Chock a block

that's how life is still round here! I actually have a week off next week but what with teaching at Imagine That, opticians for 3 kids, hairdressers (for me and by me), MA coursework and a funeral in the first 3 days it seems to whizz by. (A funeral in my holidays? That, my friends is why we normally go away for the whole of the hols. You don't feel the need to say yes if you are going to be 100's of miles away) After that we go to Germany with the choir - so I can't complain. Has never stopped me though. Here are the edited highlights of this week:
Monday - house work then heading to Cambridge for Study skills. Stayed overnight with Neillybabes and his family. Neil is now a Tutor at the URC Ministerial training college and we were at college together. Haven't seen his wife Jenny for years and years and we had fun catching up! Tuesday - reading for the course, chatting with another college friend and doing an MA seminar. Realised that it is not enough to read the papers once through - especially if it is early in the week before. Got given homework. Bah! Got to craft in the evening - but only time for the DCM card for this week.
Wednesday/Thursday work, work, work. Goes like that sometimes, especially this time of year. Meetings, assemblies, meetings, prayers and meetings. Which is why holiday time is precious. Thursday also entailed looking at a 6th form college for Hywel. (Eeek) I think he liked it. He will probably do Double ICT, Design and Technology and Maths. If he does DandT at A2 level as well then he has to make a flat pack furniture project. I am thinking purpose built craft cupboard myself. Then a late night emergency card make - see further down for the results!

Today is a big day for us Daring Cardmakers. We have now been doing this for a year. What a wonderful, amazing, creative year it has been. With two marriages and 3 pregnancies along the way. Friendships old and new have developed and strengthened and my small brain has been forced to try all sorts of things (I have almost stopped sulking about the purple holey Christmas card). Our first card was about Friends so it is only right that as we come full circle the title of our Birthday dare should be

Our Amazing Circle Of Friends
and we'd like you to incorporate at least one circle into your card.

Simple eh?
I started singing the Andrew Gold song "thank you for being my friend" to myself and decided that was my theme tune for the card. I used a song for one of my first cards too - look.
Anyway here is this weeks. I thought it would be interesting to see how my style has developed. I have decided... not much! I even used the same font! (UPDATE: Journalling Hand is its name!)
The flower is BIG. AS you can see it outgrows the card - but doesn't topple over! The papers are all Sassafrass Lass I believe, from a summertime SA kit. I bought extras of these papers as I love 'em. I hand cut circles but the flower petals are punched. Then I went round every single detail on the papers with black pen as well as the usual inking and lining.

I think it really makes the patterns stand out.

Tonight we have our choir anniversary concert (big day for anniversaries). The choir has been going for 40 years - with the same conductor! I was asked yesterday to make him a card. Ulp! It is A5 size to allow room for everyone to sign it. Again I used an SA kit.

I was told what words to use
Lots of layering and krylon pen then triple embossing on the chipboard letters.

the notes are a cuttlebug die. When it is Christmas I will be able to cut it out with chipboard. But I have a while yet so I layered several die cuts on card and UTEE'd them.
They could almost be metal couldn't they?

Today consists of service prep and tidying out the guest room (still full of Carys' bits) as my Brother in Law and nephew are coming to stay overnight. We, of course, will be out! Phil, Martin, Jack and Carys are going to watch the Arsenal/Bolton game. I get to do gardening at church with a barn dance in the evening. Fun, fun, fun!