things happens...

Hi everyone I bet you all thought I had disappeared didn't you...well despite all your prayers and well wishes and good thoughts the thing we were dreading happened so over the last few days we have been trying to get our heads around it...don't worry its not life threatening or anything like that but it is life changing so it will take a little while for us to get a grip off...I cant really talk about it in depth atm as there are family members who don't know and it wouldn't be fair to them for them to read it on here would I...all I can say is please please please keep sending us those positive vibes...we really need them atm, we are trying to stay positive but its super hard sometimes isn't it...right now back to posting I think...oooohhhh the weather here is so yucky today there is hardly a drop of light in the sky and its being like evening all day long hence the rubbish grey photo...so apologies in advance...what have you all been up to since I last spoke to you?...anything exciting or super interesting...go on spill the beans lol...right now for my greyish card for today...how cute is this little fella, look at that sad little face...only Mo from Mo's Digital Pencil could draw this cutie...hes called Broked B C and I coloured him with my usual distress inks and yes I am still struggling along with that paper lol...the lush papers I used for my card are from the Basic Grey Fresh Cut 6" x 6" Paper Pad I got from Bunny Zoe's Crafts and all I added to finish was a few gorgeous yellow buttons...I was going to add some ribbon but didn't think it needed it...what do you think?...the lush sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 challenge and I'm also entering it for the Doodle Pantry Challenge and the Fairy tale Challenge too...I'm off to sample some lush home baking now and then an evening in front of the tv...what you been up to today?...I will speak to you all bright and early tomorrow and whatever your up to for the rest of the day have fun

Mina xxx

my first try at light ink colouring...

Good morning everyone, thank you all so much for your birthday wishes they meant a lot to me and I enjoyed reading them so much too I will catch up with you all this week to thank you in person...great dinner last night the chicken it was fab but...major cheesecake disaster...the cream cheese I bought was a slimline one and I didn't notice, so with the higher milk instead of fat content meant my cheesecake mix didn't set in time...so a rethink was needed, it tasted great and was like thick whisked cream in texture so I chopped up the lush Oreo base to a thick crumb and served the cream mix with the crumb with grated chocolate and orange on it and wow it was delicious...so dessert disaster averted, isn't it amazing what we can come up with when we have too lol...our beautiful Daughter and her other half bought me a lush snood scarf in blue, its beautiful and jewellery and a pedicure set, Phil bought me two leather and fabric bound books for sketching and writing ideas in, they are so stunning I will take a photo and show you and he bought me new make up brushes (badly needed for a while) see we think men don't listen lol and my lovely Dad gave me cash to buy something I wanted...we had a lovely dinner and loads of giggling and conversations, so my Birthday was brilliant and couldn't have been more perfect...I got an email last week from someone asking about using distress inks to colour a lighter stamped image and if it would work, I hadn't a clue so thought well give a go girl...I stamped this stunningly cheeky little cherub in using the palest ink pad I had which was a Memento London Fog pad, I had to heat set it though as it isn't waterproof unless set and there you go distress inks work with it ok although I had to adjust the amounts I used and its still not perfect but as a first go not too bad...what do you think?...this stamp is from the brand new Magnolia With Love collection and is called Bonny Tilda (and its on sale atm too)...isn't it just so so cute and just a little bit cheeky lol...the paper is from Magnolia too and is the Red Romance 6x6" Paper I finished my card with two Heart Paper Frames (Doilies) - 10cm some Ruffle Rose - Red and Sonia Rose - Ivory flowers, a strip of lace and a ceramic sentiment...everything except the lace and sentiment are from Bunny Zoe's Crafts the fab sketch is from Sketch N Stash challenge and I'm also entering it for the Fairytale Challenge and the Lovely Hanglar or Sweet Magnolia challenge too...I'm having a chilling colouring day today I want to try a few more images in the pale ink to see if I can improve my shading with them...whatever your up to today I hope its a great one

Mina xxx

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose

hair - antique linen, frayed burlap

shading - pumice stone

dance with joy...the house photos are below...

Good morning everyone how was your weekend, I hope it was brilliant...ours was full of running around, but that kind of running around when you don't really seem to get anything done, do you know what I mean...btw I posted the house photos below this post as I don't want to overload this with loads and loads of photos...I hope you like the house, we love it to bits...right now so you don't have too much to read I will get on with my card for today which is using this stunning digi from Mo's Digital Pencil ,well of course its from Mo, look at those faces...this beauty is called Cutting the Rug and as always I coloured them with distress inks, don't you think the rich colours of this stunning Carta Bella - Beautiful Moments 6x6 Paper Pad go so well with these two cuties, I bought this from Bunny Zoe's Crafts and the tags are cut from the same pad...all I needed to finish was a huge green bow and a rose corner cut from the pad too...I made the sketch up as I went along as I don't have enough time to follow a load of challenges like before, but I am entering it for the Fairy Tale Challenge and Totally Papercrafts challenge too, they are both song inspired and I chose Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston...so shocking that she isn't with us anymore isn't it...I hope you enjoy the photos of the house as well as my card and I will try my best to get around blog hopping tonight but I'm not having much luck fighting the 'eyelids attached to my butt' syndrome atm, I fall asleep as soon as I sit down lol...whatever your up to today have a brilliant one everyone
Mina xxx

distress ink colours used
skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose
hair - girl - frayed burlap boy - antique linen
boys outfit - antique linen, pumice stone, frayed burlap
girls outfit - victorian velvet, pumice stone, black soot

feeling hot hot hot...

Good morning everyone are you all enjoying the weather or melting yet lol...its really not a good idea going shopping on the hottest day of the year when the stores haven't quite sorted out if they should have heating or air con on yet...we were having a fantastic day wandering round doing the girlie stuff yesterday, loved make up shopping as its great to do that with another woman isn't it but then we went into a dress shop to look at some we had seen in the window and omg it must have 35 degrees in there, it just washed over me like a sickness and I could feel myself going, we had to dash outside as my Daughter said I changed colour and she thought I was going to pass out (I didn't tell her I thought I was going to too lol)...fair enough that they don't have the air con but at least open a door or two...the poor girls that worked there looked terrible in that heat, I really felt for them...we had lunch then sat in our town square for a while nattering...fantastic day, I think the older our Daughter gets the better shopping trips are, long gone are the days of dashing from shop to shop with a stroppy teenager who cant find anything that fits, or doesn't make her look fat (yeah right like a size 10 is fat) or hates something because I picked it...thank goodness they are over too lol...right now onto my card for today, I love this fantastic Bubbles Boy from Mo's Digital Pencil don't you, his little face is so adorable, definitely a Mo's face isnt it, I coloured him with distress inks and used this amazing paper from My Minds eye Lil Robots range, I love this collection it has such lush colours and is brilliant for boys cards of all ages...I finished my card with some ribbons, a double knot, buttons and a couple of cogs cut from the paper...the lush sketch is from Dutch Dare challenge and I'm also entering it for the Chocolate, Coffee & Cards challenge and the Fairytale challenge...I'm not sure what we are up to today as the car is in for a service from early but hopefully will be out by 1pm because I still need to get a couple of things for our Daughters Birthday tomorrow...whatever your up to today have a fantastic one and watch out for the 'hot' shops

Mina xxx

distress ink colours used
skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose
hair - antique linen
shorts - shabby shutters
t shirt - pumice stone, stormy sky
shoes - shabby shutter, stormy sky
bubbles - tumbled glass

a splash of orange...

Good morning everyone I hope you all survived Friday the 13th without incident, I have a little snippet of information for you today, did you know this year there are 4 Friday the 13th's and they are exactly 13 weeks apart...my head is full of rubbish like that that's no use to anyone lol, Phil's away at the motorbikes racing marshaling again so I'm not up to much today, would you believe I spent most of yesterday in bed sleeping, I'm hoping that's the end of the virus thingy I have, when I finally woke up Phil had a lovely dinner of lasagna, salad and garlic potatoes, it looked fantastic but I hadn't the heart to tell him I wasn't hungry, well you cant do that when someone has gone to all that effort can you...it was tasty though and I ate some of it...I stayed up for a few hours but nodded off on the sofa again, woke for another hour did a teeny bit of commenting but couldnt keep my eyes open so then off to bed and slept like a log...maybe I have sleeping sickness lol

I didn't even switch my laptop off which is unknown for me, I'm really careful with electrical stuff...right enough of my moaning are you up to anything exciting today, go on let me know so I can be jealous lol...my card for today is using another MayzyArt digi, this is the fabulous Jean Reading, I love how she does faces don't you...I coloured her with distress inks and had to make her a redhead with these lush papers I bought from Bunny Zoe's Crafts, they are from the Kaisercraft Homemade 6x6 paper pad, these papers are fantastic in this pad and like all Kaisercraft pads they have four pages of tag, embellishments and paper borders at the back, the tag on the image and message are from the same pad...I added some lush rich orange ribbon to finish...Im entering this for the Fairy Tale Challenge, Charisma Cardz challenge and Card Makin Mamas challenge too...I promise I wont have a moan at you tomorrow, I'm sure your fed up with reading me feel sorry for myself, so today I will give myself a good shake and get down to some serious crafting as my stash is feeling a bit neglected I think...whatever your up to today have a fantastic day
Mina xxx

distress ink colours used
skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose
hair - gather twigs (from the Fall limited edition set)
jeans and head scrunchy - stormy sky
top and socks - tumbled glass, spiced marmalade
book - spiced marmalade, antique linen

Im baaaccccckkk....again...the fastest card I have made