Some new digis!

Hi All

Hope you have all had a good week. Mine has been manic…really busy at work but not long before half-term now ;) Went up town today and spent far too much…went for a pair of boots and some make up…came back with an owl top, owl jumper and owl hair clips…think I have a problem! Lol! (No boots though!)

Anyway, back to crafting! I have made a couple of cards today with my new digis from Tiddly Inks…if you haven’t yet discovered these cuties then please go and take a look! Here is my first card today which is the gorgeous little Wryn! She was lovely to colour in…I have used my speccies too…loving my new pastels set. I’d like to enter this into the Totally Papercrafts challenge this week which is ‘Pearls and Lace’, the Papertake challenge which is ‘Happy Highlights’ which is to highlight a part of your project-I have used glossy accents to highlight the cute little bird that Wryn is holding and the Cute Card Thursday challenge which is ‘You’re a Gem!’ so to include gems which I have done in the centre of the flowers.

Sorry….bit of a picture overload there but I had a go at decorating the inside too…am trying to keep to my crafty resolution!

My next card is actually the hubster’s Valentines Day card! He won’t look on here so it should be safe to post. It is a really plain card as he doesn’t appreciate the ‘clutter’ that we call embellishments! Lol! I have used another fab image from Tiddlywinks. I have also used my speccies once again and am quite pleased with my hair and clothing blending…I’m getting there! I’d like to enter this into the Winter Wonderland challenge this week which is Swirls and Pearls (swirls on the background paper and pearls on the sentiment), the Cupcake Craft Challenge this week which is ‘All You Need is Love’ and it was to make a loved up card and finally the Allsorts challenge this week which is to use One or More Hearts (I have heart gems, shaped in a heart and then a heart rub on…hope that counts!)

I think that may be it from me this week…I have got quite a bit of work to do tomorrow and a busy week ahead. Waiting to hear about a job so may have an interview to prep for if I am lucky! If not, I will be playing with my new Cricut…hopefully being delivered on Monday! Woop!

Have a fab weekend everyone and thanks for looking :)

Hugs

Arline

xx

All About Me - December Challenge

Hi All

Just a quick post from me today! Thought I would share with you my next page for my scrapbook as part of the ‘All About Me’ group. The challenge this month was to use a punch on your project. I have used my new border punch…which I am a little bit in love with…to punch a little bit of glitzy vellum down the side. These are a few piccies from my hen party back in 2010! It was a fab night, all pink and girly! Hope you like it. The main piccie is of me…I kept being sent out to sit on the stairs! The other two pics are of me and my bridesmaids and me and my bessie mates from school. I have another one that I am working on that has got some more of the ‘hens’ on! Lol! Will keep that for a later post ;)

Thanks for looking!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Strawberry Kisses time!

Hi All

Work has been mad since we’ve been back, parents evening and reports due for last week! Finally been able to breathe this weekend and have enjoyed a good old crafternoon!

I decided to use my Christmas money to buy the new Strawberry Kisses collection from Crafters Companion and have had so much fun with it this afternoon…..my crafting mojo wasn’t there so I am not too happy with my cards but I loved playing with the cute little characters!

My first card is for the Crafters Companion challenge this month which is ‘Love is in the Air’. Love this little image, tis sooo cute! My colouring of the moon didn’t go well so please excuse it!

My next card is for the Totally Papercrafts Challenge this week, ‘Spots and Stripes’ (My backing papers have them both on!) and for the Cupcake challenge which is ‘Something New’ which could be interpreted as your new stash…this is definitely new!

All pink and girly so far….and yet another one coming up!! My next card, which I think is my fave so far, is for the I Love Promarkers challenge which is, cute and cuddly, and I have used Denim blue, Ice grey 1, Blossom and Buttercup when I coloured in this little cutie. I’d also like to enter it into Sketch Saturday this week….I have moved the sketch around a little but all of the elements are there :) I would also like to enter this one into the Winter Wonderland challenge this week which is ‘Birthday Wishes’.

  

One last Strawberry Kisses card for now, although I really don’t think I can stop playing with them!! This one I have made for my Uncle who is 50 in February. I made an easel card and thought the sentiment went really well with the image….hoping my Uncle won’t end up sleeping in a shoe on his birthday night though!! Lol!

Phew….that is a lot of cuteness…how about some attitude now?! I have recently bought some Saturated Canary images and have loved colouring them in today….definitely some more cards coming during the week or next weekend! Here is my first attempt which I have kept really plain as I would like to enter it in the challenge over at the Saturated Canary Challenge Blog and the challenge is ‘Clean and Simple’…hoping this will qualify!

This fab image is called Kitty and I love her! My little sister has a hoody similar to this one…tis white with cat ears and has paws that she can wear too! Definitely think this one is a good teenagers card or students…might keep it for my sis for later in the year!

Sorry for the mammoth post!! Just before I finish I thought I’d just update you on the resolutions!! Diet is going pretty well….pleased as I am being really good….getting back on my Wii Fit this week to get my exercise regime started! Saving money is going well…also trying to sell more than buy it…going ok..! Work/life balance….not bad…had almost a completely work free weekend which was nice…still one to work on though. Haven’t done anything in the house this week but think that will be more of a holiday progression…should have an update in February half-term! Moisturising going well and have decorated three insides of the cards made today! Other crafty resolutions are a work in progress! So a promising start I think!

Thanks for looking and I really appreciate all of your comments! Am feeling some candy coming on if I can get my followers over 200…!! ;)

Hugs

Arline

xx  

New Year…New Me!

Hi All

That sounds all very exciting as a title…in reality it means I am posting my new ‘New Year’s Resolutions!’ I always enjoy making resolutions at the beginning of the year…I know some people loathe it…but I enjoy having something to work towards! Lol! I didn’t do too badly last year, I managed to read a lot more, very nearly gave myself at least one day off at the weekend from work, I definitely blogged more…not quite once a day but much more than the year before! I didn’t do so well at losing weight or limiting the amount of times I stress out due to me being a control freak though! However, I will persevere once again this year!

My New Year Resolutions in 2012 are:

1. As always, lose weight and get fit! Did well when I got married, didn’t really have any ‘focus’ last year but we are going on holiday to Canada later in the year and would like to be able to look at my photos without thinking how fat I look! So this is my focus…will keep you updated! There are far too many nice things in the house at the moment though so will start once the Christmassy food has all gone…no point starting just yet! Lol! Think I will do a weekly weigh in on here to try and keep me motivated…might need you all to urge me on with this, even if I have been naughty! Would like to lose a stone to begin with…then see how I feel…don’t want to give myself an unrealistic goal to begin with…hoping a stone is manageable over time…
2. Save money-we need to save for our trip to Canada once again, but I’d also like to save for a ‘rainy day’ and just stop wittering money away…need to stop my trips to town the first Saturday after payday! Have also started selling some bits and bobs, crafty items and some old wedding bits and bobs so hoping this will help with this!
3. Still trying to get the work/life balance right…really difficult as a teacher. So going to try and make at least one night a week where me and the hubby can sit, without laptops, phones or work, and watch a DVD, go out, play Monopoly(!) etc. just spend a bit of time together…so often we are in the same room but not actually speaking to each other!! Lol!
4. Sort out the house-need to finish decorating the house. Only one big room to go, our spare room, that is going to cost quite a bit but the other rooms just need a lick of paint and freshening up. Hoping we can do this throughout the year…may even post some piccies if the results are good!
5. This is going to sound like an odd one…but I want to moisturise more and take care of my skin more! I swear I am starting to get wrinkles!! I do have eczema so should look after it better than I do!

Quite a bit there to focus me! I also saw a lot of my crafty friends are making crafty resolutions! So here are mine:

1. To use at least one stamp a month that has been in my cupboards neglected for a good while! (Especially after my recent sort out…found some gems!)
2. Continue to de-clutter and sell on any products of any use to other crafters.
3. Scrapbook more-I am part of a group so hoping this will keep me focused…but would really like to get my wedding scrapbook done by the end of the year…
4. Try to decorate the insides of my cards more…I see so many people doing this and it makes their cards look so much more professional and beautiful…will try my best :)
5. Keep persevering with my sugar crafting!
6. Finally, to blog at least once a week…more in the holidays though ;)

So lots and lots to do in 2012! Hoping it is going to be a good year! I was really good tonight, didn’t bring any work home with me…..was going to craft though, but being back to work had caused me to lose my mojo! Hopefully I will be back to normal by the weekend! So instead, you got my post about New Years Resolutions! Lol! Sorry to disappoint! Thank you all for continuing to come and visit me, no matter what my ramblings may be! I really do appreciate your comments and they cheer me up no end when I have had a tough day. Thanks again and sending you lots of hugs!

Arline

xx

Happy New Year and a new challenge at Christmas Crafting!

 

Hi All

Firstly, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Hope that 2012 is a good one for you and your families. We had a very quiet one last night, in bed just after midnight! Now looking forward to the roast that is in the oven :)

Onto our first challenge of 2012 over at Christmas Crafting! It is a Christmas crafting blog, so we are continuing to get ready for next years festive season! Our challenge this month is to create an easel card. I have to admit that I am a little addicted to these cards…so couldn’t wait to get started! Our sponsor is Whimsy stamps and they have given us 5 digi stamps to give away so I hope you will join in with us this month!

Here is my DT card. I have used a gorgeous LOTV image that was already coloured in and have used my new ‘Keep calm and…’ stamps that my friend bought me for Christmas….have a feeling a batch of these cards may be coming up!! It is quite simple but I was pleased with the result.

 

I also found out this morning that I have made the top three at Winter Wonderland this week! So excited about this…I love joining in with the challenges so it has made my day, thanks ladies :)

Have a wonderful day, whatever you are up to, and here’s to 2012!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Top 10 cards of 2011!

Hi All

As I have been blog hopping I have noticed quite a few people have thought about their top 10 cards of 2011. Thought I’d have a look through my year and decide on my own top 10! Hope you enjoy looking through them. I have put them in order of when I made them…wonder if there is any progression! Lol!

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Hugs

Arline

xx

A little bit of crafting…

Hi All

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. I am already thinking about my resolutions…haven’t done too badly with some of them this year…will ponder on those in another post though. I did set a couple of crafty resolutions though, one is to use my crafty stash up and the other is to decorate the insides of my cards! I will try my hardest in the New Year!

In the meantime, I have used some of my new stash on my card today and have managed to squeeze in a few challenges! My bessie mate Becky bought me this super cute stamp for Christmas and I have sat and coloured many of her in this afternoon! I have also raided my craft box for some old papers, gems and flowers for the finishing touches. I was pleased with the result…what do you think?

 

I would like to enter this card into a number of challenges today. Firstly, to the Winter Wonderland challenge this week which is to make a ‘Thank You’ card and to follow a recipe…include one ribbon, three papers, three flowers and one image. Secondly, I’d like to enter it into the I Love ProMarkers challenge which is ‘Anything Goes’ and I have used blush, cornflower, powder blue, pastel yellow and tan ProMarkers to colour in this little cutie. Thirdly, I’d like to enter it into the Papertake Weekly challenge this week which is this fab sketch…another one I will definitely use again! And finally, I’d like to enter it into the Allsorts challenge which is to use the colours ‘blue and brown’. Hope you like my first post-Christmas card!

I have also stamped a few other images tonight and cut out some new House Mouse decoupage that I also received from Santa! Hopefully I will make these into cards tomorrow!

Hope you are all well and have a lovely New Year!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Just to say…

Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year to

all my followers and those of you that

visit my blog! Hope you have a fab time

with family and friends. Looking

forward to another year of Arline’s

Allsorts in 2012!

Lots of love and hugs

Arline

xx

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Hi All

Apologies for not posting for so long! As you can imagine it has been a little busy around here. I have finally finished work, couldn’t come soon enough this year, had a particularly tough term so hoping the break will help me to relax and de-stress. We have also been busy doing the normal Christmas shopping, visiting relatives and even managed to squeeze in a trip to the ‘Christmas Spectacular’ show in Thursford which definitely got us in the Christmas mood. The singing was particularly good but we had a fab weekend, even though I was feeling a little under the weather. I have also had four Christmas cakes to decorate for Steve’s Mum, my papercrafting has been taken over by sugarcrafting over the past few weeks! I won’t bore you with all of the details of how I made them all, unless anyone wants the details (let me know if you do!) but thought I’d share some piccies with you!

The first one I made was the snowman one which I have already shown you in my last post. So my second cake I wasn’t that happy with…I made it quite simple but think it needed a little something else…what do you think?

The third cake I used inspiration from Ruth’s cake (from The Pink Whisk) that she had decorated using a fabulous wreath shape….mine isn’t quite as good as hers but I was pleased with the result. This was for a slightly older couple so I went for the more traditional look. My first attempt at a sugarcraft bow too!

 

For the final cake I had to bring back my little ‘Elvis’ penguins as my hubby now calls them! This one is for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law so thought the cute option would go down well! It was incredibly hard to make mini penguins though….definitely need to practice them a bit more but they are ‘quirky’!! Lol!

  

Well, I hoped you enjoyed looking at my cakes….mother-in-law was happy with them so that is a good start! Now to do my own baking this week! (  If I get chance I will post some pics!) Finishing my food shopping on Wednesday, going to see Alice in Wonderland at the theatre on Thursday with a very special little boy and his Mum, my bessie mate, Becky, and then on Saturday shopping for fresh bits and we are all done! Really looking forward to it now….Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year and it is so lovely to start relaxing with family and friends. It is always hard when I am not at ‘home’ with my family but Steve’s family always make me feel welcome too and I will have to make do with a phone call home to Mum and all the gang up in Sunderland this year :( I am sure they will have a fab time though and it won’t be too long before I see them again! Finding it hard being away this year, more so than usual…sure when the festivities start I will be fine though :)

Just in case I don’t manage to post again before the big day, Merry Christmas to all my followers and everyone who takes the time to look at my blog and comment and I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Hugs

Arline

xx

‘All About Me’ scrapbook page and a bit more sugarcraft!

 

Hi All

Apologies for not blogging for nearly a month! Has been a busy month for many different reasons and unfortunately crafting has taken a back seat…have been itching to do some all month! So, over the past few days I have made a couple of bits and bobs for you to take a look at!

My first piccie today is of my next scrapbook page for the ‘All About Me’ group that I am a part of. The challenge this month was to use a sketch that Gill created. I decided to use lace as one of my elements, hope this was ok, just thought it added a little something to the page…not sure if I am happy with the final result…what do you think? I tried to go for a ‘Minnie Mouse’ style paper (red and white dots) even though the picture is of Mickey Mouse! Lol! This picture if one from a few years ago when we took our Mum to Eurodisney for her 50th. Was a fab holiday…really want to go back, trying to convince the hubby!

 

My next project for you to take a look at is some more sugarcraft! I am a newbie so please don’t judge me too harshly! Lol! My mother-in-law has asked me to decorate 5 Christmas cakes that she has made! After a nightmare afternoon getting myself tangled up in marzipan and ready to role icing, I managed to get one fully decorated and another just covered. Took me much longer than I thought but I did enjoy the sugarcraft side of things! Hope you like it!

  Hope you have enjoyed looking and sorry it has been so long since my last post! I will also be posting some piccies from our trip to the NEC too so watch this space!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Christmas Crafting Challenge # 5 - The Twelve Days of Christmas

Morning all!

 

It is time for a new challenge over at Christmas Crafting! Thanks to all of you who joined in last month and I hope you will join us again this year.....even though I know it is getting scarily close to Christmas!

 

Our challenge this month is 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' and we would like you to use this well-known Christmas song to inspire your projects! Be as creative as you like....it could be traditional but doesn't have to be! Let your imagination run wild!

 

We are very lucky to be sponsored by Robyn's Fetish this month and I have used their 'gilded dove' on my project taking the 'two turtle doves' line from the song. I hope you like it. I couldn't resist making my doves sparkly!

I hope you like it and will join in with the fun this month!

Thanks for looking.

Hugs

Arline

xx

A couple more challenges and a bit of baking!

 

Hi All

This must be a record for me…three posts in one day! Back to the blog world with a bang! Lol!

My next two cards were using a few more new stamps that I received for my birthday that I hadn’t had chance to use yet. My first card is using my new Lili of the Valley stamp…he is such a cutie sitting in his armchair with his mince pies! I have coloured him in with ProMarkers and would like to enter it into the Lili of the Valley challenge which is this fabulous sketch this week.

My last card today is using one of my new Humphrey Christmas stamps and again I have coloured it in using my ProMarkers. I would like to enter this into the Papertake challenge this week which is another great sketch. Love this little image…such a cutie…who can resist little Humphrey! Can’t wait to use all of my other fabby stamps…watch this space!

That is all my crafting for now…I am off to the NEC next weekend…on Saturday I am going to the cake and sugarcraft show and on Sunday I am going to the Hobbycraft show! Sooo excited! I am going with my friend, Becky and my Mum and we are staying in a hotel on Saturday night…a little road trip! Will hopefully update you on my purchases next week!

I really wanted to try some new things today when I started baking but I had lost my baking mojo, so I ended up making some old favourites, sausage rolls, cupcakes and a choccie cake…hadn’t tried this recipe before but it looked nice once it was done! (Haven’t got a piccie of the sausage rolls…they were eaten before I could get the camera out!)

So am going to now enjoy all of these goodies with a cuppa whilst I watch the final of The Bachelor (sad I know but I have been addicted since it began!!)

Thanks for looking!

Hugs

Arline

xx