Challenge cards ........

One of the lovely ladies over on DoCrafts has introduced me to the lovely Whiff of Joy stamps from www.whiffofjoy.com. Here is my entry to this week's Whiff of Joy challenge fromt there challenge blog.



This is my card for the Tilda Challenge that is being run every week over on the DoCrafts website. It was a 321 challenge - 3 colours (I chose red, green and copper), 2 brads, eyelets or buttons (I used Papermania gem brads) and 1 ribbon.

Ups and downs of a suburban crafting mum

I am really annoyed with the postal service now ...... I sent the pink card I made for the blog challenge to my friend Sue (Sue Bubbles) and it has gone AWOL! As if that's not annoying enough, the card that I made for Sue before she went to hospital also went missing between the postbox and Sue's letterbox! Surely we have to pay enough for postage it shouldn't be so hit and miss?

On the other hand, I have been lucky enough to receive four lovely cards full of stamped images from ladies from the DoCrafts forum. I am very very grateful to them for their generosity but it probably means I will end up spending a fortune on new stamps now as they have whetted my appetite! I am especially taken by the Tilda's from Magnolia and the Willow's from Whiff of Joy!

Earlier this week I had a meeting at the nursery at school confirming that Little Miss will be starting nursery in January 2009! She's been given the morning sessions that we wanted and although she has a few short sessions with me in tow she starts PROPERLY on January 26th!!!! Where have my babies gone?

I've spent most of the week butting heads with the kids it seems - they are all so confident and wilful it can become a real tug of war at times! However at different points this week they have ALL made my heart swell. Our eldest was awarded a "Child of Note" award for his hard work at his class's French Study day ..... apparently he has an excellent accent and attitude! Then middle tiddler came home with his first House Points Certificate for collecting 25 house points, plus a challenge award for super story writing and he has also been put up a level on his reading scheme so I am as proud as punch of that. Finally, Little Miss has developed a real taste for all things crafty (wonder where she got that from!?!) and has been creating some lovely paintings, glitterings and colourings with very little mummy-intervention .... not bad since she's not even 3 yet.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Pink Card

Over on her blog, http://slumbercards.blogspot.com, Suzanne is offering blog candy - to be in with a chance of this lovely pink selection you need to make a pink card, preferably to be sent to someone who needs a bit of cheering up or some TLC or who has been affected by Breast Cancer in some way.

I have made my card, here it is


I will be sending it to an inspirational friend of mine who has had to face Breast Cancer and still managed to come out bubbly and sparkly.

Oh my, I've been TAGGED! plus Challenge Caz Candy

Canny Crafter (another Caroline geez we're good lol!) has tagged me so now I have to say a HUGE thank you and pass the tag on to 6 other bloggers. This is the difficult bit, I love blog hopping and get so much inspiration from them that I'm not sure who to name! SO I'm taking a leaf out of some other bloggers books and saying that you ALL deserve it - please feel free to add it to your blog and pass it on!
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Over on the DoCrafts Scrapbooking forum, some of the ladies have been setting each other crafting challenges and I was feeling left out so I asked for a challenge (That's right, I ASKED for it!) and Sall came up with the first challenge which was: Book shape, ribbon, stamped image, handmade embellishment, 2 photos or decoupage, brads or eyelets, glitter and a Christmas theme. Here's what I came up with:



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The next Challenge Caz Challenge has been a group effort and the criteria are:
Glitter, a candy cane, 2 christmas puddings, Christmas ribbon, 5 Christmas coloured buttons, 2 stamped images, 4 types of christmas paper and a robin.

I haven't done it yet but if you fancy a laugh why don't you join in. If anyone is up for it, post a picture on your blog and leave a comment here linking it to your challenge card. If anyone is brave enough to join in there might just be a little prize in it for the winner.

See me ..... I'm Mrs Goodwife I am!

After my cake baking earlier in the week I've had another cookery day today.

I made my first ever batch of chutney - a pear and apple chutney based on a recipe from Valentine Warner's WHAT TO EAT NOW series. It took a while and started off smelling rather vile but ended up smelly REALLY scrummy. The only problem is that now I have to leave it to mature for 6-8 weeks and I am such an impatient so and so! Anyway, by Christmas we should be enjoying lovely spicy chutney with everything since I made enough for three big jars!

I also boiled a bacon shank to do a good old fashioned Northern Lass dish of bacon, cabbage, butterbeans and boiled potatoes and made a great big pan of soup with the stock from boiling the bacon. I cannot lie - these recipes do mean that you have to sleep with the windows open lol but they are lovely and comforting on such a cold night.

Finally, I am also pickling some onions to go in the cupboard ready for Christmas and New Year. Since my Little Miss has apparently followed in her late grandmothers footsteps and got a taste for pickles I think I might have to make more than just one big jar!

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Oh and I successfully managed to get the complete text of the Camelford Town Charter in both English and Latin onto one of the large candles I got from Asda so I'm hoping that mum and dad will like them for their medieval do. Once they've been approved I'll post pics.

Another candy competition

http://slumbercards.blogspot.com/

Sue is doing her bit for the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and is offering some lovely pink candy into the bargain. I'll be making a couple of pink cards this weekend I think.

A nice end to the week

Yesterday when the boys came home from school we spent some time baking yummity scrummity chocolate cupcakes. I love baking with the kids, I remember baking with my mum when I was little (and the kids still love baking when they go to Nanny's now) and I guess things like that are the magical memories of childhood that don't cost a fortune!

Recipe (makes 24)

8oz self raising flour, sifted
8oz granulated sugar
8oz softened butter
4 large eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
3tbsp cocoa
2tsp baking powder

Shove all the ingredients in a big bowl, whisk with an electric whisk until combined, spoon into a bun tray lined with individual cake cases. Cook at 170 degrees until risen and springy (approx 15-20 mins)

Easy as .......... CAKE

Today while the boys were at school, me and the little miss went for a stroll to town to my favourite local butchers for our weekly carnivorous fix! £17 lighter but satisified knowing we were going to enjoy making homemade soups, stews, roasts and other scrummy stuff we came home happy. (Little miss was most impressed as I bought her a painting set from the craft shop - I was quite impressed by small reels of ribbon for just 49p per metre!)

I've also been busy making cards for entry into a big competition but I'm keeping them under my hat for a little while longer!

Natalie's Blog Candy

To celebrate her 1000 hits milestone, Natalie over at www.ngcards.blogspot.com is offering one lucky blogger some delish blog candy including a VERY cute Sugar Nellie stamp (really must get myself some of these!)

If you want to be in with a chance of it all becoming yours, just pop over and leave a comment on Natalie's blog. She's a very talented crafter so even if you don't win, you can't really lose because you're bound to be inspired!

Another first for me

I have joined in with my first ever image swap on the DoCrafts forum and as part of that I had to make a wallet card to protect the images when I post them to my swap partner. I have to say I was a little daunted but thanks to the beautiful JulieI over on DC I managed to spend the afternoon making and decorating this card. The papers I used all came from Readicut, the ribbon is from Papermania and the image is a watercolour pencil shaded image of Autumn Milly from Spiral Whisper by the very clever Janet (CraftyCairn).

I have made some progress on the 750th Celebrations project as well - my mum and dad have approved the ideas I have had and are passing them on to the committee for consideration. However, it looks like they will probably want at least 100 to sell(eek!), a dozen larger candles for their medieval banquet fundraiser and one of the committee wants me to have a stall at their summer fayre. I know I have til June to prepare but OMG I'm suddenly nervous!

Had my thinking cap on lately

At the end of the summer term I offered to make cards for each of the kids who was going up to secondary school and each kid who was going from nursery to big school. I did these for free as a way of getting the website name more well known (www.foxcraftcards.co.uk) but when I approached the head to offer some Christmas cards to send to the governors she insisted that they would pay me for this lot. Her brief simply said "the real meaning of christmas" so this is what I designed.....


I've also been scratching my head (no it's not nits like one of my friends said!) about a design for the candles for my mum and dad's town celebrations for the 750th anniversary of them getting the royal charter. This isn't needed until 2009 but I need to work out some samples for them to get approval. All this brain work makes me want CHOCOLATE lol!

Sorry I've been away for so long but I AM BACK!

I had a bit of a squiffy summer, not quite sure if I was coming or going for a while but I'm back on track now thanks to some very supportive friends.

I've recently discovered a couple of new pass times - decorated candles (thanks to inspiration from DoCrafts) and Dotee dolls (thanks to inspiration from Sue Bubbles!)

I will add pictures of the new "obsessions" as soon as I'm back in the driving seat of my blog.


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