Its a twister, its a twister!

It is blowing a gale outside. We have a very pretty windchime (plays proper notes) and it is going off like anything right now. It doesn't feel like Kansas any more...

Just as well I get to stay in for most of the rest of today then. Apart from the search for a Boots Opticians later on. Long story that involves several texts to Carys. "Get on the bus" "No don't get on the bus" "Yes do". None of which she has responded to yet...

I'm going to warm myself up by the power of candle light, thanks to Kathy's dare for this weeks Daring Cardmakers challenge - Let there be light. It ends our 6th year of dares. Pretty good going eh?

It is another simplish card. It still takes just as long somehow! And I am still using that Echo Park Victoria Gardens pad. I've also used my Cheery Lynn intricate doily die with a new metal shim called a Cuttlehug which made cutting it a breeze (it wasn't before). The middle of the doily falls out and I was going to stick it back in but I liked the way it created an off centre frame for the little Quickutz candle so left it empty.  The sentiment is a Clearly Besotted stamp - they ink up beautifully. Also used a Dienamics Fishtail die and a Cuttlebug embossing folder

Somehow I have managed to carve out a little scrapping time - I think this is mostly due to the way I have spread out the wonderful Quirky Kit I have been given to play with. You can see more about what I have been up to here but here are the pages...

Mustn't grumble

But it is slightly irritating that at midnight you get an email saying there is free postage on a website that you placed an order on a few hours before. That's a whole 2.50 I could have saved.

Let's be positive instead. This week I have had lots of interesting conversations with people that could lead to positive developments in different ways. It is good to make connections with people that take you off into new directions. I read a book by Richard Wiseman about luck and he said that generally speaking it is more about having a wide network of people around you. The more connections you make, the luckier you seem to be. I don't think that can be applied to everything but it does make a lot of sense really.

So I will be happy.
It is good to count your blessings and try to find joy in life, even when there are stresses and strains. I am so blessed to live where I do now. In these last three months things have really not been all plain sailing but I never fail to be awestruck by the view from Babbacombe Downs just a few minutes from home. At night when it is clear the constellations over the sea just make me sing praise to God in my heart. And I have a fairly long commute to my other church, but I drive along the coast which looks amazing in every kind of weather (apart from mist when you can't see it at all!)

And I have a family at home who never fail to make me laugh and gently poke fun at me when I need it.
And a craft space with a sea view that is compact AND tidy. I love it.

Be happy - is the theme of Daring Cardmakers today. I knew what I wanted to do - use my Papertrey Ink die. So I did! And I didn't let the fact that sometimes I am annoyed that the phrase set does not include "birthday" get me down.

I used papers from the Echo Park Victoria Gardens 6x6 pad. The card would have been a lot quicker if I hadn't decided to outline each of the words but it did make them stand out a lot better. "Birthday" is from an Imagine That set

I am also happy - nay, ecstatic - that Leo has asked me to Guest Design for Quirky Kits again. My first post is here, which features my design process (ooh sounds posh) and the first of my layouts.

Mum and Dad on their Golden Wedding day (aw!). When I first saw the kit I thought that orange day of the week paper would be hard to use but I think it is the first paper I used up completely!

Now if I can crack on with service creation (it is Psalm 91 this week so we will look at being frightened and having the security of God's love. But its all age so I need to think of participative ideas. Hmmm) then I will also have time to clean the house
what am I saying
then I will have time to craft - which makes me happy!
Hope you find time today to count your blessings and do something that makes you happy too!

Just like buses...

Another post so soon?

Well I thought I would share the card that I made for the 90 year old and the wedding that I officiated at yesterday. Which went off lovely in the end despite me not confirming with the organist that we needed the bridal march so he didn't bring his copy. (He managed to find a one line version and put in all the harmony and pedals as he is a star). And the bride being half an hour late (apparently it was due to the vintage car). Just as well there was only the one wedding. And the sun actually shone which I am beginning to think is rare for South Devon.

This was quite simple but brave for me as I stamped directly onto the circle of woodgrain paper with two Scenic Route stamps. I added glitter around the circle and on the little punched hearts. The colours of the wedding were burgundy so I went for dark red/pink (don't have a lot of burgundy papers)  I've got another wedding in 2 weeks so I might make another one like this.
Cardstock: PTI; Papers: MMI; Martha Stewart punch; Nestabilities dies; WMS stamp; stick on gems.

Because I was handing this over I could go mad with big flowers and foam pads. Although it was a struggle to fit it in the envelope!
Cardstock: Craft Creations; Paper: Echo Park; Dies: Nestabilities and PTI and Dienamics; Stamps: Imagine That; lace and flowers from stash (I had to wipe the dust off the flowers!).

Last night was the tedious job of bagging up cards. I have about 60 birthday cards but had only two sympathy cards and 1 new home so made a few of those this afternoon ready for the church fair. I will offer a selection for sale I think! I have tidied up my desk ready for tomorrow's excitement. (I am so much tidier now I have a little craft space in the bedroom. I like to put everything away and it only takes 5 minutes!) (This only refers to my craft desk not my work desk. That is still pretty untidy) (You can't have everything).
Anyway the excitement is that I am guest designer for Quirky Kits again. How fabulous is that!
Here is the main kit I get to play with and this is the lite kit. I can't wait to spread it all out and decide what stories I am going to tell with all the goodies. The new hat? Reflecting on life here? Halloweens of old? My time as a semi Goth? The time I recorded backing vocals so was really with the (one man) band? we'll have to wait and see!
But I expect the new hat will have to feature!

Yawn

Today I have been brought up short in a prayer time. Probably because that is the only time I am quiet enough to really hear God speak. I had gone to prayers in a very grumpy mood. VERY grumpy. Our greyhound sometimes gets anxious in the night and wants to sleep somewhere different from where she sleeps. (The solution will NEVER be in our room though). Last night was an anxious night for some reason so she whined. She has a very loud and persistant whine. She whined basically from 3-5 during which time I did not get much sleep - even though Radio 5 were playing the Vice presidential election debate from the US. I was still cross about the lack of sleep this morning. I was shouty with her, narky with Phil (Carys was glad to escape). I stomped to church.
I sat down for prayers.
And then I thought about all the people who have broken sleep every night. Those who are carers who need to help people to the toilet in the middle of the night. Or who have to find a partner with dementia who is wandering. Or who have to turn a loved one regularly. Or those with babies who are desperate, desperate, for sleep.
So I confessed my sin of taking my petty gripes out on others (even the cause) and prayed for those who have broken nights,e very night.

I'm still tired though.
And there was no way I was ready to take a photo of my DCM card before prayers so I am late again!
I'm going to put another card photo up first as one of my friends is spider phobic and I suspect even a fun foam one might be too much. So the first photo will be a more mundane card being made for the church fair next week.

This card uses a MME pad of papers (finished it up too!); PTI card stock; EK Success large border punch; Nestabilities and MFT dies; Imagine That stamps; Vintage photo ink. I love the way there happened to be a sun shape in the top right corner of the paper!

OK now to the main event - the Spiders! Leo chose the dare Incy Wincy Spider.
I was hoping to combine this dare with a 90th birthday card I need to make. I'm not sure this is quite the thing though so will make another tonight (If I can keep my eyes open after Messy Church)

I don't do Halloween cards so needed to think what else I could do, so came up with a terrible pun. It is not really a pun to be honest!
I made the spider from fun foam using Nestie dies; the eyes are Cropodile punched with stick gems in the middle. I die cut a circle from the black square card and a larger one from the MME  orange paper.  The Bakers Twine is sandwiched between the paper and the cardstock. A little metal corner tag (to bring some red in) plus stamps by Imagine That and Banana Frog frame the pun spelled out in American Crafts thickers.
And here is the inside...

Now who can I send it to?

There is a wedding at church tomorrow. PLEASE let there be sunshine after all the rain. There can't be any rain left in the clouds over South Devon, surely? I do love a wedding though - and as Minister I get the best view of the love and the nerves and the tears and the laughter. Its fab!
Let's hope I am awake enough to enjoy it!

Thank you very much

Thank you for staying with my despite the cryptic moan in on my last post.
Thanks to Roy who stepped in at the last minute to take a service for me as I was really not well enough last week (I do hate that happening)
Thanks to Alan who organised an extra special church trip to the zoo yesterday.
And thanks be to God that I was well enough to enjoy it.
Bad enough missing the Exeter Stitches show when I had bought a ticket and everything, but to have missed meeting the baby giraffe (she was a surprise birth apparently!) that would have been terrible.

Both Roy and Alan are getting one of these

as I made two of them! They are for this weeks DCM colour challenge - a lovely Autumn colour scheme chosen by the wonderful Sharon
I think there are 4 different manufacturers of paper featuered - October Afternoon; Studio Calico; MME and Heidi Swapp. Not bad for a small card eh?
It also features a new Cheery Lynn die that I won - so another thank you this time to Tracy from Dies to Die for.
The notched sentiment strip is also from there - one of my compensation for missing Stitches parcels (I was very sorry not to go!)
The other dies are Nestabilities; the stamp is Purple Onion and the gems are from Sarahs Cards.

I didn't get round to blogging last weeks dare - Chevrons. (I love chevrons). Fortunately I had made my card in advance of falling ill. To be honest I had made it thinking that the chevron dare came before the "thanks" one the week before!

 

I used Echo Park papers with a smidgeon of MME; some Imagine That stamps and white emobssing powder; an old button and paper flower and some white, yellow and teal liquid pearls. I may have gone liquid pearl crazy!

I've shared some zoo photos on Facebook but had to repeat and add a few more here. The gorilla was on his way to jumping out and scaring teenagers. We watched him do it twice. Hilarious!

You can see what a lovely day it was yesterday in South Devon. Back to constant rain today. I'm off to Messy Church now. Which is VERY loud and VERY  hectic and VERY messy and VERY  fun and full of the love of God