Canvas

I have only ever made two canvasses and they were a pair that I made for my mum and dad, I enjoyed doing them but they were never going to be something I really 'got' into. I was invited to a surprise party for my cousin and his wife as they celebrated their respective 50th birthdays, and completely stuck for something to give them, I managed to convince them to give me a photo of themselves and made them this as a pressy.

I painted the canvas with a mix of green and white Reeves acrylic and then set to, making most of my own embelishements (with the help of my trusty little cricut).

It took quite a while to put all the different colours of glitter on the butterfly because each colour had to dry before the next could be applied.

Lots of layering to add texture - SU! Ribbon needed my sewing machine to make all the pleats, I even put a couple of lines of stitchng around the MME paperand everything needed copics to colour and blend.

I coloured the tiny butterflies with my sakura souffle pens

I also made each of them a card.

For Gary - fairly plain as blokie chap cards are hard to do. A few stickers and a stamp coloured with copic pens

For Gill - a bit more work. The mat I cut on my cricut and then threaded with thin ribbon, the fairy is a rub-on (I have had in my stash a few years, and the vine flowers have been collecting dust for even longer. K&Co papers and the title is a studio g stamp.

Half term week was quite busy, Martin had the week off as he still has holiday to use up before April, the weather wasnt brilliant for holidaying. I spent a couple of mornings helping Laura as they are still painting and decorating like mad to get the house finished before next week.

We spent an hour or so in Leeds Castle as we thought there were events going on for half term. They weren't in evidence but these fellas were cute to take photos of.



We had a trip out to the Papermill so I could get some cardstock to make some New Home cards for Ollie and Kelly as their big moving day also arrived. packing all this lot up was hard work even with the four of us and the two removal guys.



And unloading was even less fun. We skipped our promised lunch in the Harvester as we thought we needed to be at the house for the removal van, but the previous owners had not finished their loading, so it was sausage and chips in the car. By the time we did get to unload it was gone half 3 and torrential rain was coming down. By 7 Kelly was in her new kitchen surrounded by boxes though.

Project 12 Number 1

This has been sitting on my desk for ages, all finished, waiting for me to scan!

The paper is the Frosted Ice collection found in the back of Creative Cardmaking Issue 10, and lots of Bazzill. I cut the large snowflakes out using WWFlakes font found free on the net, which I inked with SU! ink and dusted with glimmer dust. The smaller snowflakes were cut from silver glitter paper.

I cut the title using my George cricut cart, then stamped them with Sizzix Decrotive Elements clear stamps using the same ink, and frosted the edges with snow glitter (own stash). I also used glamour dust on the ribbon.

The date label is a freebie from Sue Colberts designs.

A Layout!!

Sketch 91 on Creative Scrapping

I am beginning to think my album for 2010 is going to be looking very samey. Yet again Kent found itself under 4" of white percipitation. I had managed to nab myself some supply work at a lovely school a bit out from the main drag, so when it started, with heavy flurries and blizzard like conditions on my way there, I was a bit concerned about getting home. Not so the kids, who you would think had never seen snow, let alone have just had three weeks of the stuff, it was all I could do to keep them from clustering around the window most of the day.

Despite the warnings and the early start to the treacherous conditions, KCC had not managed to grit or send out snowploughs despite constant assurances that they were ready to cope. The drive home was pretty hairy, so I was happy that all my various family members made it home safe and sound. Throughout the night the heavy winds and snowfalls continued so that in the morning we woke to deep snowdrifts and white vistas.

Which put paid to my supply work for this week.

Things I have forgotten to blog about:-

Martin and I had a surprisingly pleasant time at Martin's dad's 90th birthday party dinner. Held at the eldest son's house, with just the three bothers, assorted wives, and Dad's (Cyril's) sister, it was roast beef with all the trimmings, followed by apple crumble or fruit salad, and accompanied by polite conversation.

I have had a couple of 'fun' saturdays rubbing Danish Oil onto the doors in Laura and Wayne's new house. Its all hands on deck to get things finished so that they can move in by March as they have given notice on the rental property. Wayne unfortunately has had to go on some training courses for work, and this week he was in Mansefield. He fell sick on his first day there, and poor Laura, after a busy day at work had to do the 8 hour round trip to collect him.

Kelly and Ollie are on track for moving to Croydon on Thursday - I am on house cleaning duty! They have commissioned me to make some New Home/Address cards, a process involving lengthy three way email negotiations to get the designs agreed. Before I could get to the PaperMill to buy the cardstock though, the snow arrived, and gave us the chance to vent our frustration in some of our weird sense of humour - as yesterday's emails show. NB Brian is their cat and the other assoeted characters are childhood teddies who all have lives and characters of their own.

From: yvonne
Sent: 11 February 2010 11:34
To: Matthews, Kelly
Subject: commission

Dear Mrs Matthews (representative for Matthews, Matthews and Brian)

Unfortunately due to current extreme weather conditions, supplies for any commissions involving card stock are unavailable. Our agent is prevented from making delivery until road conditions improve dramatically. The management will obviously keep you informised, and we hope the situation will be rectified asap.

The management is aware that this blockade on essential supplies will effect your recent New Home cards commission (ref no: 1aaaaaaa). The management would like to apologise for any inconvienience you may incure, and assure you that as soon as the roads are passable, will do everything within their power to obtain the required supplies to fullfill your order, and hope this does not discourage you from using our services in the future.

regards

cards made by mummy plc xxx

NB Latest update from our outside roving agent. He has made it as far as Canterbury and reports that conditions have been slightly improved through action by local authority (e.g snowploughs and gritters) but that heavy winds causing drifts of large amounts of snow are still making some smaller roads impassable and he does not advice distribution vehicles to leave the depot just yet.

---

Subject: RE: commission
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:36:09 +0000
From: Kelly.
To: yizzard

SYSTEM Generated email...

Dear Cards made by Mummy,

Your message has been received and forwarded to the other board members.

Unfortunately at this time one board member is asleep on the sofa, another is in a team meeting and I am busy with US returns that have to be finished today.

As soon as someone becomes available your email will be responded to.

Kind regards

Mrs Matthews

xxx

---

From: yvonne
Sent: 11 February 2010 12:52
To: Matthews, Kelly
Subject: RE: commission

Dear Mrs Matthews (representative of Matthews, Matthews and Brian)

As none of your board members are available at the moment, all future urgent communications will be sent directly to the Manager, one Abbie Matthews with copies to Mr Frodo (Deputy manager), Mr Cuthbert, (Head of HR), and Mrs RB (Head P)A. (I understand Mr Billy (job centre trainee) is not to be included in correspondence due to his junior position, and also that some correspondence should be addressed to 'Box unknown but probably labelled bedroom, Land of spare 'oom, and may not be delivered immediatly) until someone from the senior board members is available to respond to our original missive.

Regards

Cards by Mummy plc xxx (registered trade name).

Dear cards by Mummy,

Thank you for your email. My collegues appreciate being kept in the loop with regards to this order as it will affect them receiving birthday presents (they think!)

Has the weather conditions improved sufficiently for you to stock up with supplies tomorrow? My sources tell me that there is no snow left in Sittingbourne and Chatham didn't have any to start with.

Regards

Mrs Matthews

Dear Mrs Matthews (representative of Matthews, Matthews and Brian)

It is our intention to wait until the week beginning 15th February 2010 before sending cars out of our depot in the direction of the supply distribution centers. We will be drafting in extra drivers for the sortie, and will be able to combine this outing with several others that our design department have planned (combining activities cuts costs allowing us to bring the finished product to the customer at a cheaper and more reasonable price).

Long term weather predictions suggest that this will be the optimum time for travel, especially since there has been little thaw in the local area and the outlook from the office window still conceives the precipitation to be of 4 or more inches deep. Inteception of F.M and A.M frequency wave bands have given driving conditions on the roads between our office and the distribution center (A2/M2) to be hazadous in both directions. We are not lucky enough to have sources of information on conditions further afield.

Please do not feel this will mean we will not be able to meet your deadline. The proofs are all set up already and it will not take our skilled artist long to assemble the finished product once the supplies are made available

Regards


Cards by Mummy plc xxx (registered trade name).

Stooopid aren't we?

I have some scrapping - my Jan entry for project 12 but I still have to get some decent photos, its a double lO and I have to figure out how to manage that. Watch this space.

Blog candy at svgcuts

Pop over to here at SVGCUTS blog for an opportunity to win a cuttlebug and goodies.

52 walks with my camera Walk 5

Since my last post, I havent done so well at keeping up either my blog or with my challenges, as I was having a bit of a winter blue's time. Everything around me seemed to be going wrong and I just couldnt get motivated.

First a broken tooth sent me off to the dentist and including a clean and polish, the bill for a new crown is going to be astonomical.

Then the dishwasher (which we reckon to be at least ten years old) finally gave up the ghost and washed its last dish.

Problems in Kelly and Ollie's moving chain threatened to really hold up their move.

And despite loosing 3LB on the first week of my diet, and feeling a little fitter from going on the Wii every day for a week, I didnt feel so motivated this last week, and didnt manage to loose any more (I did stay the same though so thats still good) I actually got a days supply work, but one day since last December is not really going to keep the wolf from the door - and I am getting mighty bored of being home alone.

BUT

I have cheered myself up now, Kelly and Ollie's move is now back on for a week thursday, a new dishwasher has been bought and installed and I am back with the challenges.

I took my camera for a walk with me when I went to have my teeth looked at, and had a rather pretty walk. Whenever I park in Canterbury I am too mean to use the carpark and tend to use the four hour spots which are free but a bit further to walk, which is ok, since I am determined to get fitter this year. One of the spots I like to park in is here,

and means I get to walk into town through the beautiful Westgate gardens.

So from the town back to the car would involve:

Passing the flint built Tower House or Lord Mayor's office as it is,

Then into the gardens proper which run alongside the River Stour.

past the 200 year old plane tree

who seems to now have an offspring.

past the war memorial

through arches

and over bridges

up steep hills ....

and even steeper railway bridges

bringing me back to the car.