My Family & Other Animals

Thursday 2 October 2014

"We're Going To The Chapel..."


It had to be done didn't it? The week where the most adored bachelor on earth finally 'put a ring on it', a sigh rang around the earth loud enough to be heard in outer-space.
Luckily for me Jo doesn't see the attraction so I don't have anything to worry about really. besides which I am so gorgeous maybe she's the one who should be worried!! (tongue very firmly in cheek before anyone decides to pick on me).
I have had this Kenny K image forever and thought it would end it's days dusty and unloved but when I saw how much fuss was being made over their simple little private service I couldn't resist giving it a go!
I wanted to keep it quite simple, so after colouring Dr. Doug with my Copics, I used my new set of star dies (which came free with a brand new magazine on the market - Diecutting Essentials), I then used Kraft card stock, core'dinations card stock in light blue, dark blue and cream, the title was cut from a Sizzix alphabet set and the whole thing was finished with a few gems for that bit of star bling! George is attached with double-sided foam pads and I think I achieved my goal of 'clean and simple' which is something I rarely manage to achieve given that I have an overwhelming desire to throw the kitchen sink et al at my cards.

Well what a week we've had eh? Other than George, we have had to deal with Ebola spreading like wild fire in Africa (so get ready for CNN to start spreading fear and neurosis in your neighbourhood real soon!!!), Wonga having to return a load of money to it's borrowers because they shouldn't have lent it in the first place (I will be rushing around town taking out £500 loans with as many dodgy dealers as I can find as of  9am tomorrow morning!!), Children running of to join IS (Islamic State) when they should be in school learning maths and stuff and not planning the most insidious acts known to man, There was a bit of good news for the Disabled though, they learnt that while the 'Con'servatives are freezing raises in benefits, they are not touching Disability Living Allowance, so a small bone gets thrown for the Disabled community!

So good to end on a bit of good news for a change, it almost never happens in real life eh!
Hope you have all had a good week too, Jo and I are gearing up for a Craft Fayre on the 12th October at Newark Showground so if you are going I hope we can say Hi to each other! I will be the man with the walking stick whose wife has a walking frame, yes we ARE the fittest people in Lincoln!
So have a great weekend and I will see you again soon,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xx

Saturday 6 September 2014

"You've Got To Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight For This Love..."

Another week in the L-B house and not much to report really.
I had a visit with the dietitian, which was mandatory really if I want to go ahead with having a Gastric Band. There was nothing she could tell me that I didn't already know regarding food and dieting, my issue is more of a low self-esteem one. I have been on a diet for about 33 years now (on and off obviously!!) and I know exactly what I should be doing, it's just a lot harder in practise! I lost well over 5 stone with Slimming World (a diet I can highly recommend and one I still (sort of) follow today) but I was the only one who couldn't see any change in me. I saw the same person looking back at me at the end as was there at the start, I didn't feel any different (I had been told my back problems would get better the more weight I lost and I felt no change at all!!) and as a result I ended up putting it all back on, plus the obligatory extra weight that goes along with it. 
But for the first time in a long, long time I finally feel ready to make the changes I need to make in order to live a longer, healthier life. My depression is being managed and thanks to my CPAP machine I am finally able to sleep at night, which gives me a major boost every day. As a result of the sleep being sorted out, I now get up early in the mornings and I'm ready to face the day with a smile and a chipper mood.
I have to see my GP next in order to get her referral to Derby, who are the specialists in this type of surgery. So fingers crossed and I will keep you all updated on my progress.
As for my new card, I have coloured this image in before (it's a Kenny K) but nowhere near as good I don't think. I used an M'bossabilities folder for the pink background (the other side is tyre tracks - a very funky folder indeed), the charm. bow, dots and the expression stamp were all purchased at a local craft fayre. The base cardstock is a really old Basic Grey and I used a Spellbinders die behind my image. Any further questions, please don't be afraid to ask!
As for today - a little bit of crafting is required as I have some new Tattered Lace dies I need to give a road test to.So for now, Ta Ta,
Take Care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xx

Entered Into
2 Cute Ink Challenges #114 - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations Challenge #108 - Anything Goes and/or Round and Round
Crafting From The Heart Challenge #35 - Anything Goes
Craft It Up & Link It Up Challenges By Craftin' Desert Divas Challenge - Anything Goes
The Crafty Bloggers Network Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers And More Challenge #122 - Make An Impression (Dry Embossing)
Allsorts Challenges #275 - Pretty In Pink
Catch The Bug September Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafting At The Weekend Challenge 5 - Anything Goes
Operation Write Home Challenge - Create Your Own Background
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #45 - Anything Goes
Treasured Times Stamps Challenge #24 - Anything Goes
Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge #7 - Anything Goes
A Creative Need Challenge - Textures and/or Patterns
Fitztown Challenge #52 - Anything Goes
Melonheadz Friends Challenge - 2 Or More Dies
My Craft Creations Challenge - 1 -13/9/2014 Anything Goes

And The Winner Is....

After a very short drumroll, it can be announced across the land that the above card was chosen by my Son and (future) Daughter-In-Law as their official Save The Date card.
After giving them a fairly large selection to choose from, I am so pleased that their final decision was the one card I made that involved absolutely no colouring!!
They liked that it was a simple card but that it had a flash of colour (added using a superb little Washi tape which I think I got from Crafts U Love), they also liked the writing being a bit classier than the image, they thought it made it jump out.
So, all I have to do now is start a little production line.
Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho,.......

Sunday 17 August 2014

"Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?..."






Hello again! Yes, I am back after a somewhat fractious hiatus.
I have had to deal with my depression and that now seems to be firmly under wraps as my meds have been raised and then dropped to get the balance right.
I was also diagnosed with Chronic Sleep Apnoea and after a brief test overnight with an oxygen mask it was revealed to me that while the average 'good nights sleep' may include up to 15 - 20 interruptions an hour, I was averaging 99 which finally explained why I would get up in the morning after sleeping for 9 or 10 hours and within an hour I was back asleep, a pattern that went on for month after month. It was only thanks to Jo getting a bit forceful with my GP that I was finally put forward to even speak to the sleep analysis team at Newark.
After the first full night with my wonderful little oxygen mask (which actually manages to fit over my bulbous hooter!) I woke up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. If I fall asleep now during the day, it's because I'm bored - NOT tired! A good night's sleep should never be underestimated, it is the most important thing with regards to making a person function properly. I finally feel like a part of the Human Race again.

Our final hurdle was the tragic loss of Jo's sister Maureen, who died from an emphysema related illness a couple of weeks ago. She was a lovely woman with a fantastic sense of humour, we shared quite few laughs at the cost of several Big Brother contestants. Jo misses her terribly and is going to take a very long time for the pain to subside.
R.I.P. Maureen, deeply missed.

Now you may have noticed several superhero themed cards above. These are not greetings cards but Save The Day/Date cards for my Son and (future) Daughter-In-Law's wedding. They want a Superhero themed day (they are a massive pair of nerds and I love 'em for it!!) and so the first thing I did was offer my services. I am lucky enough to own all of Kenny K's images and couldn't resist using these particular ones. My particular favourite is the very bottom one, the DL shaped card which came out really well. I have posted them for the kids to look at and to choose which one they (hopefully) want. When they finally decide, I will let you all know on this blog.

Until then, look after yourselves,
take care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xxx

Entered Into:  613 Avenue Create Challenge #85 - Anything Goes with No Twist
Fairytale Stamper Challenge #43 - Everything Goes!
Kenny K  Krafty Krew Challenge #178 - Kids!
Outlawz Sunday Challenge - CAS (Clean & Simple) with A Wave
Scrappyhands Challenge #19 - Red!
Scibble and Scrap Challenge #25 - Anything Goes
The Squirrel and The Fox Challenge #25 - Anything Goes
Through The Purple Haze Challenge #55 - Photo Inspiration (I used the colours of the feathers)
Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #215 - Carole's Sketch (I am using 2nd image from top)

Thursday 15 May 2014

"Call Me Any Any Time..."

Or as an absolutely last resort you can always try Skype!
Good Morning Gentle Reader, it's time for a quick rage against the machine again but this one is more tongue-in-cheek than my usual rants!
Now I'm sure there are millions of users of Skype out there that are very happy with the service that they provide, I myself was one of those happy people a couple of weeks back when I had to Skype Jo from Blackpool but at least once a week or so, Jo (my darling wife) Skype's her sister in Jersey and it has started to become the Maureen and Jo comedy hour!
To call the connection intermittent would be an insult to the word intermittent, each burst of conversation can last up to ONE whole minute sometimes before the connection drops, the picture freezes or you lose sight but still retain picture or vice versa.
Each call starts with my wife giving lighting directions to her sister quickly followed by a briefing on how to hold the tablet so that she can see all of her sister's face and not just from the nose up!!
Having gone through this routine (EVERY call!!) all I then hear is one or the other saying "Can you hear me?", "Can you hear me?" "I can hear you but I can't see you, can you hear me?" "I Can see you, I just can't hear you as the sound keeps dropping out, no wait, I can see you now, turn the tablet so I can see all of you, I've only got the top of your head here!" and so the conversation goes for the next hour or so or until one of them gives up in an exhausted heap on the sofa!
Now I don't really blame Skype for this, not 100% anyway, I have to take into account that her sister's signal is provided by a dongle (never come across one yet that has a strong enough signal for anything other than checking e-mails!), plus neither end-user is exactly a tech-head! but I do feel Skype could help their users by making the software a little more user-friendly and if they are allowing people to use dongles to connect then surely they could help with the signal strength too.
So, rant over and just enough time to tell you about the new challenge over at the Kenny K Krafty Krew blog. As per usual the theme is Anything Goes, but this fortnights twist is Male cards.
You can enter with any Kenny K image you like and if you win you will receive 3 Kenny K images absolutely free, but if you follow the twist and win then you get an extra two Kenny images.
Just imagine the possibilities with five of the best digi stamps on the market, go on, have a go, it's well worth a punt.
Anyhoo Gentle Reader, it's time for me to split, it's nearly lunch time and haven't had breakfast yet!!
See you again soon,
take care,
hugs 'n stuff,
Andy.
xx
Entered Into:

Thursday 1 May 2014

"Found Myself In A Strange Town..."

Hey Hey Hey!
Look who's back and with a brand fire new outlook on life. I have not been in the right headspace for a while now and consequently, doing my blog was among the first things to fall by the wayside but with some proper care and attention - I'm back!
Why am I back on the first of the month? Well that would be mainly down to The Kenny K Krafty Krew and their latest challenge which starts today. The theme for the next two weeks is Anything Goes (as always) with a twist of 'Femme Fatale'.
Please remember, you MUST use a Kenny K image - available from Kenny K Downloads.com, as there still seems to be some confusion over whether or not you have to use Kenny's brilliant artwork or not (and let's be honest, a quick look around his site and you'll be hooked, talk about something for everyone!!).
My image is called Socialite (available here) and I think that because you can't see her eyes, she looks like a character from a 'The Third Man' movie, she is definitely up to no good, skulking in the shadows and so I thought I would go black and white. Colouring the image though took every shade of grey I own in my Copics but I am quite happy with the finished image. The Die behind her is a Spellbinders and all the others are Tattered Lace (my current faves!)
So there you have it;
I'm back,
there's a new Challenge with the Krafty Krew
and the sun is shining again!
Hope you are keeping well Gentle Reader, I will be back soon with some more things made during my absence.
Take Care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xxx
P.S. As the last post was done for Mothering Sunday, the lyrics were from A Song For Mama by Boyz II Men. The ones for this post shouldn't stump too many people!!

Tuesday 1 April 2014

"There Was So Many Times, Looking Back When I Was So Afraid, And Then You Come To Me And Say To Me, I Can Face Anything..."

First let me congratulate Debby for guessing the lyrics in my previous post title as being those of "I Go To Sleep" by The Pretenders. Hopefully this one is a little harder (no using Google either, let's use the old honesty box for these eh!)
Second, but most important really, It's competition time over at the Kenny K Krafty Krew Challenge site. The theme is (as always) Anything Goes but the twist this fortnight is Pastels. There appears to be some confusion over which cards can be entered into the challenge as we still have a few people entering non-Kenny K image cards, so please be aware; if you enter a card that doesn't have a  Kenny K image on it then it will be ignored completely and you will have wasted your precious time for nothing!
The challenge will run for two weeks so get yourself out there and show us what you can really do. Don't forget, the winner of the candy should also be announced today, so good luck and I will keep my finger crossed for you.
As you can see from my card for the current challenge, I have worked with Pastels and I really enjoyed it. I know Mothering Sunday was yesterday but I can reassure you that my Mother really loved her card. I was a bit gutted I couldn't find a stamp that said Mothering Sunday as I believe in sticking to the British traditions but she didn't even notice (Bless her!). Jo and I went to see Mum at my Sister's house and we had a really lovely day together, plus an even more lovely dinner. My Sister has picked up a lot of my mam's ways of doing things in the kitchen and with her own added twist of culinary genius, we ended up having a wonderfully traditional Sunday Roast.
Back to the card and you can see that I have used a really beautiful corner die (in the Pink, as 'twer) which I got a few years ago from Marianne Designs, the little curly fronds behind the flower are some of the waste from the large die and I thought they looked perfect behind the flower. The flower itself is from Wild Orchid Crafts and the leaves are from Marianne too (but don't hold me to that!!), the rest of the stuff used is from my stash!!
So that's it from me, don't forget to try and work out the song from the lyrics in my post title, hopefully I will be back again before the next Kenny K Challenge.
Take Care,
Hugs' n Stuff
Andy
xx

Saturday 8 March 2014

"Each Day Drags By Until Finally My Time Descends On Me..."


Okay Gentle Reader; Pop Quiz:
Who sang the song in this particular blog title and what is the song's title? 
I have used a song title or lyric since I started thtis blog and they are usually very easy to get so I thought I would start taking things up a level or two, if I gather enough interest then I might start offering a bit of Candy too!
Back to the serious stuff! I have had so many problems with sleep that during the last few months I have had periods when I have been so beyond the country of tired I have hallucinated, usually taking the form of a black cat (not the ones we already own) running vertically across the top of the living room walls, about 4 Inches from the edge of the ceiling, I have seen little old ladies crouched next to me in my peripheral vision
and I have taken to beating up my bedside table at the most random of moments!!
Now, I own a tiny wheelie bin for those little bits of rubbish you have during the night and my particular bin is usually full of lollipop sticks, so I am sure you can imagine the state of the bedroom some mornings! One morning I sent both my bin AND my cotton buds flying, it ended up looking like the world's most confusing game of pick-up-sticks ever!!
Sleep deprivation is one of the most common problems amongst adults with a host of 'cures' out there and yet there seems to be so little real help for us except adding even more (addictive) pills to our diets. Jo has taken to calling me tom cat because I can now give them a good run for their money in the sleep stakes! Rather than sleep a regular 8 hrs a night, I find I now need between 10 and 12 hrs a night and if I don't get the full amount then it is nap-time central for me!
So it is with a sleepy head and hand I am writing this post, my first in a while again but one I think with a cracking card. I know it is a bit late for Valentine's but I still wanted you to see it. I love the image, she is a Kenny K download 'Love Bug' (available here) and a first time colour for me (Copics again!!), she is beyond easy to do and so I thought I should keep the card as simple as possible.
The corners dies and those under the image are all new from Tonic (bought as a bundle on Create and Craft) and the background paper was given to me by Jo from one of her 8x8 books she bought at The Range. The whole thing has been finished off with little pink dots around the whole card.
So that's it from me, I will enter a few competitions and be back again soon with another wee creation for you,
sleep well!
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
x o x o

Entered Into: Emerald Faeries Challenge #53 - Girly 'Pretty In Pink'
Card and Scrap Challenge #71 - Use Dies
Crafts Galore Encore Challenge - Use a Stamp or Digi on Your Project
CMD Challenge #7 - Spring
Copic Marker Spain Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

Friday 14 February 2014

"Dance Little Sister..."

Hey Hey Hey Gentle Reader, how the devil are you? I am writing this at the end of a very unusual (because I have spent nearly the whole day dressed and wearing shoes!) and extremely pleasant day. I am on holiday for a couple of weeks and I had decided the Jo and I should do something for a change, we have kind of let our disabilities get the best of us lately and I just wanted to do something that would require me to put the onesie away for the day and wear 'going out stuff and everything!'.
We didn't do anything exciting, we just went to Pets At Home to get our oldest furbaby Georgia some anti-flea medicine because she has a flea allergy and is covered in little bald spots. She is dark grey and has short fur so it is not always easy to see when she is going bald but hopefully she will be starting to feel less 'itchy' from tonight! While we were there we treated her to a new litter tray, just how extravagant are we?
After that exciting little trip we then went to the Range for a top up on some crafting materials, Jo and I were both running low on the essentials so we bought some packs of coloured card stock and a few little embellies. To finish the day off, we went to The Pride of Lincoln for lunch. We both had a very pkeasant meal and a cuppa and then made our way home.
Now I am not a stupid man, I know that this may sound rather tedious to most people but when you spend so much time at home, any time spent in GenPop is a real treat. I struggle to stand for long these days, my legs may be meaty but the muscle is really weak and when they start to 'go' on me then I just have to go back to the car/house. As a consequence you start giving up on the outside world and home seems more and more comfortable. Still, things are taking a gentle turn for the better so that can only be good news eh!

On to today's news and there's a brand new release from Kenny K, meet Fabby Farah and Sassy Sadie of the Glam Gang. They are both available from Kenny K Downloads.com right now and there is also a new two week challenge over at the Kenny K Krafy Krew site. The theme is, as nalways, Anything Goes but the twist this time is Distressed. If you look really closely at the above pic you will see my distressing around the outside edge of the card but that's as far as it went as I really have no clue what to do when it comes to this particular technique. I have used a plain piece of card for the base, put through an embossing folder and punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I then used a couple of sheets of Basic Grey, flowers from my stash and a fantastic new Memory Box die (with the music notes on). I finished it off with a few gems and then the sentiment is cut out using Sizzix die strips. 
Hope you like it,
please don't forget to have a look at the Kenny K challenge,
love 'n hugs
Andy
xx
Entered Into: Splendiferous Creations Challenge - Two or More Patterned Papers
Brown Sugar Challenge #81 - Use a Punch/Die-Cut
Craftitude Challenge #58  Anything Goes or Valentine's/Love
Delicious Doodles Challenge #75 - Ribbon or Bling
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #181 - Use Pearls
4 Krafty Girlz Challenge #11 - Anything Goes
MilkCoffee Challenge - Girly Challenge

Thursday 30 January 2014

All That's Missing Is The Sea, But Don't Worry, You Can Suntan!..."


Is there some unwritten law that says laptops only last while you are paying for them? A couple of years ago Jo stopped paying for her "Free" laptop (she was technically paying for a dongle which barely worked for the three year duration!) and as soon as she stopped paying for it, it started displaying signs of early dementia. I have just stopped paying for mine this last week and since then I have had so many problems with it I think I am on the verge of an nervous breakdown never mind the Laptop. I have lost iTunes, I purchased a Registry cleaner because it was a .dll file (whatever they are!!) that was missing and causing the problem, of course all that did was hi-light the fact that I had over 4'000 problems on various directories and for the low, low cost of another £200 I could get it remotely serviced (that never happened!!). So I still don't have iTunes (the missing file is their fault apparently so I will wait until they produce another update and try and fix it that way!), I also can't add a picture in blogger while using Explorer so I am currently using Chrome, it doesn't really bother me but I would like to use the system I prefer. When I try to look through other people's sites it takes an absolute age to scroll, so all in all I think it is on it's way out of the door, if it were an elderly relative it would be getting a one-way ticket to Switzerland (don't worry Mum, I don't mean you!).
So as you can see, I am having a wee break from Kenny K and I am using a Kraftin' Kimmie for a change, I fell in love with this little lady the minute I saw her and she is a delight to colour too. I used a Rouge De Garance paper which I have had for an eternity, I loved the papers but have struggled to use them since I got them so they have languished at the bottom of my paper-tray for years but I do think this particular one works very well on this card. I used some new flowers from WOC (don't you just love those pink springy things?), a couple of spotty ribbons and a banner made from a Woodware stamp. Hope you like,
take care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
x o x o

Sunday 19 January 2014

"Black Is Black, I Want My Baby Back..."

 

Good Morning Gentle Reader, hope you have had a great weekend so far. Have you got all the veggies prepped for the dinner today? done all the housework (Yay, hoovering!!) and caught up on all those annoying little jobs? Well it might just be time to sit down and relax with a brand new release from Kenny K Downloads. There are three brand new Gothic Angelz for you to play with; Riot Rachel, Veronica Vamp and the wildly named Veruca Venom (available here), who is currently on display at the top of this post! You have to give Kenny props, time after time he produces such amazing artwork for us and I really do feel honoured to be a part of such an amazingly creative team.

This fortnights challenge is:
USE BLACK
and I have always struggled in the past when it comes to using such a bold shade but the lovely Ms Venom was a delight to colour and I found that using just one other colour with the black really made the blue pop like I have never seen before. I have used Basic Grey papers (from my scrap box) and the dies are a mixture of Spellbinders (the flowers and leaves) and Memory Box (the High Heels are brand new and I love them to bits!). So now it is over to you, show us what you've got and remember, in order to win a prize you MUST use A Kenny K image.

Apologies to my team mates for the lateness of this particular post, the Challenge and new release have actually been live since the 15th of January but I have really struggled this week health wise, I keep getting a searing pain in my right knee that has pretty much ground me to a halt most days but hopefully I will find out what is going on when I see the doctor tomorrow.
So that is all I have for you today but I have just received some lovely new dies from Tonic that I am dying to play with, so hope to see you again soon,
until then,
take care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xx
Entered Into:
613 Avenue Craft Challenge #55 - Anything Goes w/optional twist Winter 'Blues'
Challenges 4 Everybody Challenge #37 - Anything Goes
Great Impressions Challenge - Use Something New

Tuesday 14 January 2014

"You Should Be Dancing..."


Oh Blessed relief! This has taken me three days to post so I really hope you think it was worth it Gentle Reader. It's just typical that Internet Explorer does it's own thing at the most inopportune moments and it is only by a stroke of luck I managed to work out how to do it in Google Chrome!!
Anyhoo, how are you? The weather isn't too bad at the moment so nothing to moan about there, I am sick of hearing myself talk about my ills and ails so not even going to go near that, so what to say?
Well, I am laying here watching a fantastic piece of TV on (you would never believe it!) Channel 5 about Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun. Most people wouldn't really bother with this show unless you have visited it or like myself, lived there (for three years). I would go back to Gib in a heartbeat, it was the best three years I spent in the Royal Air Force and I have so many fantastic memories of my time there.
Living somewhere where the sun shines over 300 days a year has a really positive effect on your mental health and you just tend to live a more energetic life, you go out more, you stay out for longer and you get to live in a true multicultural society; there were Jewish people living alongside Moroccans who in turn live next door to Spanish people, who rub shoulders with Indian and Pakistani people who live next door to both British and Gibraltarian alike, and while they may not all be throwing street parties with each other, they are living together side by side in harmony (just like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney predicted) with surprisingly little drama, now who could object to living like that eh?
On to the latest card and as you can see, I have gone with a different look and tried my hand at a man's card (with a little twist!), this is the sort of card I would send to my son and he would remind me "I'm a Geek, not a Nerd Dad!", like there's a difference. I have used Basic Grey card throughout and the little man and woman are free stamps from Craft Stamper magazine. The image (from Kenny K Downloads.com) is called Let's Party and is available here for $3.50.
Don't forget that you still have a couple of days to enter the Kenny K Krafty Krew Challenge before our brand spanking new challenge on Sunday and there is also a new launch to get excited about as well, so Sunday really has it all going on this weekend!
Anyhoo, I'm off,
see you again soon,
Hugs 'n Stuff
Andy
xx
Entered Into Cards 4 Guyz Challenge #1 - Happy Birthday
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - Anything Goes

Sunday 5 January 2014

"It's A New Dawn..."

 
Happy New Year!
Well gentle reader, here we are at the start of not only another year but a VERY special year for me. This is the year I turn 50! Even just seeing it written down gives me the heebie geebies but I am determined to face it head on and not let it overwhelm me. 2013 proved to be an exceptionally tough year for me emotionally and I am not going to let that happen twice, I want to enjoy the whole experience and face my Golden Years with a smaller tummy, a more positive outlook and a more restrained attitude to spending on crafting materials (yeah!, 'cause that's gonna happen!!).
 
Big news for today is my reinstatement to the Kenny K Krafty Krew as a member of their Core 4, we are the chosen GDT members who will be entering not only the regular fortnightly challenges but also those special occasions when there is a new set of Kenny K Digi Stamps to be launched. I hope you will not only check out the challenges on the Kenny K Krafty Krew site but also the sites of our Design Team and the other members of the Core 4, there are some incredibly talented, warm and friendly people waiting to make your acquaintance, just use the links on the right of this page.
 
The above card wasn't made for my upcoming Birthday, that would be ridiculous. Not only do I not make my own cards but the Birthday isn't until June (12th in case you wanted to send a card, or extravagant present!), no this particular card was made for my wife's Nephew who turns 50 next week. The image is called Maggie Mayhem (available for $3.50 here) and this is the first time I have coloured this particular foxy lady. The numbers are from Wendy Rhodes who made a set of letters and numbers in plastic which you then just draw around and cut out in your favourite card or paper. I got them from the NEC in Birmingham a few years ago now and have used them quite a lot but I don't think she trades any more so getting another set may be quite difficult.
The boot die is a Tattered Lace and the die behind the Birthday sentiment is from Memory Box, other than that I used a few gems from my stash and the papers are from Basic Grey. Hope you like it and that you will check out some of my very talented Team Mates.
See you again real soon,
hugs 'n stuff,
Andy
xx
Entered Into: Color Me Creative Challenge #84 - Anything Goes!
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Let's Celebrate
Digi Designs Challenge - Time To Celebrate!
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #10 - Anything Goes
A Creative Need Challenge #15 - Die Cuts/Punches
Card Makin' Mamas Challenge #78 - Anything Goes
Craftitude Challenge #55 - Anything Goes/Christmas Sparkle
Crafty Hands Challenge #5 - Anything Goes!
Digitally Sweet Challenges #69 - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Challenge #1 - Anything Goes!