Birthdays - part 1

September is a busy birthday month here. First is DS, then DH and finally our dear friend has her birthday today.

I haven't played with the Robo for a while and I decided to put him to work to make a card for DH. I found the template on the internet and thought it would be a good one to use to get me back into the swing of using the robo. It is quite an intricate design and I think more time was spent pushing the little bits of waste paper out than actually cutting it! I added the gems as a finishing touch.

Anniversary Treat

We all know how lovely it is to receive a gift or card. We treasure it if someone has taken the time and trouble to make something for you, whether it be a card or gift. After all, that is why I do what I do. Now when someone takes the time and patience to make something for me . . . . well, I end up speechless and close to tears.


Now how about this for a creation:

Isn't it simply beautiful? This was made for DH and me by our dear friend and neighbour. It is absolutely stunning and the photo really doesn't do it justice. The detail is amazing and the colours are superb. The patience and time taken to make this is much appreciated, not just by me but any crafter would understand the time and effort that has gone into this beauty.

So, from deep in our hearts - THANK YOU for such a wonderful gift!

Sweet 16

Last week DS turned 16! He had a lovely day and we took him for his first beer (and before you all start to think that we are bad parents - it is legal here for 16 year olds to have a beer!!)

As you know from previous posts, DS is a brand slave. His favourite brand for now is Converse.

Using the Converse logo as a starting point, this is what I came up with for his card.

It is a swing card, shaped around the beer bottle - I added the 16 to the middle of the logo. The "cheers!" was cut with my Sizzix Alphabet (Night & Day). It was a winner with DS.

Cake stand - in action!

Following on from my previous 2 posts - this is why I wanted a cake stand.

I made individual Black Forest Gateau cupcakes, topped with a Dutch or British flag. I made the cupcake wrappers from doilies. The reason for the two flags?: well, we've spent half our married lives in the UK and half here in Holland.

We had a few friends help us celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and this was the centerpiece. It caused a few comments (all nice ones!!) and looked great on the table.

Recycling - part 2

Having prepared all the parts, I then began the fun bit - the construction.

The candle holder was glued, upside down to the largest plate.

I left this, with a couple of heavy books on top, for 24 hours before adding the next layer as I didn't want it slipping around.


I then glued the middle sized plate to the "base" (from above) and glued another candle holder - this time the right way up and left it 24 hours to dry as before.


The final plate was then glued in place and again left to dry.



I have one candle holder left over which I am going to use for decoration - maybe with a flower arrangement or simply a candle. I will post a picture of it next week, when it has been used for the reason it was made.

Don't forget to check back and see it in use.

Why not post a comment and let me know what you think of my recycling?

Recyling

I needed a cake stand but didn’t want to spend a fortune buying one.

Having just replaced my plates for some nice white square ones, I decided to use some of the “old” ones to make a cake stand. I selected 3 suitable plates but need something to go between the plates as the supports. I had some spare candle holders (the sort used for burning those scented oil candles).

Here are my raw materials:

I removed the metal bit from the candle holders and gave them a good wash.

Check back tomorrow for part 2 of this project.

Strange but true!

Yesterday was not a good day. I woke up with earache. Not just the painful type of earache but I was also completely deaf in my right ear.

It is a busy time here at the moment - lots of birthdays, DS has his 16th birthday this week and our 20th anniversary is rapidly approaching plus all the normal stuff and of course Krafted Keepsakes. Simply put, I don't have time to be ill or not running at 100%!

I decided that rather than sit around and mope, that I would clean the kitchen ceiling - "why?" I hear you ask, because it needed doing and it was annoying me to look at it. This involved using the ladder, not a wise move when you have ear problems (as it affects balance). In my infinite wisom I donned my ipod, selected some fine music from Michael Jackon, whacked it up to full volume and set to.

Having finished cleaning, I removed my ipod and sat down for a well earned cuppa and to my amazement my ear went "pop" and I could hear again, much to my delight.

Now DH has a theory (as you would expect) and it goes like this:

As I had my music on full volume, it was possible that it had made my ear drum vibrate causing whatever was causing the blockage to be dislodged - could this be possible or just a coincidence?

Now this is not a medical solution that I would suggest to anyone else. This simply falls under the heading of "Strange but true!"

Now to get on with the million and one things that I have to do this week.

Check back soon for our latest news and for goodness sake stay healthy!!

New cards

Having made a card for a dear friend in July and having got such great feedback from her, I decided to make some similar ones for the shop. I used the same techniques, but instead of a greeting I added a bit of bling! I also added a few crystals to the feathers.

Why not check them out in our shop?

Back to school

The school holidays are over!!!!! DS went back to school today. Despite not being over keen on going back, today was the first day in living memory that he didn't have to be dragged out of bed - I wonder how long this will last.

I have spent the morning trying to get the house back to it's pre-holiday state (not going quite as well as I had hoped!) and making a list of all the things that I'd like to get done, now that things are back to normal, well, as normal as they get here.

I have a busy month ahead, several birthdays and our 20th anniversary to organize and a huge list of DIY to work through and of course I still have my Krafted Keepsakes work to do.

I'm looking forward to getting on with it all - watch this space!

To those whose offspring have returned to school today - "WELL DONE!! You've survived another summer holiday!!)