Non Challenge Cards - July 2012

It is the last day of July 2012 and here is a post of the cards I created that don't fall into any challenges this month....

Beware, this is a picture heavy post - You have been warned!

This card was due to be entered into the Less Is More Challenge for 'Gold', but I missed the deadline :(

The sentiment says it all on this card - RIP Uncle Jack

This card was made for my Dad as he has been in hospital having his knee repaired.

The following cards were all created using elements that came free with 'Lets Make Cards' magazine.  As I sat at my craft desk I decided to see how many cards I could create...

Another evening I sat down and wanted to create some Decoupage, so I set about using a pad of paper I had brought a while ago from my local Range store...

Birthday Card

This week was the birthday of one of our nephews, he is now a young man and I really find it difficult to create masculine cards.

However this card just flew together without too much thought:

The image of the boy riding the rocket was cut from a Cricut cartridge (A Child's Year).  I used some 'glitter card' for the mounting of the sentiment and it just happens that the left over card was a perfect shape to act as a background.

To highlight the stars I coloured them in using a glitter pen and then finished the card with 4 dots of glitter glue.

I do like it when a plan comes together :)

Less is More - Sewing

This week the Less is More Challenge is...

Theme week once more and this time it's

SEWING

For this it could be machine or hand sewing.. faux or stamped... you could even use sewing related images... just let your imagination roam!

 

Although I have a sewing machine I have never used it when making cards or scrapbook pages.  I use it so infrequently & it is just too much effort to get it out of the cupboard, so I decided to use faux stitching.

 

 

This card uses an image from a decoupage paper pad from DoCrafts along with a peel off sentiment coloured black.

WOYWW - 25 July 2012

Good morning crafters...  It's Wednesday again, which means that it is time for 'Whats On Your Work Desk Wednesday' with Julia on the Stamping Ground Blog.

This week life has really been a bit Mad.  I have been able to snatch a bit of craft time but I have hardly had time to think let a lone have a look at the long list of blog posts waiting in my Reader!

I hate weeks like this!

So this is my desk this week...

Ok so what is going on:

• Well I have brought the new Autumn ProMarker colours - One colour was called Tawny Owl, so I HAD to have the set!!
• I decided to use some odd bits of cardstock & patterned paper to make a few cards & also used elements of a decoupage paper pack from DoCrafts.
• On the left you can just see the edge of a card due to be sent to one of our nephews who has a birthday on Friday.  I will post the card once it has been received.

WOYWW - 18 July 2012

What a week it has been so far, and we are only just 1/2 way through!!

However it is lunch time and after I have added this post to Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday as featured on the Stamping Ground blog I will be off to have a look at other desks all over the world.

I did not make it last week as life generally got in the way - and I spent the afternoon at LLindas Card & Craft shop doing a Card Candi workshop (which was brill!!)

So what is on my desk this week:

The other evening I decided that I just needed to do some colouring, so out with the ProMarkers and they have not yet been put away!

Sat in the corner of the cutting mat you will find a collection of Card Candi flowers based on instructions from Linda's workshop last week.

Here is the latest image to be coloured, this image was one of several free with one of the card magazines a while back.  I am slowly getting round to colouring them.

Less is More - One Layer (With 3 Things)

I have not taken part in the Less is More challenge blog for a couple of weeks, life was just getting in the way.  However this week I am back.

This is the Challenge for this week:

Everyone's favourite... the 
One Layer Challenge 

and this week it's really simple

Three of anything that is, three colours, three images, three stamps, three words, the number three.... it's up to you, but don't forget the white space, a simple design and just one layer!

Now One Layer Cards are not my favourite type of card, but I have created a card to enter this week.

I stamped & masked the 3 cakes before using a Circle Mask created the other day.  I added Scattered Straw Distress Ink (applied with a brush) to the circle.  The Cakes were coloured with my ProMarkers & I added a bit of glitter using a glitter pen to the toppings.

The card was then finished with a sentiment.

I think you will agree that it is a very clean & simple card :)

An enjoyable lunch out

We have just got back home after a very enjoyable lunch out at Bardney Heritage Centre.  It is somewhere we have driven past numerous times & I had noticed the Tea Shop sign but we never visited.

Now we have I can safely say we will be back!

They do a lovely selection of basic meals, all at very good prices.  This lunchtime I had a Panini & DH had a Jacket Potato.

Ham & Cheese Panini with side salad

Me Using a Mac!!

I have had my first lesson in using a Mac & Final Cut Pro to create 'Off Line Edits' - it sounds posher than is really is!

All I do is import the clips and then add them to Final Cut Pro ready for our Producer to do the creative bit. 

Our training was done at Lincoln Uni & 2 of the group used laptops & I got to use the desktop Mac - the bonus of this was the keyboard...

Mac keyboard for Final Cut Pro

Don't you just love the colours!! Each key has it's own shortcut in Final Cut Pro and these are shown on the keyboard, the colours are to group sets of keys together.

WOYWW 11 July 2012

Ok this is a slightly back-dated post, I was not able to get it published yesterday as I just ran out of time. 

Yesterday afternoon I had a Card Candi workshop booked at LLinda's Card & Craft in Laneham, Notts.  It was a busy session with 6 ladies all concentrating hard in periods of silence :)

We created 3 lovely cards & I would never have been able to create the flowers that I did without Linda's great instructions!!

So here are the pictures of the finished cards:

Created using White Card Candi, beads & Stickles Glitter Glue

A close up of the flowers - they were fiddly to create but the finished flower was worth it

This card was created using a Woodware Stamp and more Stickles Glitter Glue (this was the only card where the Card Candi was used flat)

I think that the flowers on this card are AMAZING - even if I do say so myself!!!  Each flower was created using a different technique but all were based on a Flower Punch base (from Woodware).  The flowers for this card needed the greatest amount of concentration and you could have heard a pin drop in the room!!!

This is a close up of the 2nd flower.  I have decided to keep this card for me to use as inspiration in the future - that & I liked it soooo much I don't want to give it away

I just HAD to have all of this stash... including more Card Candi (you can never have enough); The Woodware stamp we used on the 2nd card; more Woodware stamps of butterflies designed to be used with Card Candi & the Woodware flower punch used as a base for the flowers on the 3rd card.

Just before cooking Dinner I got chance to quickly create one flower - The woodware punch was out of the packet before you could say Woodware & and decided to use the 'Newsprint' Candi and a plain white one for the centre.

Is it a coincidence?

I recently viewed a video posted by Peggy on the Create with Bubbe blog for using the Sizzix Diffusers with embossing folders to give either the effect of a embossed image with a frame missing or just the shape of the frame which has been embossed.

I think this is the best description for how the Diffusers work, however if in doubt have a look at Peggy's video - all will be explained.  My immediate thought was "I've got to have them!!!"

A few days after viewing this video I found another blog post, this time by Andy at Pinnacle Crafts.  This post shows you how to create your own Diffusers (Andy calls them 'Templates')!! 

That sounds better than buying them!  So this weekend in a few spare minutes I decided to give it a go and create my own 'Template' using the instructions from Pinnacle Crafts. 

Here are my results:

Blogaversary Winner

Many thanks to all those followers who have supported me and left comments on my posts during the last 12 months.

I wanted to say "Thank You" by giving you all the chance to win a few goodies - and following the comments left on my Blogaversary post I have a winner.

Using my Random Number Generator (otherwise known as DH) the winner was comment Number 5...

This was a comment left by:

Gilly of Just Crafty Stuff

Congratulations Gilly.

Please send me your address to my email (found in my Profile) & I will send your goodies out to you.

1st Blogaversary

This is a sticky Post... Please scroll down to find recent posts.

Well I can't believe that 1 year ago today I dipped my toes (or should that be fingers) into the world of Bloging.

Since then I have created 327 Posts and Helen's World has been visited 11,587 times!  As a thank you to all those who have followed by Blog over the last year I have put together a little package of thanks...

Promarker Summer Set; Forever Friends card pack & toppers; Cuttlebug 'Bubble' embossing folder; Papermania Toppers; Rhiannon Rubber Stamp; Woodland Folk Clear Stamps; Colour Connection 3D Flowers.

To be included in my Thank You draw you will need to be a follower of my blog and to have left a comment on this post.  The draw will close at 3pm on Saturday 7th July, the winner will be picked at random.

Good Luck.

Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday was our 14th Wedding Anniversary and I promised yesterday to show you the card I made for DH.

I decided to use a Die Cut image from Little Clarie Designs and use Red, White & Blue Card Candi.  The word "Together" was stamped using the Card Candi letter stamps (this was the first time I had used them and was pleased with the result).

I finished the card of with a scrap of blue patterned paper and a length of bakers twine.

It was a very simple card to make (after all I don't do complicated) and I am pleased with the result.

On 23 June I celebrated my 1st Blogaversary, if you would like chance to win some Candy please go to my Blogaversary post HERE.

WOYWW 04 July 2012

Good Morning everyone, today is a special day in my life... it is my Wedding Anniversary.  14 years ago today DH & I both said 'I Do'!!!!  We shared a special day together along with family & friends, since that day 14 years ago we have continued to create many special memories together.  I have made DH a card that I will share with you all tomorrow.

Post Edited: The following arrived at work this morning, arn't they lovely...

In addition to our Wedding Anniversary, it is also Wednesday, so time for a sneak peak at workdesks all over the world with Julia at Stamping Ground.

My desk this week is very quiet:

I did say that it was quiet!!!  I have some Woodware peel-offs featuring Owls, a couple of peel-offs that had been put on white cardstock & coloured using my ProMarkers. 

Sat on the side of the desk is the scissors that I use when cutting Double Sided Tape or foam, they have just been cleaned, only I am now sporting a very odd looking plaster - while using the Sticky Stuff remover on kitchen roll I was trying to clean the blades & ended up cutting my finger - up the side by the nail - Ouch!!!!!

In addition sat on the desk is a new set of stamps just arrived from Lili of the Valley - these have not yet seen any ink, however I do have plans to use a couple in the near future.

Summer Bears Companion Stamps Set

On 23 June I celebrated my 1st Blogaversary, if you would like chance to win some Candy please go to my Blogaversary post HERE.

Me Silly...... Never!!!

Yesterday at the RAF Waddington Air Show I found on the RAF Association stand a trio of Plastic Ducks.  Now I know that after being busy working/watching the air show since Friday morning we were both going to need a bath to soak our sore muscles - so I bought a set (but DH did not know!).

In the evening after we had got home I went up to run the bath & managed to sneak up the bag containing the ducks (again without DH knowing!).  As I ran the bath I added the 3 new additions to our bath room, when DH arrived to jump in he laughed and call me Silly... ok maybe I am... just a bit.

When I told DH their names he laughed so hard & called me silly again.  So may I introduce you to Romeo, Alpha & Foxtrot...

It took a bit of persuasion but I was final able to get them to line up like good little ducks for a photo opportunity...

There are times you just have to be silly - we had a fantastic weekend & I surprised myself with some of the photos I took on Saturday.

Month in Numbers - June 2012

As it is now the end of the month it is time to look back at June 2012, along with Julie over at the Notes on Paper Blog (If you want to view other Month In Numbers posts or find out how to take part take a look at Julie's blog).

The first few Numbers this month were generated while visiting The Collection (Art & Archology in Lincolnshire) in Lincoln...

2,500 years that this Dugout Boat was sitting at the bottom of the River Witham before being discovered in 2001. Using the same technology as used to preserve the 'Mary Rose' means that this boat is on display in The Collection.

400 Mosaic tesserae used to create this mosaic design (however I must confess that it was not me who created this master piece) - This is one of many activities for children in The Collection.

93 empty seats in the 'Film Show; featuring object found in the museum.  DH & I were the only people watching the Film Show.







Now onto other numbers that occurred this month...

£26.00 spent on Plants for the garden. We brought a selection of plants that are now out in the garden & in a collection of pots in front of the house.  You just can't beat a colourful plant display in front of the house.

8 items in my Thank You gift to celebrate my 1st Blogaversary.  If you would like to be included please be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on THIS post

427 individual Eddie Stobart vehicles seen so far, taking me to 710 in the League table.

This picture is of 'Holly' this was also the name of the first Barn Owl I looked after - but I must say that my Holly-Girl was better looking that Eddies :)

Korean Display Team (Black Eagles)

391 photos taken at RAF Waddington Air Show on Saturday - then the battery died in both my camera & DHs (which I was using while he was working).  Despite getting wet during the rain in the morning it was a fantastic day and for the first time in 15 years I got to watch some of the flying displays.





On 23 June I celebrated my 1st Blogaversary, if you would like chance to win some Candy please go to my Blogaversary post HERE.