  Crocheted flowers,  A Selection of fabric rolled flowers,  tassels,  Crocheted lace in black & ivory,  White 4cm Lace and  2 Larger Fabric flowers.
(Don't forget the first candy is still unclaimed.  See Saturdays post and claim by Fri or a redraw will be done by the end of that day.)

My first 'Not sure about this one' card

Hi everybody and welcome to my newest followers.
I apologise for not posting this card yesterday as planned.  I needed to take my grandchildren their Easter baskets as I couldn't see them Sunday and we ended up having such a lovely time I was later home than I expected to be.   So, here is the missing post- 
Some time ago I fell in love with the MME Lost &Found Union Square paper pad so much so that I had to buy an extra one..., just incase.  You know what we crafters are like:- 'oh, I can't use that one- just in case' or 'I must have one piece left (just to look at)'.  Not long after acquiring them Sue Wilson did a Spellbinders show on tv and (you've probably worked out the rest....) I bought some.  Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't gone a bit nuts now and again.  I mean,  how can you say no when Sue shows us so beautifully how well they can be used..lol!!  Well that order contained the adorable butterfly and somehow it called out to me the very same time the new papers did.  The result is this:-

My recipe:-  8" x 8" Base Card Ivory Linen 280g, MME bp,  Spellbinders Parisian Motifs & Accent dies, Fancy Tags 1 and Fanciful flight butterfly die,  Metal butterfly,  Red matting card & eyelets from my stash.

So what do you think?
I wasn't too sure about it at first as it lacked all the lovely flowers, ribbon & bows I adore so much and, there's not a gem in sight.  I was in fact, so unsure that I had to ask my daughter for her opinion, she said she loved it so I decided I would share it with you and get your opinion too.   I love constructive critism; sometimes someone else can point out a flaw that we ourselves have somehow overlooked. So please be honest with me but gently so if you would.
I have, again, been thinking about more ways for us to interact within my blog and a comment left by Christine Harrop yesterday helped me to make up  my mind.   How about us sharing some of  YOUR work or thoughts.
Christine mentioned that she recently added box frames to her crafting repertoire and I thought how lovely it would be to see some of them;  this in turn, had me thinking about sharing some of them with you.  So. how about it?   Shall I dedicate a day to showcasing some of your bits and pieces?   Maybe it could be a quote you love or a favourite line from a film/book/poem that has some meaning for you etc.   For those without a blog maybe it could be a picture of a new creation that you are really proud of.   If anyone has any ideas that could help me get a 'Showcase Day' going or has something they would like to share then send me an email,  I would love to hear your ideas.   Who knows,  we could start something really good and truly share this blogging experience.
Well that's it for today.  Hope to see you again soon.  Linda x

(ps  May I just remind you that the '20followers' draw has been done and the winner was  announced last saturday.  I will do a redraw Friday night if it is not claimed before then.)

Thought for the Day

Good Morning and welcome,
I have been thinking about other things I would like to share with you on my blog and it started  me thinking about the things that I appreciate in my life.  I have always enjoyed music and I adore a good film, especially old epics and heartwarming tales of success or achievement;  but I also have a great love for thoughtful quotations and poetry.  I can, in fact,  often look at another crafters card and see in it a song or film and on the odd occasion it has even reminded me of a famous quotation.  With this in mind I thought that maybe this would be a nice little addition to the blog: A Though for the Day.  I will not post one everyday or I will have to start crawling the web for hours to find ones that mean something.  For now I will definitely do one on a Monday and then those of you who are not interested will know to avoid the early Monday morning posts...lol!!
Well as this week has been the beginning of my blog and I have seen such warm and welcome from each of you I thought the following was appropriate. 

'The widest thing in the universe is not space,

it is the potential capacity of the human HEART.'

See you later with my card for today.  Regards Linda x

My 2nd Case card and we have a Winner

Hi Guys and thanks for popping by,
I have done the draw at last,  and the winner for my first ever Candy is...

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da, da, da, ............... (stop laughing at me,  I can't help it)

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Ok I'll tell you..........

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at long last!!! ..........................................  it's   Allison   who left me this lovely comment:-   

Hello Linda,
I also found you after reading your comments on Sue Wilsons blog.  Your card is beautiful.

I look forward to seeing more of your lovely work.    Regards, Alison

Congratulations Allison,  I am so pleased for you.  I hope you will enjoy the candy and have great fun using them.   Please email me with your snail mail address and I will post your prize out to you, though  I'm sorry to say, due to it being Easter weekend, this will not be until after the bank holiday.
I will announce the next lot of Candy tomorrow.  All you have to do to be entered is to be a follower of my blog and comment on the Candy Post.  As soon as we reach the next target (40 followers) I will do that draw. 

(Please note, if the candy is not claimed by next Sat, I will do a redraw)

Well now onto my card.  Todays Case card is by another very talented lady who, like Sue Wilson, does wonderful things with Spellbinder dies etc and is also from the USA.  Her name is Becca Feeken and you can find her original creation here.

My recipe:-  5.5" x 7.5" Base Card Ivory Linen 280g,  DCWV Luxury Stack bp, Spellbinders Postage Stamp, Holly Motifs & Scalloped Oval dies,   Martha Stewart Punch,  Cream Vintage Ribbon,  Crochet Lace & Decorative Pins (handmade by me).  Blue matting card from my stash.

I have thought long and hard about the format for my blog.  Did I just want to make cards and show them or did I want to have some purpose?  Well, I decided to go with both.  So what I am going to do, is showcase some of my favourite designers, favourite blogs and of course my favourite bloggers and their work.  I have already had written permission from many wonderfully talented crafters to use their work for Casings  (so be careful or I will be chasing you next...lol). 

For those of you new to this, CASE means Copy And Share with Everyone.

Basically it means you can copy how someone else has made their card, completely and exactly if you want to,  but it does NOT mean copy it as a picture and use it as is (please note here, the image of the creators original card is theirs and should never be used without their consent).   

My take on casing is to always make it look like the original, but choose a way to make it my own and then when I show it I always give credit to the creator and a link to their blog (it is afterall, only through their hard work that I was able to do my case study in the first place).

Well, as usual I have rattle on but I hope I have given you a taste of what I am about and what I am trying to achieve with my blog.  Thanks to everyone for stopping by and congratulations again to Allison.

See you soon.  Hugs Linda x

Thanks and Welcome

Hi guys,
Before I go properly into my post for today, I think it only right I explain a little bit so you understand a little about me. 
As some of you will already know, I had a car accident over twelve years ago which resulted in spinal surgery in January 2000.  I now have to take meds 24/7 to control the pain and the side effects for me are alot of tiredness and a sleep habit that is 'up the creek', so to speak.  I was told I was very high risk (over 90%) of being in a wheelchair within 5 to 10years...., well in Jan of this year I passed the 12 years and I am still walking (not too far these days but I still manage a walk with the dogs now and again)!   Why am I telling you this?   Well, I know that you are all  wonderful at keeping timed daily blogs and I also would love to do that,  but unfortunately for me my meds make me very tired at the most inconvenient of times and then they keep me wide awake at night which means that I am struggling a little to plan my blogs.  So I ask of you kindly, please be alittle patient with the eratic timing of my posts.  I am trying new ways to get my body clock back in check and hopefully this will mean changes in alot of ways.   Ok, thats enough of me, I hope you will forgive my indulgence, but I though I owed you an explanation.  Now to the best bit!!

Today I would like to say a big, big welcome to everyone and thank you all so much for the wonderful words of encouragement.  For those mentioning Sue's card, she did like it and sent me a lovely welcoming and applauding email, I was over the moon.  Also, my daughter text me to say that I had another follower, Teresa and that she was number 20.  Welcome Teresa.  So,  this means I must do the first draw as promised. So I will sign off now and be back in a little while with the winner and also, I will have my next casing.  Todays card will be in honour of Becca Feeken of Amazing Paper Grace. 
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.
Hugs Linda x

Fish and Chips babies in Africa

Hi all,
I have just reading one of my favourite blogs from Dawny P, here is the link; she tells us of the plight of tiny babies born in Africa that are so poor they are literally sent home in newspaper; hence the Fish and Chips babies.  They are asking for tiny little jumpers and beanie hats to be knitted for these little mites.  The patterns are very, very easy and Dawny has included them in her post.
 I have been blessed with all the things I and my family need to live and much more infact and I cannot imagine what it must be like to live hand to mouth, so I must do something to help, however small.  I haven't knitted for a long time now, but know I have some needles and bits of wool in my boxes on top of the wardrobe. 
I hope you can find the time to pop over to Dawny's blog and take a look and if you can find it in your heart to help it would be wonderful.
Have a good day all.  I'll see you later.  Hugs Linda x

A tribute to Sue Wilson

Hi everyone and welcome,

Firsly may I say a big thank you to the lovely followers who signed up when my blog went live, it really made my day.  I hope you will stick with me and see where this journey takes us.  

Well here it is my very first tribute to a very talented lady  Sue Wilson.   Crafter extraordinaire and designer for Spellbinders, Sue created a card she called Parisian in Teal.  I instantly fell in love with this card so I had to CASE it and here is my version of what I think you will agree, was already a perfect card.  I hope you like my take on it.
My recipe - Base Card Ivory Linen 280g,  The Paper Company DBP,  Spellbinder Parisian Motifs and Accents,  Vinage Ribbon ,  Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads Antique Linen & Black Soot.  Crochet lace flower, Wound Roses and Decorative Pins (all handmade made by me)

I am sorry that I didn't get this post up earlier but boy is this blogging lark new to me!!  I lost complete use of it by trying to get  my new email address attached to it and ended up with my laptop telling me to 'get lost'.  Well, after my initial panic and a much needed sugar rush I sat down, started from the beginning and here we are.  I really must eat more often as I alway seem to get flustered when I need  food or a sugar rush (of course being me, it was the latter.. but, it was a low cal sugar rush so not so bad aye..lol!!)
Sorry it's such a short post today, but I need a little more practice with the set up tools so I can improve each day and hopefully, then produce something worthy of being called a blog.  Wish me luck.
Hope to see you again soon.  Linda x