Oops! Overshot the Day in Blighty

This morning I made a card before we went out (I was up early) but forgot to upload it before we left.  Now, it is turned four in the afternoon (Friday) which means those in the UK are into tomorrow.  Confusing?  Doesn't matter - I just wanted to upload Friday and Saturday but as we are having Open House tomorrow I guess I wouldn't have time to make anything.

Anyway, here is the card I made:

I used a punch for the lace effect down the side, some torn scrapbook paper and a watercoloured image - by Rubber Stampede.  The main cardstock is SU.

I would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all my friends for the kind comments they have made on my blog whilst I have been on vacation.  It has spurred me on to keep blogging even if I haven't had much time.  By next week at this time I should be back home and able to blog hop and write comments on your blog too. Thanks!

Playing Around

Yesterday Mary wanted to know how I had done the Distress Backgrounds I had shown the others in my workshop.  Whilst showing her the technique I used up some of my bits and turned them into finished cards when I got back from yet another lovely dinner made by David.  This time we had lamb and it was cooked to perfection - the dessert - well that was David's own recipe and we all think he should patent it.  Yum, Yum!  I should stop eating all this delicious food and concentrate on my cards - here they are:

Not sure if we will get any more done today as we have Casey coming over with the children, Cadence, Blaize and Avella (the new baby - can't wait to see her).  Apparently Casey wants us to show the little ones how to make a card for her brother, Ryan.  Watch this space.

My New Man

Got a new man in my life - and this one loves to stamp.  Matthew informed me the other day that he now "speaks English" - that is as opposed to speaking American.  Could be that he has been spending some time with me.

The other day we did some stamping.  I was making a card for a friend and Matthew wanted to do what I did so he began using Distress Inks, with the Blending Tool.  Do you think we have a budding Tim Holtz on our hands?

This is Matthew's (aged 7) card - done entirely on his own - he would not let me help with anything.

and here is Matthew

Isn't he just so cute?

Originally when he saw my card he wanted to do one just the same.  Then he told me he wasn't that fond of cats so we had a look through Mary's catalogue and he chose two leaf stamps.  When we got back to the table with the stamps he decided against the two he had chosen and chose the one above from the set.

Here is the card that I made - Matthew's inspiration for using the blending tool and Distress inks.

 Obviously for a cat person!

Superbowl Party

What a great day!  Met lots of people we had met up with at Last year's Party and also met some new people.  It feels so like home when we are with them all and Richard And Ann (whose Party iswas) are just so lovely.  It is just great to reacquaint yourself with them all and number them amongst your friends.

The buffet, as always, was truly great and I fell madly in love with Ann's Chilli Dip, as my growing spare tyre will verify.  Chas loved the Chilli that Scott had made, the meatballs prepared by Jill went down a storm - everything was wonderful.

Here are some photographs:

Loads of different chips (crisps to we English) with zillions of different dips (Ann's chilli dip is to the left at the front of the photograph) - I lost count of the different dips that were brought.

The spinach dip and sourdough bread was to die for, and I just loved those olives, jalapenos and pickles.  Jill did not like the jar of sweet olives she had brought but it went so well with the crostinis, salami and feta cheese that she left it for us to eat up.  Yum Yum!  And the fruit dip was so refreshing.

Sandy (Ann's mother), Rob and Bob in the background.

Rob snucked in again on this photo of Shirley and Solo who are hiding the meatballs and chilli (I don't mean intentionally) which was on a different island in the kitchen area.

Robert (above) and Matthew (below) both thought they had escaped the camera fiend (me) but I managed to get them both on film.

Mary, Becky, Matthew and Sandy to the RH side

Placing bets with Bob

Richard and Bob (Richard banned me from taking photographs - was that as the beer flowed?)

Rob, Chas and Scott enjoying the game

Jill and Karen talking (far right)

David brings in the Pineapple Cake

This is Mary's lovely daughter in law Ann, who worked so hard all day long but still managed to have that wonderful smile on her face at the end of the day.

A lovely day, renewing friendships and making new ones.  Just sorry I did not get them all on camera - especially "Richard and his Glue Dance".

Had a Great Time

Well, the Superbowl has been and gone.  Not that I sat and watched it but I did hear the whooping and hollering from the gang that came to Mary's.  I was down in the stamping room showing my lovely friend Matthew how to do a Distress Background and then making ten cards with one sheet of patterned paper (plus the cardstock for the actual cards of course and one accent sheet) IN ONE HOUR.  Mary used to sell the instructions and the pattern so maybe now she will start to do them again.

Here they are:

This next one should have been done landscape but I stamped the sentiment on portrait - doh

Haven't downloaded the photographs from the Party yet so will do that tomorrow (yawn, yawn - busy day).  More tomorrow.

My First American Workshop

Well, it is 11.20 pm and I am just blogging quickly with some photographs.  The silly thing is I did not take photographs of the work people had done.  Maria went early and I so wanted to get a picture of her piece of artwork which she is going to frame - what is it?  It is the piece of cardstock she was working on to stop her inks going on the rubber mat - it was gorgeous!

I hope they enjoyed themselves as the cards and the two main projects were quite taxing - as Cathy said "they were math projects".  Anyway, missed Rose and Maria but here are some of the others who were there:

Mari - between projects

Carol - debating whether to cut or not

Joyce - with the sample card Mary made for them to do

Gayle - packing up her things ready to go home

Laverne - deciding her next move

OK, so daughter Joyce has stepped in to decide on what next to do

Cathy swaps stamping for a spot of cleaning and washing dishes

As I said, it is now quite late, we have eaten, cleared up and chatted.  A lovely day, some great new friends and a very tired me.  When is the next one?

More Workshop

The two projects I entered yesterday are the main things I am doing.  Carol asked me to show her how to do the Never Ending Card when I was over and made one for her so that is how the workshop evolved.  I just threw the box one in as I thought they would like to do it.

I have made some more folded cards (some are like I am doing in my workshop in England so no instructions yet) but with my friend's stamps used so I did not have to bring mine over with me.

You might recognise this fold as it is one I did at Christmas for my American friend but with two little angels on the diamond folds.

This is a single diamond fold and Jo will recognise the stamp on the right as it is one of her Tattyheads.  The central flower is a SU one with the background flower stamped in blue and the other two cut out and layered over the top.  The verse is what set me off - don't you just love this?

This is a fan type fold that my friend Jan showed me how to do - all the way from New Zealand.  She made a card like this at Christmas and I so admired it.

Now, this fancy folded card I saw on the internet and cannot remember where.  It unfolds as shown below

and again

I've left it quite plain so that people will possibly have time to do it.  Do you recognise the colours I have used as my background for the stamping?

Well, tomorrow I will see how the workshop goes - I think it is quite different to what they are used to making so I may have rotten eggs in my face before the end of the day.