OOOOOh, how organised am I?

This is the vintage collection of 'post-it' note pads I'm giving as teacher gifts this Christmas. I'm hoping to make more for family and friends and maybe to sell a few - best get making!!!!

I absolutely love this card! I really really do. I'm thinking of enlarging this to 12 x 12 - well, doing a 12 x 12 version. I've been wanting to make a family set of lo's and this is a fantasic one of my sister. The papers tie in with the photo so well, even though the patterned one is from the Dovecraft Eastern Promise collection, it shouted 70's to me. The Prima pearls are one of my favourite things at the moment and she is one lucky person for me to be using them on! So far they have been purely for looking and stroking! I hope she likes this as she says last years wasn't up to par ;( Can't wait for her reaction!

I made this shortly after making the card, it was that beautiful I wanted my own version and it's the start of my 'Family' pages! I have put a plaque in the left hand corner (should you think it looks a little lonesome up there) but as it has her name and dob i figured i should leave it off a public page! I love the wordings on this, I purposefully did them the same yet different as that is my sister, whilst the 'same' person, she has 'different' roles - deep eh!!!! Dad pointed out I'd forgotten 'Niece' - ooops! I had serious fun making this LO as the plummy coloured matt was something I've wanted to do but never had the time. I stamped, shimmered, tore, tattered and stitched!!!! I call it 'creative' others may call it 'messing about' :p

1st birthday card..

When I was baking Adam's cakes I dug out the candles and had a 'lightbulb' moment - how cool would it be to use a candle on a card! This was the result!

Ooooh, commisions!!!

I was asked by a friend to make two wedding cards, and for this she was willing to subsidise my crafting addiction :0 . The Groom is Spanish and they live in Northern Spain. I had no idea where to start with this, but after a google of Catalan weddings, the only thing that stood out was the heavy use of lace. When wasting - I mean stocking up on some craft essentials I found this gorgeous lace in a shop and had to have some. I then looked in on a local shop that has just opened and as is popular, they have the 'fill your box' paper deal and although I didn't have time to do that, I did spot the stunning backing card used here! This was where the colouring came from and the fact that when I think of Spain, I think terracota! The brown ribbon was off a box of chocolates. The rest were stock items. I have had a tray of beads for a long while now and they went beautifully on the cute pins I've recently bought. I love this card. It's not 'weddingy' per se, but it is romantic and I, for a change, love one of my cards!

The second card was from the bride and groom's boys. My remit was that the card be 'childlike' and to Mummy and Daddy (catalan spanish) and that Daddy is a farmer. I had a brainwave of making a tractor a wedding car and set about finding die cut tractors! I bid on ebay for these and asked the lady to ensure one of the 4 was white! When they (2 extra) arrived there was the white but then this lovely orange! I knew I wanted to personalise in the tyres but that's not actually that easy! Just about pulled it off. The rest just 'happened'! I love the staples on this card - very random! Oh and the paperclip was one I was about to put on some documents when I realised it was the perfect colour! This is definately a quirky and original wedding card - I hope the bride and groom like it!

Little Man's Birthday....

.... and as I have done for most of his birthdays, I got out the flour and eggs and produced the following yummy things:- I love how this turned out - not totally professional (would have shaped the round cake) but for Adam it was perfect. He loved the bunker best and he and Lucy were convinced completely when I said I was filling it from Adams sandpit!
These were a little idea from another web site. I am soooooo in love with these I could think of so many reasons to make more. I decided to bag them and giving them to the party guests instead of cutting up the golf cake and wrapping them in a mad rush at the end.

I love them with my table as a backing!!!! Still can't believe you bake these in the cone!!!!!

OMG when did I get old enough to have a 7yr old? Heck who am I kidding, some school friends are Grannies, but I'm not that old!!! Oh no, not me!!!!

My gorgeous niece

Can't believe I haven't blogged these LOs. I did them sometime back in May along with the

black and white ones. I'd been playing with them digitally for a while but couldn't find a 12 x 12 paper I liked for the background. Thanks to My Minds Eye I managed and have a pad full of their gorgeous papers left over to do more. These LOs are of my lovely Niece.

For some reason I went against the norm and photographed both sets against a window - not a good idea and they seem a little washed, they don't for real though.

End of an era

Not quite that dramatic but Adam is no longer in the infant class at school. I have sidestepped a little from cards and scrapping and stumbled upon papercraft gifting. After the success of the Easter boxes I was itching to have another go and when I found the template for these boxes I had to make them.


As he was leaving the infants class though, I wanted to get his actual teacher and her assistant something to remind them of Adam so we went to the garden centre and got the following - completely inspired by the plant name!I asked some teacher friends which gift they've loved and one said she'd had a plant with a painted pebble so I stole that idea and made the pebbles (with help from Adam) a gift tag instead. I took a trip to the florist for some cellophane and paper and hey presto - two wrapped plants. I loved how they came out.

I'm not sure if it was a coincidence but on Leaver's Day Adam won the Creativity award!

Don't throw the painted stones but I am now thinking of Christmas gifts - ouch!!!!

Cards made during the summer

This was a trial at a word card for a child and I was pleased with the results - especially as it
was for my child!

This is the first of what turned into a run of stepper cards for children this summer.

Two card genres which I have trouble with, men and children but I managed to achieve some

fairly respectable examples this summer.

Too busy to craft ;(

That is not a good place to be! I've been busy doing not much too so that makes it worse. Decorating, moving house, planning a wedding - they are all things you can forgive yourself for being busy with but I have no such excuses! I've just been busy with life. We've been away on our annual holiday to Mum and Dad's. It was great just to see sunshine! Adam is growing way too fast - he's now 'playing out'! In today's day of TV and all things with 'screens', this is a wonderful thing and I hope the weather holds out while the light nights do. But as a Mother, it is both scary and lonely. On an up side, I should have a little more crafting time :o)

I did the above LO during this 'extra' time. I am blocked up with cold, aching all over and exhausted but on coming in from work and waving off Little Man, out came my glue and papers and I finally got these precious pictures into my scrapbook. I love the innocence in photos of children. When Adam was born, Lucy instructed Grandma to 'put him back in there' after she decided Grandma had given him enough attention. A few weeks later, after holding him and everyone ooohing and aaaahing, I think she decided he wasn't so bad after all. Since then they have created a lovely relationship that is sooo cute to witness. If only they lived closer.

On a more crafty side of things, I'm beginning to give serious contemplation to making cards to sell. I have had a few enquiries about selling my cards and whilst I still can't believe someone would pay me money for one, I am extremely flattered and somewhat proud of myself for once. Watch this space - Lillipad Designs maybe a household name on day roflol!!!!!