"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

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

"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

"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

"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!

"With Little Tin Horns And Little Toy Drums, Rooty Toot Toots And Rummy Tum Tums..."

 

With my last post of 2013 I am finishing the year off with one of my absolute favourite images from Kenny K, she is called 'Bow' and comes in two versions, one in her underwear and the one that I have used where she is sans undies. I just love how easy this one is to colour and the finished product always looks really striking, her eyes are just so pretty and let's be honest, who could resist pulling such a large bow eh? I have gone for a non-traditional hair colour for a change as I get a little bored with the hair and I like to keep things fresh as I have coloured this particular lady quite a few times now.

I have used a Basic Grey paper for my background and the dies are Spellbinders and Marianne's and the pearls around the edge are bought by the metre from Let's Create, Coningsby. I really like the clean look of the finished card and as usual Gentle Reader, I hope you like it too.

 

I do have a bit of news for you, I have been chosen by the Kenny K Krafty Krew to become a member of their 'Core 4' for 2014. We will not exactly be on the design team but, as far as I understand, we will be their In-House Guest Designers. Anyone who has visited my blog more than once will know how much I love Kenny's images, they have been my favourite for quite a few years now and I am delighted to be given such a high honour, I can't wait to start getting involved in the Pinterest and Facebook sides of Kenny's ever burgeoning empire.

 

2013 has been an eventful year as usual, I have once again had to deal with medical problems galore and also try my hardest to help my wife who is in an even worse state than me! But the year has finished on a bit of a high note with my son being in love again (so finger crossed for my grandchild sooner rather than later!!) and Jo and I celebrating our 16th anniversary on the 23rd December.

 

My favourite things of 2013 have been:

 

Song: Naughty Boy (Feat. Sam Smith) - La La La

Album: Rudimental - Home

Book: Lee Child - Worth Dying For

Film: Man of Steel

TV Show: The Blacklist (USA) or The Bridge (Norway/Sweden)

Reality TV: I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! or The Great British Bake Off

Person: Jo Channon (Let's Create and Create and Craft)

Item of Clothing: Onesies

 

Anyhoo, that's it from me, hope to see you again in 2014,

Wishing you a Fantastic Christmas
and a Wonderful New Year
hugs 'n stuff

Andy

xx

 

Entered Into: Kenny K Krafty Krew Challenge #162 - Anything Goes!
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas + Hop
Bearly Mine Challenge #117 - Anything Goes
Clear It Out Challenges - Theme: Warm Fuzzies Stash: Use Something Textured
Die Cuttin' Diva's Challenge #146 - Happy Holidays
Fan-Tastic Tuesday Challenges #14 - Use Punches and Dies
Ladybug Crafts TLT Challenges - Keep It Clean (and Simple!!)
LEJ Designs Challenge #84 - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly Challenges - Last Christmas (Card of the Year)
Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #146 - What Christmas Means To You

"And Now I Think Of My Life As Vintage Wine..."

 

Hello again Gentle Reader, how have you been? All ready for Christmas yet? We have finally finished all the pressie shopping this week and bar having to go to work for another few weeks I am really looking forward to it this year.
Now I know the title of this entry is from the Sinatra song "It Was A Very Good Year" (in case you hadn't noticed yet, all my post titles are song lyrics!) and for Jo and I it has,by and large, been a fairly decent year for a change. The news this week though has been a proper downer, first we lose Paul Walker, a man most people will only know from the Fast and the Furious franchise but he was more than that for me, I thought he was quite under-rated and I really loved his performances in the excellent Clint Eastwood Directed "Flags Of Our Fathers", horror-flick wannabe (but still a darn good thriller) "Roadkill" and the incredibly stirring true story "Eight Below" which is more endured than watched, as good as it was there is no way either one of us could sit through it again, it is just toooo sad for words. To die in such a horrific manor and by someone else's hand (accidentally or not) is just tragic, but to have died aged only 40 years old just breaks my heart. If you have never seen a "Fast" movie, give the first one a go, if you like that you will love the rest and I will definitely be going to see number 7 in the Summer.
But that wasn't the saddest news of the week was it? People all over the world will be genuinely mourning the passing of Nelson Mandela. How could one man's personal war against his own countries injustice to it's native people be felt so deeply? by so many and not just in his own country but the whole world over?
I was at work on the day in 1990 when Nelson was released from Victor Verster prison after serving 27 years and while there weren't a lot of black faces in the Royal Air Force, there was a black Sergeant working in Operations that day and if anyone needed to know what Nelson's struggle meant they only had to see this grown man going from tears to whoops of delight literally in the same breath to know how deeply he felt this man's plight.
So join me in a quick prayer, wishing them both all our love and peace and also sending our thought to their families in this, their darkest hour.

On to my card (and possibly the last one of 2013, I'm not sure yet!!) and it's Magnolia time again. I have used one of their latest Christmas release stamps and isn't he a little sweetie? I have used a mixture of Basic Grey and Wild Rose papers, dies from Spellbinders, Dee's and I think Marianne and the usual suspects - flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, ribbon, pearls and glitter from my stash. As usual I hope you like it and I will be back again soon, either to let you know I am finished for the year or to post one last card for you.
Take Care,
hugs 'n stuff,
Andy
xxxx
Entered Into: Basic Grey Challenge #108 - Christmas
Colour Me Creative Classroom Challenge #83 - Holiday
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Cold and Frosty
Digi Designs Challenge - Christmas in Non-Traditional Colours
Hiding In My CraftRoom Challenge #127 - Holiday Colours
Little Claire's Challenge #39 - Christmas Theme
My Time To Craft Challenge #226 - Cute and Cuddly Christmas Animals
Tilda's Town Challenge #82 - Winter Wonderland