He's home

but obviously it being us it wasn't as straightforward as it should be. One of those comedy of errors where one person gives the other information not strictly true and while I was waiting for THE phone call my poor son was waiting for me to pick him up lonely and cold at college. (Not helped by him having run out of credit). Needless to say someone was called "your father" quite a lot. Although I should have listened to the bit of me that said "just go anyway" and I didn't. Still a good time was had and it has helped us get ready for Uni. For H it was a chance to see what it is really like. For me, the chance to experience life without him at home all the time and the big bag of dirty washing he brings back.

Incidentally I had said to him "when you go to Oxford say hello to Mansfield college if you see it, but I don't expect you will" Well guess where they spent most of their time. "Did you tell your tutor your parents were here for four years?" "Uh. Couldn't remember if that was the one" It has changed a lot now. We spent our first four years of married life at Mansfield training to be Ministers. Happy days. It was odd because I was only two years older than some of the undergraduates and yet was married which made me feel very old indeed. Hywel doesn't really want to go down the Oxbridge route as he wants to do Games Programming which is a vocational degree - so Southampton is more his sort of place he says. I loved Oxford but would rather be there as a post grad than under graduate. Waaaaaaaaaaaay too much pressure in my opinion.

This week has been quite hard going work wise. I am struggling with figures for a stewardship campaign at one of my churches. Despite being in the top set for maths in school I do find numbers hard and they make my brain ache. especially columns of them. but I have to understand everything in order to present the campaign. SO not so much crafty stuff this week. But I have done a card for Daring Cardmakers today.

It was Jo's choice and she went for a cute number!

Bunnies and Chicks
With Easter nearly here - doesn't time fly! I thought that I would choose a dare this week to incorporate this...
I would like this week to see cards with a chick, a bunny or both!

I don't really go for Bunny and Chick Easter cards but I thought it was a good excuse to dust down my Quickutz chick die that I haven't used since making 70 hen and chick cards a few years ago. I remembered why afterwards as there are so many little bits. but it does look cute when done!
I put a piece of Bazzill cardstock through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The chick and all the patterned papers are scraps of the Kaisercraft left over fron my last Salt challenge. Cream thickers were inked in the same brown Distres ink as everything else; ditto the Adornit letters. Finishing touches were three little Anitas gems and the most fab cream ribbon from Crafty Templates. I bought one of Leo's fab quirky kits and threw in a few dolly pegs of ribbon as an after thought. Oh my! They are soooo soft and gorgeous!

Here comes the unecessary close up...

I've also polished off two layouts this week. One is for Doodling Along 3 at Imagine That. It was a bit stretching as I had to do the sort of doodling I don't normally do. I had the Daisy Bucket papers and chose2 sheets of co-ordinating Bazzill. Then had to find a photo to match. Can I say - look at the trousers and crocs - perfect! (love it when that happens)
If you want to know more - book a class! (there are loads more fab classes, take a look!)

And this is the backing that didn't become the biker layout
I had already cut the cardstock to 11 1/2 by 8 and pierced the pattern. then decided it wasn't right for the photo! I think that was a good call... The swirls are from a piece of Cherry Arte poolside paper that I used as a template. the papers are all Scenic Route Belleville/Brighton. the overlay is Hambly. I'm still not totally happy with the title but it will probably have to stay like that now (sob). Various thickers covered in glitter glue I like, I think it is the letter stickers I don't really. Self adhesive gems make the frame sparkle and the thread is sparkly too. It was very therapeutic doing all that stitching.

More necessary close up to see the sparkle...