Totally Gorjuss 164 - New.

Good morning everyone, I hope you're all well and had a lovely Christmas. We had quite a busy time this year. I had to work till 12.30 on Christmas Eve but I didn't have to work again till Friday afternoon. Next week is the same as in Scotland we get two days holiday and then Thursday is my day off. My son was unlucky as he had to go back to work on the 27th but at least from here it's only half an hour drive to Aberdeen. My younger daughter is back to work today so she went home yesterday afternoon. My elder daughter and her husband are still on holiday but they went home yesterday too as they were going to a ceilidh last night which they were helping to organise. It was great to have everyone here for a few days even if we had an extra two dogs and the weather wasn't great. Poppy and Oliver enjoyed having a "sleepover" here and funnily enough Santa left presents for them too. Next week will be very quiet!

But time now for the challenge at Totally Gorjuss. This week our challenge is "new." How easy is that? It could be new baby, new home or how about new stash. I'm sure many of you have been lucky enough to get new crafting goodies from Santa! We're sponsored by Lili of the Valley this week and I've made a new baby card this week using one of their lovely stamps.

Also used :-
DP :- Craft Creations.
Colouring :- Promarkers and Flexmarkers.
Sentiment :- LOTV.
Flowers :- Nellie Snellen punches.
Nesties, pearls, Spica glitter gel pens.

I've been so busy with Christmas and just generally relaxing that I had to make this card rather quickly so it's quite plain. Hope you likey.

I was going to add some challenges later but my broadband was too slow to let me do anything so I'm doing it now. (Sunday)

The Pink Elephant :- Anything Goes.
Simon Says Stamp :- Anything Goes.
Cute Card Thursday :- Anything Goes.
Charisma Cards :- Anything Goes.
Stampin' for the Weekend :- Anything Goes.
Fussy and Fancy :- Furry Friends.
Lili's Little Fairies :- Something New.

Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments. I'll catch up later after work. Have a lovely weekend whatever you've got planned.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hi everyone, just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope you all have a lovely time. I think I've got everything done now!! My son and younger daughter are here and my elder daughter and her husband, 2  kids and 2 dogs are joining us on Boxing Day. Hope Santa comes to us, can't wait to see Poppy and Oliver with their presents.

Totally Gorjuss 163 - Easy Does It.

Good morning everyone, are you all getting excited about Christmas? I can hardly believe it's only three days away. And I work in a post office too! 

This week at Totally Gorjussour challenge is "Easy Does It." Now what could be simpler. We are sponsored by Craftwork Cards this week and I'm sure I don't need to tell you what they sell and what good quality all their products are. Last week I made a someone special card for my granddaughter and this week I've made a card for my husband. I've used a favourite colour combo and some stamps I love.

I used :-

Images and sentiment :- Hero Arts.

Snowflakes :- Martha Stewart punch.

Embossing :- Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.

Stepper card :- Craftwork Cards.

Hero Arts Winter Moon was stamped in Memento London Fog then Many Branches Tree was stamped on top in Versamark and embossed in silver. The embossed panels were all edged with Memento LadyBug.

Quite simple really but it seemed to take me ages to make it.

I'm entering the following challenges :-

Stamping Sensations :- Tree-mendous.
Simon Says Stamp :- Merry Christmas.
Creative Inspirations :- Anything Goes.
Paperplay :- Out with the old, in with the new. The two Hero Arts stamps are new.

I have a feeling I'm not going to be around much for the next week! I'm working today and of course Monday and so far I have no food preparation done. The cake is made but still to marzipan and ice. I also have to make gluten free sponge so Mhairi can have Tiramisu and I've bought gluten free digestives so she can have my famous Rocky Road traybake too. I need to make meringues, pavlova, mince pies and shorbread. Not to mention organise the main course. I think we're having roast beef on Christmas Day and steak pie on Boxing Day when everyone's here. So who's going to do a bit of hoovering and dusting I wonder. Well I do have a candidate in mind. Someone who has two weeks off whereas I have two days each week. Not fair is it?

Anyway I'll do my best to keep up with my DT work as well as a bit of visiting.

Thanks for looking and have a lovely weekend whatever you're doing.

Totally Gorjuss 162 - For Someone Special.

Good morning everyone, just a quick post from me today as I'm away at my daughter's babysitting. Poppy has a swimming lesson first thing so I'm scheduling this.

Our challenge this week at Totally Gorjuss is "For Someone Special."> My someone special is my granddaughter, Poppy. I hope she likes her card! We're sponsored by Heather's Hobbie Haven and Milk and Coffee. I need to add a link for Milk and Coffee later. I've used one of their images as they very kindly gave all the DT one to use. I chose the lovely "Girl Playing with Snow. I hope that's the correct name, probably best check that too!

Hope Poppy likes her card. Here it is.

I used :-

Image :- Milk and Coffee.

Colouring :- Promarkers.

Sentiment :- Crafty Impressions

Corner ;- Whimsy.

Embossing folders :- Cuttlebug, Snowman and Couture Creations

Liquid Pearls, Glamour Dust.

Challenges :-
Papertake Weekly :- Snow White - mainly white or has snow.
Everybody Art :- Anything Goes.
Creative Inspirations :- Contemporary Christmas Colours.
In the Pink :- Pink and Pearly.
Crafty Hazelnut :- Anything Goes for Christmas.

Thanks for looking and if you leave a much appreciated comment I'll pop over and visit you too. Catch you all later. 

Why did I start this........?

I often think that! I used to give my great nieces and nephews and latterly my grandkids too a book token every Christmas. Now most of my nieces and nephews have reached 18 and don't get a Christmas present any more. Only one is under 18 so I decided to make a gift card holder to put his money in. Not a book token any more as I realise he would probably prefer to put the money to something else! So then I thought I might as well make some for Poppy and Oliver too. The next thought was what to decorate the front with after all a 17 year old boy probably doesn't want a snowman or a santa! So here's what I made.

This one is for Lachlan. Hope a snowflake is not too yuk for a teenager. I took the photo last night and I think it looks a bit blurry but I can't get a better photo as I posted it with their Christmas card this morning!

This one's for Poppy and it was definitely blurry so I took another photo.

This is Oliver's gift card and my second attempt at a photo.

I used :-

Flourish :- Corner from Sizzix.

Snowflake :- Papermania.

Images :- House Mouse.

Colouring :- Promarkers.

Happy Christmas and To-, From- both inside - Hero Arts.

Glamour Dust, silver and gold embossing powders and ribbon.

I should have taken a pic of the inside but I'm now a little short of time! I'm going out for a Christmas meal with the Guild tonight and I'm picking up my first passenger at 6pm. Our meal is booked for 7pm as some of our members are elderly. I usually take my neighbour but she's the lady who broke her hip a couple of weeks ago. She's now convalescing locally and seems to be doing well. Someone told me you only get two weeks there. Not sure if it's like a nursing home or a cottage hospital but I'm told it's really nice. Apparently she's determined to come home after that. She's very independent. Her son lives next door but he's a busy farmer. I'm sure she wants to have her family from children to great grandchildren for Christmas! Quite a crowd now. Her son looks after the turkey and the girls do the rest but quite an upheaval. But it's what she likes so they'll probably have to agree!

I went to look for a Christmas stocking for Oliver today. Poppy has always had one but Oliver has just had a gift bag. The ones at the garden centre at Inverurie were only £1.25 and really poor quality so I didn't bother. We would have looked in the town but hubby resented having to pay to park for a few minutes so we ended up coming home. I expect I could make one if I had some felt or material.

I ordered bike helmets for them last night after Catriona told me what website to look at. I sent a text to ask which one to get for Poppy and she replied "Poppy says" and she wants the one I had chosen for her already. So who's a clever Gran then? For some reason she wouldn't stay in her bed last night. Not like her at all. Oliver's had a cold so he's been asking to go to bed about 6pm. I expect they'll get a bit high the nearer we get to Christmas.

Not done much with my day off today but at least I've got my cards posted. Some handed out yesterday and some to hand out tonight. I'll take the rest to work tomorrow and hand them out to the rest of the staff and customers and friends who live in the village.

Not sure if I'll be too late to catch up later so maybe I'll try to do some visiting just now before I get ready to go out.

DT Call at Totally Gorjuss.

Hi there, does anyone fancy joining the DT at Totally Gorjuss? We're a friendly bunch and we'd love to have a couple of new people to join us. If you'd like to join us email your details to Net. The email is totallygorjuss@gmail.com  Don't be shy, we'd love to hear from you and please tell anyone you think might be interested. We have a new challenge every week and share the commenting among us.

Totally Gorjuss 161 - Oh no snow!

Good morning everyone. Hope you're all coping with the ice and snow if you have some. It's been a horrible week here in Aberdeenshire. Really cold most days and though we've not had much snow it has long since turned to ice. I think the worst part is that it was very icy before we had snow so the snow landed on top of ice which has made it reluctant to leave. Our drive and anywhere near at hand where we walk the dogs is still very icy so my kind hubby won't let me take the dogs out. That's lucky for me cos they're big and strong and when they see snow they think it's playtime! I'm very scared when it's icy underfoot as I broke my leg and ended up in traction for a while when I was only two. I didn't fall on ice, I fell on a slippy floor at the baby clinic when I was there for a jag!! Imagine having a slippy, polished floor in a place like that. Wouldn't happen nowadays, but then it was a long time ago! I don't like driving on ice but I have to do it to get to work.

But I'm waffling and it's time to tell you about our challenge at Totally Gorjuss. This week the challenge is "Oh no snow." Ideal for a Christmas card and our sponsor is Crafter's Companion. I don't know if you've visited them recently but they have some great offers just now so it's worth having a look at their website.

So after all that waffle, here's my card. I thought Oliver might like this one.

I used :-

Image :- Wild Rose Studio.

DP :- LOTV.

Colouring :- Promarkers and Flexmarkers.

Sentiment :- Crafty Impressions.

Corners :- Whimsy Die.

Glamour Dust and pearls.

I'm scheduling this as I've never got time to write it on a Saturday morning before work so I'll catch up later. I'm hoping to go and write some cards now. I'd really like to get them posted soon. Don't think I've been as early as this with my cards for a long time! I've still got 3 of my family cards to do and I seem to have quite a few spare ones this year. I must have got a bit carried away making them lol.

I'm sure there must be some challenges this card fits but I'll look after work.

Everybody Art :- Christmas.
Simon Says Stamp :- Snowflakes
 Crafty Creations :- Winter Scene.
Charisma :- Christmas.
Paperplay :- Christmas is coming.
Fussy and Fancy :- I Love Christmas.
Stampin' for the Weekend :- Let it Snow.
Totally Papercrafts :- One for the Boys.

Thanks for looking and thanks also to the few people who regularly leave me kind comments. Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Peace and Joy.

I think I may have become addicted to making Christmas cards! At the weekend I thought I had made enough Christmas cards and just needed to make the family ones. But I'm still making more! I love this embossing folder and I thought it would be nice with some pearls. Unfortunately I'm rubbish with a pearl pen. I didn't mean to add a sentiment but since I had messed up one of the pearls I needed something to cover up the messy bit lol.

I used :-

Sentiments :- Hero Arts and Craftwork Cards.

Snowflake :- Spellbinders Snowflake Pendant 2011.

Pearls :- Viva decor pearl pen.

Colouring :- Spica glitter gel pens.

Glamour Dust, gems.

Embossing folder :- Couture Creations.

Nice and simple and I love red and white for Christmas cards.

I sat last night and typed out all my addresses into my label programme. Nightmare but my own fault since I had to replace my hard drive a few months ago and needless to say it wasn't backed up. I think I've probably made too many cards now! I seem to be in a making Christmas cards rut now though. But the worst thing was that I couldn't find my packet of labels anywhere. So nice kind hubby volunteered to go to Tesco and get some for me. Unfortunately they didn't have any in Ellon which is only six and a half miles away so he went on to Aberdeen from there. After a lot of searching he found a packet thank goodness! But what is it about men that he couldn't just ask someone where they were?

It's a horrible day here. I went to work to finish off the weekly balance and get the papers first thing. I went really early to get it over with as it was icy under the snow and we have to make a right turn and go uphill from the main road. You end up having to drive really slowly as the main road is clear but our back road is icy. A bit scarey in a wee Golf as I always worry about getting stuck and having to ask the farmer at the top of the hill for help. Luckily the car got her winter tyres on the other day and even though I felt a bit of sliding we made it withoug getting stuck.

I'm off to have some soup now. When I went to make my coffee earlier I decided to make mushroom soup so I'm looking forward to having some for my lunch.

Thanks for looking and I'll catch up later.

Kat xx

Get Well Teddy.

I learned the other day that my elderly neighbour had a fall recently. What a disaster this is the second time she's broken a hip. The last time they did a hip replacement but this time they've just pinned it. She's 88 so I hope she recovers well. Luckily she's a very strong lady and very independent and has a caring family who visit her often. Anyway needless to say when I went to look for a card to send her I didn't have a suitable one. So this is what I made. Hope she likes it.

I used :-

Image :- LOTV die cut.

Sentiment :- LOTV.

Glamour Dust, Cuttlebug embossing folder, ribbon and Candi.

Challenges :-

Ready Teddy Go :- Clean and Simple.
The Pink Elephant :- Make it Girly.

Thanks for looking and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of my card. I'll catch up later after work. Hope the weather's not going to be too bad today. We've had everything here. Rain, frost, snow, ice and even more rain. Last night we had snow and then it sounded like rain. I'm sure I'll get to work but I hope I get home again safely!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it.............

Hi everyone, what a lovely day, Well obviously I need to qualify that!! It's a horrible wet day and the snow has turned to pure ice underfoot but I have a day off and don't need to go anywhere. So I thought I'd show you a Christmas card I made last night.

I used :-

Image :- Penny Black.

Colouring :- Promarkers.

DP :- LOTV.

Snowflake :- Martha Stewart.

Sentiment and Candi :- Craftwork Cards.

Pearls :- Hobby House.

Ribbon.

Challenges :-

Papertake Weekly :- Sketch 74
Creative Inspirations :- Traditional Colours.
Pile it On :- Pile on the Embellishments.
Penny Black and more at Allsorts :- It's your choice.
Penny Black :- Glitter and Sparkle.
Oldie but a Goodie :- Let it Snow.
Bunny Zoe's Challenge :- Winter.

I'd best check how my tea's getting on now. It's a bit of a luxury to be at home and have time to cook something from scratch and not have prepared something ready to re-heat.

Thanks for looking and I'll catch up soon .

Totally Gorjuss 160 - Anything Goes with Glitter.

Good morning everyone and would someone please tell me that this is not the 1st of December! For once I'm quite well on with my cards. I've made 99 as of last night when I made 5 simple ones. I'm going to a crop today so I'm planning to add the inserts which is a horrible job. All that cutting to the right size! Doesn't help that I've made rectangular and square cards and not all the same size. Never learn do we? My friend said the other day that next year she was going to finish each card completely, insert and all as she went along. I'm sure I'll just end up sticking the card in my box and having all the inserts to add when they're all finished. Never mind at least I'm "finished" earlier than usual. When I say finished I mean I've still got my family cards to make. And I don't think I mentioned that I'll need to type out all my addresses for labels. I had to put a new hard drive in my laptop this year since the original one decided to die. And yes as you can guess I've been putting it off!

But enough waffle I need to show you my card for this week's challenge at Totally Gorjuss. This week's challenge is really easy. It's "Anything Goes with Glitter." Now isn't that just perfect for this time of year. Me too, I love glitter on my Christmas cards. Our sponsor is the lovely Joanna Sheen and I'm sure if you're anything like me you can always find something you want in her online store.

I used :-

Image and DP :- LOTV.

Colouring :- Promarkers

Glamour Dust, Memory Box die, gems and ribbon.

Quite a simple quick card really, but I kinda like it.

I'm going to my crop this afternoon and we'll have a Secret Santa and have our tea before we head for home. I'm looking forward to it especially since I need to work in the morning. So I'll try to catch up later and see what everyone's been up to.

Thanks for looking and for any kind comments you might have time to leave. I'm always pleased to hear from my faithful followers but it's nice to hear from new bloggers too. So don't be shy tell me what you think so I can pop over and visit you too.