'Internet Connection has expired'

Thats all I kept getting when I tried to log on to blogland yesterday, 'connection expired'. Maybe because the blog was not the first thing on my list. I logged in after 10pm because I had been writing all our Christmas cards - there is something wrong with the division of labour between Mr H and me; I get to make the cards and write them...doh! I digress, I looked at my emails first and was very shocked to find that I had been chosen on a Blog Candy at Meyer-Imports and had won the magnificent gift of fine German glitter glass, all because I had said in the comments how I felt. At that moment I felt humble, which is an odd thing I know but a total stranger had liked what I said enough to 'reward' me for it.

Enough intensity; Mum and I did make it to Fir Tree yesterday and had a great meal although it was very cold in the converted barn. Mum had to have two glasses of mulled wine as fortification- muggins here was driving so drank tea instead!The whole surrounding countryside looked bleakly beautiful with snow and frost on the trees and mist at low level and we saw pheasants gleaning for spilled grain in the fields and the largest flock of crows I've ever seen doing the same. Isn't the collective noun for crows 'a murder'? It was a proper spectacle and I had to stop the car and watch awhile.

Only wrote cards yesterday but have two from the day before. One for my Mum and one for Morag and I had to make boxes for them because I've been making loads of flowers which stand too proud to go in an envelope.

I used the Irma and Vieno image again and some ready cut die cuts fom JGD crafts and the flowers I made myself. I'm going to try all colour combos with this Mo Manning stamp because its so cheerful.

This little cutie is called Innocent and is a free digi stamp from somewhere I did not make a note of - okay, it was the early days, now I make a note! If you know the artist who created Innocent, please let me know. I won't bore you with all the details of the card but I loved making it with freebie papers from Creative Cardmaking.

It has taken me ages to finish this blog as my daughter has rung me twice from Luton Airport because her flight to Dublin scheduled for 6.30 am has been delayed. Not, apparently because of the weather but because their plane is stuck in Spain. She doesn't know what to do and her fiance thinks she's nuts hanging around and should go home so she phoned her auld Mum for some comfort.

This afternoon I will be making some cards with my great-nephew Niven so there will be glitter and glue all over the place (me, not him, lol)

Cheerio for now, Hazel x

Cold, Colder, Coldest!

Oh it's reet nippy in't Northwest but not as snowy as elsewhere - all my arthritis is cold so I have cold knees & hips. I have seen a lovely blog called Pinkpuds by Mina who is giving some blog candy to lucky winners - see my sidebar to her site - all she asks is that you tell her what crafty goodies you want from Santa! Her cards are gorg!

I've two today.

This is another Mo Manning digi and I love the child looking back at his/her footprints in the snow. Used my Promarkers and had fun with the dad's jeans; just consider them distressed denim! The card is 6x6" and the image is matted onto white card sprayed with Shimmer Mist, which incidently is all over my hands (klutz or what?)  I made all the embellies, which were great fun!

The second card is A5 size and the image is a free digi from a french blog which I did not make a note of; Promarker and Lace Stickles to colour and mounted on foam with brads at each corner. The pouch is made with the reverse side of the PM 12"Christmas Pack backing paper I used and measures 10.5 x 7.5cm or 3.25x 4.25". It easily holds scratchies, as demonstrated, or gift cards or even cash as the pouch is fastened with self adhesive velcro. I got the idea from watching a demo on CUP TV but just downloading and cutting is not my thing so I hatched a cunning plan........! I can't stop, it's a sickness. I loved the result so much that I finished it off last night when I usually would wait till the better light in the morning. Hoist by my own petard; the holly berries are orange not red, as I thought they were!!

I'm excited because Morag's dog is coming to her this afternoon and she needs a bit of cheering! Also my darling Mum has bought me a Martha Stewart punch for Christmas, ooh the luxury of the easy-to-punch punch. It gave her enormous satisfaction to tell me I was getting a punch from her for Christmas! It made me laugh too but I looked at her sideyways because she was a bit too delighted, if you ask me!

Internet buys have started to arrive, from as far away as Italy, so Morgan will definately get her Roberto Benini DVD for Christmas (she speaks Italian and French fluently).

Arrivederchi Tuotti, Hazel x

The First Day of December

I am determined to get the gingerbread card on today.

Hooray, it's not the better of the two pics I took but I reckon that the other one was jinxed when it would not upload. I used my gingerbread man cookie cutter to make the large cookie and white gel pen to 'ice' it. The backing paper is a free on from Issue 21 of Creative Cardmaking and the recipe is from the Dairy Book of Home Cookery. The wee gingie lady was part of a set that my daughter Sian sent me and was the inspiration for my cunning plan. The sentiment reads: 'A warm kitchen and the smell of gingerbread..... Christmas is here!

This card is for Clare Curds weekly challenge on the Do crafts site. The digi stamp is from Mo Manning called Irma and Vieno go skiing and was coloured with Promarker and Diamond stickles. The card is 6" square and the stamp is matted on lavender spotted card and lavender card. I made the flowers after seeing a demo by Sheila Halliwell on Docrafts - I didn't have the tools but wanted to have a go and punched flowers out of the lavender cardstock with some pink and a pink gem in the centre and green card leaves. It was fun. The sentiment is a PM peel of on lavender card on double sided foam. The pearls are lavender and from my stash along with the ribbon. I then realised an ordinary envelope would not do with the flowers so I made a box from two A4 sheets of 250mg card, without a template, just a sketch and my score board. I had barely used the scoreboard till I started making the easel drawer cards but it is really useful for this sort of project.

Not much on today; I'm off to collect a prescription and then nip to my mums and get her to write her Christmas Cards for New Zealand then I can post them along with my own. No more snow from yesterday and if I get out of the street in the car, slide-free, the main roads are clear!

Wishing you all a great day, Hazel x

Snow at last!

It snowed in Merseyside in the night but nowhere nearly as much as elsewhere. About 1cm but Mr H reckons it will snow again today. It is like living in the Meteorological Service. He skips down stairs to tell me what to expect weather-wise or who has died. He reads the paper online, upstairs and is solemn if it is a death he is reporting. I was so sorry to hear about Leslie Neilson yesterday; he made me LOL in his films.

I've got some cards to display:

Brenda, I can't stop and now other people want them - what have you started? This was a small box, 10.5 square with Lily of the Valley stamp coloured with Promarkers and Stickles.

This is Sweet Pea, a digi stamp from the Pink Cat Studio. I printed this 3 times and decoupaged it, after colouring with Promarkers. I added Diamond Stickles on the final layer. Made a simple easel out of red card and used mirror card to apply Sweet Pea to. I made this card for my friend Lucy and her partner who are expecting in the new year. The image is so very cute and Melissa from PCS is v clever.

I am having difficulty with uploading the gingerbread man recipe card but will keep trying.

For some reason I keep getting security error when trying to upload my card. Maybe tomorrow

Cheerio for now

Hazel x

Monday, Monday!

Everyone can sympathise with a busy Monday. No snow here yet but it tried, rather feebly, about 10am but now the sun is shining. Bitterly cold when I went into St Helens- I have decided to do my Christmas shopping guerrilla style. In, get what you want and out before the queues start to form. Going in early I was able to park for free too. I got the men's table presents (a small gift to open at Christmas lunch, a tradition that my family holds dear!) and Mark's present which I will send soon so that he gets it before going to Ireland. I also bought part of my sister Susan's gift. As long as the snows stays away I could do this for a couple of days and be finished!

I have posted a link to Brenda's Floral Fantasies blog as she is generously having a Blog Candy giveaway for December. She is also the inspiration behind my newest projects - Easel Drawer Cards, pics of which I will post below. I made the big one following her directions and decided that I could use it to put a CD or game in for Dan, my daughter's Signoth. (Significant other) Its hard to know what to call the men that my daughters have chosen when talking about them. I think of them as sons-in-law and now Mark is Morgan's fiance so I have decided Dan can be Sian's Signoth. When they first bought their home together my mum addressed a card to them as 'To Sian and her lover Dan'. Sian was a bit mortified and her voice reached a squeaking pitch when she rang to tell me of her Granny's perfidy!

This was made using a Cuddly Buddly Digi and paper from Papermania's Naughty and Nice. The lace, ribbon and embellishments are from my stash.

Mr H commented that the Drawer cards would be ideal for giving cash in at Christmas and so I had to make some more, only smaller!



Side View



The Tilda's were chosen by Mr H and I used the Naughty and Nice papers and some free papers from Creative Cardmaking. I can't remember who I got the Peas on Earth digi from but it was one of my first; if you know, please tell me and I will make a belated acknowledgement. (Thanks to Sally I can now tell you the stamp is from Whimsie Doodles!) I have really enjoyed making these so, thanks Brenda! (The smaller ones measure 11.5 cm square & the large one 15 cm square).

I have a plan for a gingerbread man recipe card which I am going to try out now, with luck I shall post it tomorrow.

Cheerio for the present, hugs, Hazelx

Frozen to the marrow.

It's sunny and -4 degrees at Fir Tree. No. I don't live there but I was at their Christmas Craft fair and bought a 'fair' few things for my family for Christmas so no reveal just in case. There were all sorts of crafts, including cards, wooden toys, homemade chocs (guess where I lingered? They were made by a young man in his early teens who had started it out as a school project and loved it so much that his dad had helped him to start his own business locally - I can tell you they were very good.), jewellery, photographs, art work, wreaths and plants. I can reveal that I bought a cyclamen for myself and considered buying a chilli plant for my youngest as they looked like bejewelled Christmas trees and she loves chillies.I am starting to sound like my mum "I saw such-and-such and was nearly buying it for you". The reason I didn't was because there is still enough time between now and Christmas Day for me to be responsible for plant death.

Sad news again. My sister Morag's father-in-law died this week. Although she is divorced she still kept in touch with her in-laws for the sake of her son. I also did, though not as much, as they were such kind and generous people.

Some good news too though. Morag has chosen a dog and it is coming to stay with her this Thursday. He is a 4 year old Bearded collie called Frodo. My sister is not a LOTR's fan and is debating a name change to a sound-alike, Mojo or Polo (she rejected my suggestion of Popo - why?) She has cheered up no end at the prospect of having something to lavish her attention on. Hopefully Frodo will sensibly take it in his stride!

I have a cunning plan for two cards, one using a Pink Cat digi and the other....wait and see. It's not rocket science but it's new to me.

Cheery bye for now, Hazel x