Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

January 10, 2013

You Are Amazing ...

Hi Everybody,

How I love you ladies ... you are  ALL  amazing and I  thank you all for your interest in the Blending Tools and that you would like to win them.

I get the message loud and clear that you would like the tools but no more comments please.
 And please stop with the compliments to my "Film Crew"  

His head is getting so big from all the praise he won't be able to get through the door.  He has had so much fun reading all the comments though.

Some of you have suggested that we go into selling them ..... now there's an idea for the coming months....   and Griff is now pricing up materials to go in to full scale production.

But that produces another question ....... What would you consider a fair prices for a pack of  5 Blending Tools ???   Bearing in mind the cost of one of them in your country... and of course P&P

Another thing Griff  has done is produce some very pretty stands for the mannequins and this is what they are like ....

I am in the process of sourcing  just the actual body forms  and the stands are what you would need to display them.

These are square and beveled along the edge to make them more interesting, and the doweling rod  is a good size too.


So this will be another give away in the next couple of months.

It will have everything you need to make the hat and the Dress Form ... including the peg for the hat.

It will need to be assembled by you and then you can decorate it however you wish.

And of course the videos on the Hats and the Dress Forms will show you how to do that.

I have done a lovely pink one just to give you an idea of how it will look when decorated.  The photograph is looking down onto the Form.



You can see the stand and they are in proportion to the size of the Dress Form.  

This one has been stained and varnished.

I have come up with a different style for the Hat too and you won't need the Polystyrene balls either.

This one is covered in felt with Maribou Feather  trim  and it looks gorgeous in real life.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts   Any "Bling" is from Want2Scrap
Here you can see the two different styles.

The one on the right is domed and the other is shaped similar to a top hat ... but not as high.

Over the weekend this will be a video on how to make this one.




So I am planning some exciting 

 "Give Aways" 
over the next few months and I hope you will come and participate as they come up.


Hugs xx

January 09, 2013

I need your feedback please ....

My "Film Crew" has been very busy woodworking in the garage , and I told you that he has some surprises up his sleeve.

And  I think I have told you that he is a builder ... well he is soon to be a retired builder and ... rather than let him stagnate in a chair ... he is going to be doing projects for the website and this blog.

His talent is woodwork  and one of the things he did for me years ago was make me some Blending tools.

I like to use Distress Inks on my cards and to buy one of these blenders in my local craft shop was £4.99.

These are a very useful item for your crafting stash and the pads on the bottom are removable so that they can be cleaned or replaced.


Now I use a different blender for each ink and that would have cost me a fortune.

So I thought that for the next "Give Away"   I would put five together in a pack and send them out.





But what I need to know is ..... would you be interested in winning them ... or am I wasting my time???

Hugs xx

January 07, 2013

The Giveaway....

This is important regarding the Give Away

The draw for the Grand Decorative Ovals grows every time I look at it ... and now stands at 225 


I  very  stupidly   have made it run until the end of the month instead of for one WEEK 

Apologies for my mistake ... but I honestly did not think it would get the response that it has.
I will know better next time and not make it as long.


Anyway I was wondering  if you would like me to end it sooner and get it sent out ...  and then maybe add another one in the middle of January instead.


I will leave this question open until the end of this week (Saturday) and if you are happy with that suggestion     you don't need to do anything.... and no news is good news as they say, and if your name is already on the list then your chance  to win is safe.



But if you are really opposed to this then you have up till Saturday to let me know.
 Other wise  a winner will be picked on Sunday 13th January 

 Hugs xx

Fierce Dragon

Hi Everybody,

Many,  many years ago I used to go to a pottery class and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
It was a way to meet people and we made some lovely stuff.
Once it had been fired we could then paint our item  to our own taste,  and once dry we could take them home.

This was piece I made back then and this was long before I learned the finer points of colouring.

But I loved this Dragon and he sat on my shelf for many a long year.

Then he became outdated and sadly he was  relegated to the loft and he was ensconced in a cardboard box for many more years

And then .... Griff made the loft in to my craft room, and he was found ...among years of hoarded stuff ... still wrapped in paper ... in his box.

He was carefully removed and washed and buffed up to his finest again.

I find that I still love him even is he is dated and a little chipped in places.

So now once again despite having a broken tail,   he is allowed to sit on the shelf in my craft room ... and look as fierce as ever.

Thank you ... for all your concern over Griff falling off his bike
 ( even if you did laugh, and I bet you did...)

 But he really is OK... not even a bruise to show for it.

In fact today he has been out on his bike again complete with helmet and gloves.

As he pedaled up the street two teenage lads shouted after him 
"Whip it up Grandad... it'll go faster...."

And once again I fell about laughing.  Bless him ...


If you are looking for the Giveaway here it is for you to  add your name to the list for the


Hugs xx






January 06, 2013

Picture this ...

My "Film Crew" ... in his retirement ... has decided that he is going to keep fit,  and so he has taken to riding his bike again.

He dons his helmet and his fingerless  "Go Faster" gloves and cycles his way around the streets.

Now we have a lane that runs behind the house that has security gates at each end and they have to be opened and closed each time.

Am I setting the scene for you with this story ???

Well Griff ... without getting off his bike ...  opened it and wheeled his way through .... then still on his bike he tried to pull it closed  behind him as he went.

But his back wheel got caught in the gate spokes and ... as he tried to pedal away  ...... He Fell Off !!

He didn't even have time to put his foot back down to save himself and so the bike just went sideways.... and so did he.

At that moment in time a lady with her children and dog walked past.

And the dog decided to cock it's leg up on the lamppost ... and so they all  had a good view.  

He hurriedly picked himself up and started fiddling with the bike.   "Chains ...." he muttered as he smiled sweetly at her.


 The kids laughed and when he told me so did I


I  had vision of the woman saying to her husband ... "I've just seen a  poor owd man fall off his bike..."

 He's not hurt I hasten to add  ... just his ego is a little dented.

The link for the   Grand Decorative Cicle    is stiil open till the end of the month

Hugs xx