"So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen..."

Goodbye!

Yup, that's it for me now, I am a free agent again, no longer tied to someone else's blog. I have officially made my last card for the Kenny K team and yet the first card I post, a-huh, you guessed it, it's a Kenny card!! I haven't been indoctrinated into the cult of Kenny K yet but I have so many cards made I still want to share them with my lovely friends.

I have really enjoyed my time on the team and wish the rest of the guy(s) and girls all the very best for the future, they really are a talented bunch and it has been a privilege working alongside them. I will now be concentrating on some more Tilda cards for the foreseeable future as I love my Magnolia images (I will convert you Eileen, resistance is futile!) and I want to try my hand at some cards using no images, just dies! I also think I am going to be spending quite a lot of time on another side project in the Llewelyn-Brinsley house, drum-roll please............

Jo is finally going to launch her own blog!!!

Yes, after many, many months of gentle nagging and cajoling, she has finally yielded and we will be making a start on it today, so I will let you know when it is ready to go live by adding a small post above this one.

I know everyone is talking about the weather at the moment so I wanted to add my two-penneth worth as well. I have still not seen a daffy anywhere and it is almost April! What on earth is going on? This Winter seems to have no ending to it and the pain that goes with such weather is really not welcome, Jo and I are both really feeling it at the moment, searing pain and freezing cold go together like love and marriage apparently. I did get a tiny whiff of Spring on Thursday morning, when I left the house to go to work, the sky was crystal clear and a stunning shade of blue and there was even some birdsong to add to the ambiance, it really felt like a promising start to my day. Of course by the time I actually arrived at work, a whole six minutes later the day was back to it's usual murky self!

So if the Big Man upstairs is reading this (it is Easter after all, what else would he be reading with his morning coffee??), please start moving things along and give us a shot at a different season eh!

A few recommendations for you before I move on. On the music front, you really should give the new albums from Justin Trousersnake and New 'Kids' On The Block a listen. There is a banging choon on the Kids album, written by our very own Lemar called 'Remix (I Like The), which is on constant play alongside Justin's 'Mirrors' which I thought I had become addicted to!!

I am reading 'The Affair' by Lee Child and I must testify to the fact that I am a devoted Reacher Creature, Lee's books have truly given birth to one of the most enigmatic characters in modern literature. He has created someone who really lives up to the old cliché of women wanting to be with him and men wanting to be him. So if you have never read one of Mr. Child's excellent Jack Reacher novels, give one a try. If you don't like it then let me know and I will personally refund you! As I know you will never ask me (they really are THAT good!) I feel secure in the knowledge that my money is quite safe.

Anyhoo, just off to try and get some sleep finally, enjoy the rest of your day,

take care,

hugs 'n stuff,

Andy

x o x o
 

Entered into: Tip Top Tuesday Challenge #98 - Boys and Girls Come Out To Play
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"Don't Know Much About History!..."

 

Turns out I didn't know much about anything when I went to University. I was what they call a 'late bloomer' in some houses, I didn't start at Uni until I was 41 years old.

I had left the Royal Air Force in 2004 and I knew that I wanted to further my education, I just wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in. After buying my first digital camera (a Kodak one, NEVER go there gain, they are the worst cameras in the world!!), I knew then where my skills could be improved so I enrolled with Lincoln University; I had to stay local as I would never have been able to leave Jo and Lincoln had a course I was really interested in, it was called Contemporary Lens Media and featured film making as part of it's first year.

Once I started the course I found that they really should have told me I could have benefited from a foundation course at College first as I had enrolled for an art course and it really required me to have a lot more basic photography skills and knowledge before starting. Some of the projects we had really did test my knowledge but by the end of the course I was standing on my own two feet and doing some really great (even if I do say so myself) work. I graduated with a 2:2 which I know isn't exactly brilliant but I really felt like I had earned it.

I tried my hand at some wedding photography but learnt rather quickly that I really didn't have the patience for other people's unrealistic demands. As a novice I gave them far too much control over what needed to be done and as a result I ended up doing hour after hour of Photoshop work and all for free! So I got a little part-time job as Asda and now I am free to do whatever takes my fancy. My ultimate goal is to be an art photographer but I really do need to find any area that I can excel in, I'm in no rush but I think whatever I end up doing is going to be 'family' related, I have spent my entire life trying to find out what that word really means!

Having said all of that, I apologise for the above image, it's one of the worst I have taken and lets my card down quite a bit. This is my last card as part of the Kenny K Design Team and I am using one of the three brand new images launched today. My young graduate is called 'Graduation Guy' and to accompany him there is also a 'Graduation Girl' and a very busy young lady called 'Unstoppable Mom'. Kenny has finally launched a Facebook page and there is also a Pinterest Page but I have no clue what that is all about, I don't really spend a lot of my time on-line except to check out my fellow bloggers and followers but I'm sure some people will get a lot out of it.

Why is my time coming to an end at Kenny's you might be asking, well I was supposed to be in the middle of my second six month term but apparently the teams needed 'streamlining' and I was obviously considered 'wastage'. I know this is coming off a little bitter and twisted but things were not handled very well and I am really upset at having lost my place on something I gave so much time and effort to. I will continue to use Kenny's images as I love what he does and I will even enter the odd challenge but everything feels a little tainted and I don't think that will ever change now.

I will be putting myself out there to try and get on a new team with someone as I love being part of something where you all work together, I just hope nobody holds my opinions against me, not everyone is going to like what I have written but it is how I feel and I want this to be at least an honest blog if nothing else!

So enjoy this card and look forward to some different images coming your way in the near future.

Take Care,

Hugs 'n Stuff,

Andy

xx

P.S. Those of you that enjoyed my wife's beautiful creations below will be pleased to know you have persuaded her to finally have her own blog - more to follow...

"always be-lieve in..."

"Gold!"

Now I know what you must be thinking and some might even agree with you but yes I DO know that the Olympic Games were last year! I have had these images coloured up for the longest time and they have just sat in a little plastic tub forever, waiting to be put onto a card. I figured that as I always planned to make an Olympic themed card when I coloured the images I should just go ahead and do what I originally wanted to do. 

Making the card made me quite nostalgic for last Summer (and I use that word in it's loosest definition!), I was so proud of my country and I don't think we as a nation get to feel that way too often, so it made a nice change for us to be at the centre of the world's spotlight and for the reasons to be positive ones! I love this Magnolia collection and while I didn't get a lot of them (I am not exactly known for my sporting prowess) I thought that they made a nice break from the usual lovey-dovey images we normally associate with Magnolia.

This post is being written with my I-pad, another first for me but for some bizarre reason my laptop is unable to load a new post or even my list of postings, all I get is a never-ending wheel telling me they are loading! I was beginning to think it must be happening to everyone but a quick trawl through my favourite blogger's disproved that particular theory quick-smart. So now I am stuck with a problem that I have zero clue how to fix, if anyone has any ideas then please let me know, PLEASE!!

My time with Kenny K is drawing to a close and I only have one more card to make for him. I have loved my time with the team and I have been immensely proud to work with such a great, professional bunch, so keep your eyes peeled next Sunday for my last official DT card and a few words about my departure from the team.

As usual, I hope you like my card, I will be back mid-week with another one for you to peruse, until such time though I am sending 

 massive hugs 'n stuff,

Andy

xxx
Entered into: anything goes challenge blog #88 - Seeing Double
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"Mr and Mrs...."

So as promised, here are a few of my lovely wife's cards. She has never really been a big user of my enormous collection of dies but she watches Sue Wilson whenever she is on Create and Craft and as a result she felt compelled to 'have a go' herself. Some of her designs are not a million miles away from what Sue showed on air but she has definitely put her own spin on them and I am incredibly proud of her, I think that these are three very pretty cards and I love how she has managed to make the dies the 'star' of the card, something I couldn't do in a month of Sundays.

I have been trying to persuade Jo for months to start her own blog but she is not the most prolific card-maker. She did come home yesterday from her craft club with two of the prettiest cards I have seen in ages and I think she should share them, so who knows, if she gets some nice feedback then maybe we can persuade her to join us.

Back in a bit with a card from my collection,

take care,

Andy

xxxx

"Would You Like To Swing On A Star?..."

 

Big week for fur-baby No. 1 Georgia. We booked her in to our vets (big shout out to Whitegate's in Washingborough!) and after being dropped off first thing in the morning we picked her up in the early evening minus pretty much ALL her teeth now!! She has some of those really tiny ones at the front of her mouth but that is pretty much it from now on i'm afraid. According to the vet, cats teeth can be absorbed into their bodies over time and hers were on the verge of this happening. She came home all woozy and just a shade bitter at being caged up and made to travel in the car but the ladies in the vets were practically cock-a-hoop over her, they had been pre-warned about her propensity to suddenly go mental and just attack out of the blue but as with all kids, they just love to prove you wrong! all we heard when I picked her up was how great she was and how fussy and purr-ey she was with everyone.

Now I know this sounds really stupid to anyone who doesn't have pets but when I took her home I was really proud of her, she let strangers fuss her and didn't get snappy or fractious with anyone. She managed to eat some Dreamies the same night we brought her home and she has so far eaten her own body weight in dry food, her gums must be tougher than my old drill Sergeant by now!

I can't lie, we were both really worried for her, she is so precious to us and we both knew how dangerous it could have been for a cat of her age to have to undergo a surgery, no matter how minor. I'm not allowed to say I'm worried because I have to be the strong one all the time and if I had said I was worried then she would never have gone to the vet's at all but it is all behind us now and she is home again and all safe and sound with her mum and dad, where she belongs.

As to the cost of this 'minor' surgery, it only set us back £160, which I thought was quite reasonable really. I have heard horror stories about vet fees that have ended up costing people thousands of pounds and the vet in question milking people for all their worth, I think we have fallen on our feet with Whitegates, they never seem to charge us a fortune and they are so friendly and brilliant with our girls. If you live in the Lincoln area and need a vet then I can highly recommend them.

On to this weeks callenge over on the Kenny K Krafty Krew challenge blog and this week is No. 134 - Happy Birthday. How easy is that? I had already coloured my image a while ago and wasn't sure how I was going to use her until I saw the name of this challenge, I just knew she was going to be perfect for a nice big 8x8 card. I used plain card stock instead of the usual textured and I thought I would keep the whole thing quite simple. I have once again used my ProMarkers to do my colouring and I am currently using (and loving, it has to be said!!) the new Autumn/Winter 2013 collection of colours, the blues in particular are really lush.

So that's it, another card from me and keep your eyes peeled for some lovely cards from my wife Jo coming to this blog very soon. Thanks to my new follower too, it's always nice to know someone appreciates your hard work. Hope you all enjoy Mothering Sunday and get to share it with a loved one, I will be spending some of the day with my mother and the rest of it with my darling wife, so win-win for me.

Take care and see you again soon,

Hugs 'n Stuff

Andy

xx
Entered Into: Cupcake Craft Challenge #233 - It's Pnly Words
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"You Don't Bring Me Flowers... Anymore"

So my 8x8 bug is still biting strong, I haven't made anything smaller for weeks and weeks now! I love having a large canvas to work with and you can choose loads of things for a larger card so I guess I'll be sticking with them for a while longer yet.

So far it has been a very slow and sleepy week. I have been a bit ikcy today but the last three days have been a bit of an improvement from the weekend so at least it isn't all bad news.

As far as news goes, I can't begin to tell you how upset I was with the Oscar results this year. I think that in years to come people will look back at this year as the year that mediocrity managed to beat everything in it's path. Don't get me wrong, 'Argo' isn't a bad movie, but seriously, 'Lincoln' 'Life of Pi' 'Amour' 'Django Unchained' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' were all definately better films but maybe the competition was just too strong and people couldn't split their votes! By the same token, Jennifer Lawrence is a superb young actress with a massive career in front of her (if that were in doubt then just watch 'Winter's Bone', a stunning movie!) but BEST actress, really?? Ignoring Emannuelle Riva or Naomi Watts was criminal, if you haven't seen either 'The Impossible' or Michael Haneke's heartbreakingly beautiful 'Amour' then I urge you to treat yourself to two of the finest movies not just of 2012 but of the last ten years.

At the moment we are trying to ignore our eldest furry-child who is currently sat next to Jo, looking as if to say "Where's my dinner?" She was supposed to go to the vet tonight, ready for an operation on her teeth tomorrow but Jo had a small breakdown this afternoon at the thought of her not being at home tonight with us. She has never been away from us in fifteen years and every time someone gets up for a wee in the night (and that happens a lot in this house!) she jumps up for a quick fuss when you get back into bed. She always comes to me for fusses, I am the only person who does 'tummy-scrunches' properly and she wouldn't have anyone else in the world touch her ears!! She goes to Jo for a non-contact love, she will lay next to her on the bed for hours and hours, something she has never done with me, how funny are cats eh! So if you read this tonight, then please think of Georgie tomorrow and how hard it is going to be on Jo and I.

For a nice change I thought I would make an Edwin card, I am always saddened by how few stamps he gets whenever Magnolia release another collection and I love his little face, he is soooo cute. I coloured him with my ProMarkers (including my 11 new colours care from Create and Craft) and I'm not going to go on about the other bits and pieces used, you all know what's on there and if you don't, then drop me a line and I will gladly let you know.

I should be back again on Sunday with another new card, so until then, take care,

Hugs 'n Stuff,

Andy

xx
Entered Into: The Emerald Faeries Challenge #41 - Bling
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"You Raise Me Up..."

 

 

Bit of a tenuous link this time I know but I couldn't think of a song that had amything to do with layers in it!

I am writing today from my sick-bed (yet again!!!!) as I have had a horrible week. It must be some sort of 'bug', some unnamed, unidentifiable, insidious BUG that has left me feeling like I have gone 10 rounds with Joe Frazier. I have had to take even more days off work so the Lord alone only knows what they must make of me. I have never been as poorly as I have over the last six months or so and it is really starting to get on top of me again, hopefully though I can start getting some answers soon as I am going to the Hospital tomorrow morning for some X-rays. The Doctor seems to think I have tendinitis in my shoulder and arthritis in my knees and hips and while I know there is nothing they can do really, I like to know exactly what is wrong with me, the not knowing drives me round the twist!

But enough of my boring medical drama, what kind of week have you had? Hopefully better than mine!

I really wanted to comment on The Brits this week as for the first time in recent memory they turned out to be a really good show. Muse opened it with an astonishing array of beautifully adorned and made-up classical musicians and it was hit after hit from then on. Robbie Williams was a stand-out performance with 'Candy', the whole set was black and white checks and then he turned around and took his coat off to reveal a stunning blue suit (looked like Paul Smith to me!!) but the performance of the night (for me) was Justin Timberlake who sang 'Mirrors', a new track from the long-awaited 'The 20/20 Experience'. I was also delighted to see Emilie Sande take home the award for Best British Album, as that particular set of songs has been my constant companion for the last twelve months. I love everything about that woman, from her neatly coiffured hair to her stunningly emotive voice, I watched her Royal Albert Hall show a couple of days ago and there is something really special about her, when she sang 'Suitcase' I was in floods of tears. There is a line in the song where she says 'What changed so quickly? Answer me! If you must kill me, then please, please tell  me why" and while I know the song is about a lover leaving and it's the end of a relationship, something really struck a chord with me and all I could think about was my dear departed Dad. He died unexpectedly and when someone is torn away from you so suddenly you are just left asking Why?
With yet another song added to the list of songs I will not be able to listen to without thinking about him, I say;
to the greatest man I have ever known, here's to you Dad, missed not just today but EVERY day x.

Okay, on to the card. This week over at the Kenny K Krafty Krew Blog the theme is 'Layer It Up!'. I have used Devastatia (available from Kenny K Downloads here) and if Kenny's images float your boat then check out the 3 brand new Steampunk Burlesque pics. There is an amazing little bulldog chap who is wearing a wonderful flying cap (a la 'Biggles') and two brand new chickadees. As per, they are all stunning and I will be using them all in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out.
I used an M'bossability embossing folder from Spellbinders and as the card I used was quite thick I was delighted to see just how well the image came out, really deep and crisp. My colouring was done with my Flex-Markers and Pro's for a change and I used one of my newish Nestie dies behind the image, the flower is from Woodware and instead of layering it up as normal, I turned the petals over to get this lovely budding flower instead. The wings at the bottom of the card are from Make It Crafty and the crown is a Tim Holtz one while the butterfly is a Spellbinders die and the sentiment is from Lily Of The Valley. Everything else was just lying around on my table!
So there you have it, a new card and a start to a week where I will hopefully get some sort of resolution about my various 'new' aches and pains!
Hope you have a good week, I should be back quite soon as I have a few cards made up and ready to publish, so take care,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
x
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