Happy new everything

Hello to you all, I hope you had a fantastic holiday and feel optimistic about the new year. I sure do! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and greetings. I really hope that 2010 brings you everything you wish for. Or, should I say, that you manage to do everything you plan to do.
I've been quite busy working on a couple of projects for the next issue of 'Creativity!', so I have already made a few things this year, but unfortunately I can't show you them... Instead, I'll show you a card I made in December, but forgot to share with you.
I used teal-coloured textured card stock, Papermania vinyl stickers (I love those!), Glitterations dots and greeting, PM adhesive pearls, a PM silver trim, and PM paper from the Christmas Carol collection.



That's it for now, but I'll be back soon!

Happy New Year!

Hi! I hope you are all having a wonderful time with your families. We had a lovely peaceful Christmas and spent most of the past few days watching Twin Peaks (for the first time, believe it or not). Now, before it's next year, I'm posting the card I made for my husband, a big fan of polar bears:



The bears were cut out from a sheet of felt. It wasn't easy, but both Jon and I are quite happy with the result :)


And here are some homemade gifts that we gave to our neighbours, aunts and uncles this year. The biscuits were so good, I didn't want to part with them, hehe.



That's it for 2009... Here's to a very happy year 2010, and let it be better than the last one.

Love,

Kreativ Blogger award

The lovely Sarpreet has kindly awarded me with this:


Thank you so much, Sarpreet! I really appreciate this, and I enjoyed reading your 7 facts. Also, I'd like to use this opportunity to congratulate you on your engagement. That's fantastic news!

There are some rules for this award, which are:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award;
2. Copy the award to your blog with a link to the person's blog;
3. Share 7 interesting facts about yourself;
4. Nominate 7 other bloggers, posting links to their blogs;
5. Leave messages on their blogs to let them know about this award.

Okay, here are 7 potentially interesting facts about me.
1. I don't like butterflies. Actually, I'm rather scared of them, especially the large and/or fluffy ones, like moths. When I was a kid, I couldn't force myself to even touch pictures of moths in my encyclopaedia. I don't, however, have any problem with spiders, snakes, toads and worms.
2. Some of the best things in my life would never have happened if it hadn't been for my love of music. When I was eight, I asked my mum what The Beatles' songs were about. She replied with 'Why don't you find out for yourself?' and sent me to an English school that had just opened in our town. At the age of twenty, I met the love of my life through common interest in Radiohead. We met on ICQ (instant messaging program) at 5AM on an August night in 2004. The chances of that happening were approximately 1:10,000,000. We have now been happily married for three years and share a collection of around 600 CDs and over 60 gigabytes of music in MP3, too. That's a lot of songs :)
3. I don't care for silver, gold and diamonds. All the jewellery I like costs no more than £20, and H.Samuel shop windows leave me cold. Lucky Jon! (my husband)
4. I've never had my ears pierced. I'm actually against all piercings and tattoos, although I will never impose that view on anyone else. Well, maybe my children.
5. I'm mad about cats, and I'm so good at imitating cat sounds that cats actually respond to my meowing/hissing. I've also fooled a few people this way, and my mum still can't tell whether it's me or the cat meowing under the kitchen door.
6. My favourite food is mangoes. I sometimes tell people that if they're stuck for gift ideas, they can just give me a mango or two, and I'll be happy — which is true.
7. I don't believe in shouting. It just doesn't work (I wish my neighbours knew that). In the three years of marriage, me and Jon have not raised our voices at each other once, and we plan to keep it that way.

Ahh, I enjoyed that!
And now, here a list of seven very creative ladies I'd like to pass the award on to:
Sam May
Kirsty
Janeen
Alison Manning
Sandra
Leanne
Jenni

Take care! And once again, thank you, Sarpreet.

Fi-i-i-ini-i-i-ished!

Hi guys, sorry I haven't done much blogging lately, but this time I actually have a valid excuse! I was busy making these:










The reindeer/Christmas tree ones are ours, and the landscape ones are for my parents-in-law. They think they're gonna pay me for these... As if! I can't charge them, it just doesn't feel right.

Anyway, I'll be back soon to post the award I've received from my friend Sarpreet.

A test in laconism

Sarpreet has kindly passed me the Over The Top award. I now have to answer the following questions with just one word. Well, here we go!

Where is your cell phone?
Here.

Hair?
Dark.

Mother?
Amazing.

Father?
Amazing.

Favourite Food?
Mango.

Dream Last Night?
Bizarre.

Favourite Drink?
Smoothie.

Dream Goal?
Secret.

What room are you in?
Lounge.

Your Hobby?
Numerous.

Your fear?
Loss.

Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Here.

Where were you last night?
Embrace.

Something you aren't?
Boring.

Muffins?
Blueberry.

Wishlist Item?
Cuttlebug.

Where did you grow up?
Russia.

Last thing you did?
Bath.

What are you wearing?
Gown.

Your TV?
None.

Your pets?
Imaginary.

Your friends?
Best.

Your life?
Happy.

Your mood?
Contented.

Missing someone?
Always.

Vehicle?
Bicycle.

Something you are not wearing?
Make-up.

Your favourite store?
Watestone's.

Your favourite colour?
Purple.

Last time you laughed?
Today.

Your best friend?
Two.

Last time you cried?
Forgot.

One place you go to over and over?
Beach.

Person who emails you regularly?
Brother.

Favourite place to eat?
Picnic.

Hey, I really enjoyed that! I only struggled with two or three answers.

I pass the award to these wonderful people:
Janeen
Jenni
Lisa
Mandy
Christine

Back to crafting

Yesterday I was reminded by my dear friend Christine aka Craftling that it's time I posted some cards at last. True, I've been neglecting my crafting desk lately... But I'm back! Boy, does it feel good! What was I thinking? I can't live without stitching, inking, trimmimng, stamping and sticking!
So here's my first Christmas card this year (apart from the ones I made for 'Creativity!' a few months ago). And if you don't like it... well, my biggest fan has already given me an "It's amazing. Realy good" and a big hug for it, so I won't cry :) (that was Jon, of course)





Credits:
Paper: 'A Christmas Carol' by Papermania
Card: Papermania, Bazzill
Reindeer stamp: Christmas Stamp Duos by Papermania, greeting stamp: Dovecraft
Ink: Ancient Page, Distress Ink in Antique Linen
Ribbon, hemp twine, lace and buttons from stash

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog candy winner!

Morning! Hope you all had a great weekend. It's hard not to love these late autumn days when it rains all the time and we all have a perfect excuse to stay in and be cosy :)
Many thanks to everyone who entered the draw for the blog candy. Now it's time to announce the winner!



A-a-a-and it's Lisa! By all means do check out her lovely blog. Lisa, Im going to write to you in a moment.
As for my wonderful new blog followers, this week I'll make sure to get to know you better!
Once again, thank you all so much.

Take care!

Blog candy!

This post will stay on top until the draw. Please scroll down for new projects.

If you are like me and never finish your Christmas cards until Christmas Eve, you might like the blog candy I'm offering.

Here is what the winner will get:
-exclusive Forever Friends bear stamp
-two different packs of green Papermania Sparkling Trims
-two Ink It Up ink pads (green and red)
-some brads (glitter coated and holly)
-four tubs of glitter (gold, blue, green, red)
-Anita's outline stickers (Gold Wave Borders)
-two rolls of Anita's Christmas ribbon (gold, green)
-five sheets of 3D pads

What you have to do:
1. Become a follower of my blog;
2. Put a note on your blog to let others know about my blog candy (it's up to you whether or not to post the photo of the prize);
3. Leave a comment here before 23:00 GMT, 22nd November.

Hope this is not too much to ask!

I will pick one comment on 23rd November using random.org and announce the name of the winner straight away.
I'm sorry, but in order to enter the draw, you have to be a resident of the UK or Ireland. Sorry about this.

Good luck to all!

me again!

You know what? I've realized I've got a few Christmas goodies that I'd like to share, so when I return here next week, it will be to annonce a blog candy giveaway! Something to look forward to, eh?

Until then, be good and take care!

Aqua card

Long time no see, hehe. I just thought, since I'm not going to be able to post anything until next Wednesday or so (got to make a few bits for January's 'Creativity'), I might as well post another card I made this week.





Papers: Basic Grey (Offbeat) and DCWV (A Pocketful of Posies), cardstock: Bazzill.
Flower: Prima
Stamps: Studio G.

Have a great weekend! Me, I'll be working rather than resting, but it's a dream job, I'm telling you!

Offbeat thanks

Just a quick post to show you a 'thank you' card I made two days ago. The papers are by Basic Grey (Offbeat collection), the tag is by Papermania, and the greeting stamp is by Studio G.





Take care, and thanks for looking!

Best friend's birthday

Hello hello, hope you are enjoying your evening. I've just come back from the gym, and I'm finding it hard to type, thanks to that rowing machine :) I'm not really into the whole sports thing, and never have been: my parents encouraged me and my brother to read books and create things, rather than play football or climb ropes. But if I don't work out regularly, my constantly low blood pressure gets the better of me, and I feel like a zombie all day, every day. So I haven't really got any choice: it's either the gym or living my life in an anabiotic state.
Anyway, this is a craft blog, so here's an unbearably girly card I've made for my dear friend Natasha who has just turned 26. Guess what the colour scheme was inspired by... I was on the treadmill, staring at my legs out of boredom, and it struck me how good my bright pink socks looked next to the grey sports trousers. Seriously!

The images are clickable.





Thank you for stopping by! I'll be back soon xx

Quick photo cards

Did I say I'd be back before Christmas? Well, here I am.

Last week I had to make a card for my wonderful father-in-law who loves golf, but because I'm no good at male cards, I decided to use a photo in my design.

Then my cousin Mark asked me to make a card for his friend, who I haven't met yet. And since I didn't really know much about her, except that she likes sweets (come on... who doesn't?!) and sports (and I've never made a sports card for a lady), once again I went for an easy solution in the shape of a photo of some lovely cupcakes.





Both photos are from a free stock pgotography site called stock.xchng. Papers used in Nikki's card are by Basic Grey and Bo Bunny.

Have a good day! Another unfinished card awaits me at home, so I'll be back very soon...

Hi guys, hope everyone is well. Sorry for not keeping in touch, I just couldn't find the time. And I haven't made a single card since... well, since our third anniversary, which was on the 16th September! The good news is, I've been asked to contribute to the next issue of 'Creativity!' - woohoo! As for the bad news, well, that's just my business, right? Nothing serious, anyway. As long as I'm with my angel of a husband, I'll be fine.

Have a good day! I'll be back with new cards before Christmas, I promise.

In 9 hours' time my plane will take off, taking me to Saint Petersburg. Then, on the 26th August, after a 30-hour train journey, I'll be in Murmansk, the place where I was born and spent the first 21 years of my life, the town that I still love more than any other. It will probably look exactly the same as it did last year:



I'm going to be back on 12th September. Until then, take care!

An unusually girly card

Good morning! Hope it's a good one.

There'll be no blabbering today, I just want to share a card that I was recently asked to make for a very good lady. My first ever card featuring a dress. What's next, handbags and shoes? :) Well, actually, I'd rather stick to my favourite subjects such as leaves, plants, animals and cupcakes. Fashion has never been my thing - and never will be (something I never fail to remind Jon when telling him how lucky he is to have me, economically at least, hehe). No, really, I never slow my pace when we are walking past a jewellery shop window - I couldn't care less for silver, gold and gems, and I will never have my ears pierced (I see that tradition as primeval, to be honest; but I'd love to hear your views on ear piercing). I do spend a lot of time in the stationery section, though. Staplers, paperclips, notebooks and pencils mesmerise me.
Whoops! Did I say 'no blabbering'? :)
Anyway, here's the card. It's an A5 one, the largest one I've ever made. The picture is clickable.



Thank you for stopping by!

Thinking of you

I nearly forgot to post the card I've somehow managed to make last week, whilst sorting things out at work and at home. Click on the pic to see a full size version.



Have a lovely day!

someone to look up to

Aaargh, I haven't got time for anything! I'm going on holiday next Friday, you see, and there are quite a few things that need finishing before I leave. Take the "Circle of friends" award, for instance. Did I say I would soon post the names of the bloggers who inspire me most? I know I did. So I've decided to use this opportunity to further promote my favourite card designers - even though they already are quite famous. This doesn't mean they are the only ones who inspire me. I just want to share my view of cardmaking perfection =)

So here are my crafting role models, in no particular order:

Laurie Schmidlin

Debbie Olson

Alison Manning

Heather Nichols

Teri Anderson

Thank you for stopping by!

Isn't it fantastic to learn that someone you admire finds your work inspiring? Lovely Chris has kindly handed me this Circle of Friends award, and just in time for my twenty-fifth birthday! Thank you so much Chris, it really means a lot to me. Oh, and Jon says 'thank you', too - yes, yes, I let him read your comment, my cheeky friend! - do you reckon we should establish an 'I fancy your husband' award? Seems innovative =)


In return, I'm going to award five inspiring bloggers, too, I promise; but first I need to cope with yet another birthday and the fact that I'm half way through to 50!

Saturday is a great day for a birthday, isn't it? Hope you all have a lovely weekend, too!

Flowers and leaves

Good morning to all! Lovely weather we're having today.
With the local fête approaching fast, I'm trying to make as many cards as I can, which is tricky when you can't stand the idea of repeating yourself. Here are three cards I made in the past three days. I'm now posting previews instead of full-size pics, so they are clickable.


The leaves here were stamped using transparent embossing ink, after which the whole panel was coloured using Papermania shimmer chalks and an applicator. I really like the effect. The leaf stamps are by Clear Choice, and the Just For You stamp came free with the 'Creativity!' magazine (you probably know by now, hehe).




Stamp by Inkadinkado, paper by DCWV, card stock by Core'Dinations, brads by DoveCraft, lace trim by Doodlebug.




I bought this stamp on eBay, and I don't know the manufacturer. I coloured it in with my new Papermania brush stroke markers (got all 36 of them at a discount price, wohoo!). The paper is by The English Paper Company, the purple card stock is by Core'Dinations, and the lace border punch is by Fiskars.




Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

little joys

Yesterday, while doing our usual late night shopping, me and my husband came across some Scottish strawberries that had gone from £3.00 a pack to £0.20 a pack - they're fine, just won't keep too long.
So now we've got over 2kg of strawberries which cost us just a quid, and we need to eat them all before Monday in case they go off.
Life is good.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend, too!

Just a note

Since I won't be here for a couple of days, I think I might as well post another card today. It's a very quick and simple one, but isn't that exactly what you'd expect from a card that reads "Just a note"?





Credits:
Card: Bazzill
Paper: Shabby Princess
Flower sticker: K&Co
Eyelets: Papermania

Have a lovely weekend!

Hello, hope everyone is fine. I won't be around this wekend, as we're going to a fancy dress birthday party in Oxford. The theme is pairs, and Jon and me are going as
John and Yoko. We finally tried on our complete outfits last night, it's going to be fun =)

And here's the card I made for the birthday boy:





Thank you for stopping by!

perfectionism as a vice

If you're like me, you are rarely happy with your creations. I do enjoy the process a lot, but as soon as the card (gift tag, scrapbook page, photo frame, you name it) is finished, I start seeing its numerous flaws. I sit and look at it and think about how I could have done things differently and how imperfect it is. The good thing is, next time I do better (but still not well enough, of course). Also, I do believe self-criticism is a lot healthier than self-admiration. It's one thing to be grateful for God (or whatever you believe in) for giving you a talent to create things that make other people smile, and another thing to feel superior because of what you can do.
Would you ever say "I make beautiful cards", even to yourself?
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I just can't.
But that makes the rare moments when I'm content with a newly-made card even more enjoyable, so it's fine, really. And after all, there is no limit to perfection, is there?

And here is one of my recent cards. I'm not happy with it, you know, but after this confession you'll know that's normal =)



Thank you for reading this. Bye for now!
P.S. Three days and three posts! Looks like I'm becoming a better blogger! =)

When it rains all night and all morning, being home is even better than usual. At 8.50, in a warmly lit living room, it was extremely hard to put aside the book I'm reading now, "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn (it's brilliant, by the way), and walk to work.
Today's card is a little more sophisticated than yesterday's one, and it's one of those cards that I will feel sorry to part with, even though I know it sounds rather immodest.
I sponged a little Antique Linen distressing ink over this K&Co manuscript paper and stamped a few leaf and plant images over it (sorry, but I've thrown away the packaging and can't tell you the manufacturer's name). The other patterned paper is Breathe from the Infuse collection by Basic Grey. The card is Bazzill's Kraft. The leaves are... well, bay leaves =) Hope you like!



Hope you have a good day!

Sunny and bright

Good morning all!
Hope you had a good weekend.
I've finished my projects for September's issue of 'Creativity!' and can now continue making cards for my August stall. Trouble is, I can't stand repeating same designs... It has to be something new every time, and that doesn't help when you need to make as many cards as you possibly can, does it? But it's always like this with me. When me and Jon go for a walk, I'll rather make a huge detour (or get lost in a forest) than walk back the same way as we came there! Thank God my husband is an angel (I mean it!) and doesn't mind my weird habits and beliefs.
Anyway, here is an unusually brightly coloured card I made yesterday (yeah, right after it stopped being so sunny).



Thanks for stopping by!

Distress inks: first attempt

I was rather terrified when my Tim Holtz Distress Inks arrived. What on Earth am I going to do with them? Have I just wasted £8 on something I don't need?
Well, no, as it turns out, that money wasn't wasted, and it's not all that hard to use distress inks. Three video tutorials, and I was ready to begin. Here's the result. Hope you like it!
The colours I used here are Antique Linen and Walnut Stain. I still find it hard to believe that simple white cardstock can be transformed like this =)





Ciao!

Love note

Good morning, good morning! A very good one, indeed.
Had a great time yesterday, when I went to see a horror film only to find myself the only person in the cinema hall. Oh, it was such fun! I do like to go to the movies on my own, I have to say. Oh, and then I found out that my boss had decided to reward me for all the hard work and paid for a 10-month gym membership for me - well, that was a gift to his wife, as well, for me and Sheila are good friends, and we both have been longing to start going to the sports centre together again, like we used to do - only I couldn't afford it. Well, we're going to start this week, wohoo!

On a different note, I've made a card - this time in red, which I don't often use (well, according to my husband, anyway). The background paper is wrapping paper with some lyrics printed onto it on my home printer, The flowers are from Prima, the pearls and flower foam stamp from Papermania, and the lace punch from Fiskars.





Have a good day!

Glittery and girly

Hello, hope everyone is well. I had a great weekend, most of it spent with my best friend Natasha. We went to a new church on Sunday together and really enjoyed it, too, and then had a wonderful picnic in our friend Sheila's garden... Pure bliss of a weekend, to put it plainly =)

I'm trying to catch up with the cards I've made recently. Here's another very simple one (would be even quicker without the stitching). Hope you like!

5-minute thank you card

A quick and simple 'thank you' card for those who are always in a rush.





Have a good day!