An Emergency Light Box

Good afternoon to you all

Oh my was yesterday horrid, not in the creative sense but in the sort out the brand new computer sense.  6 hours to reinstall everything again, in an attempt to find out why Mr Linky cannot be seen by a 64 bit Windows machine using Explorer 8 or Firefox.

This is not just my issue........................there are several of us who have upgraded our machines only to find out that we are then unable to see the Mr Linky on Challenges or Candy posts.  We are not having issues with the blue froggy he appears to be user friendly to us.

I sit opposite my hubby in my office and he has a 64 bit machine and explorer 8 and he can see it.............. so it is very frustrating................a plea if you have any ideas or have managed to solve your own issues, please would you be so kind as to pass on how you did this, thank you :)

Onto the crafting bit then :)  I have in between my GDT and DT crafting been working towards a few little creations.  This is one of them and I hope you like it, I am going to give it to a friend as a thank you as she spent an awful lot of time and is still searching for an answer to the above.

I was entering this into the Let's Get Shabby Challenge which is a photo inspiration challenge - I was choosing kitchen number 2 however I forgot to stick to the required recipe but never mind, I will see what else it might fit into.

 The little box was purchased at a local department store in a wood state.  I painted it with gesso and then painted onto of this with some Oyster Acrylic paint, it looks a little silver here but in the natural light it is a gorgeous pearlised creamy white with a hint of the mother of pearl.  I added the ribbon and created the bow, the ribbon was also from the same department store (see where I shop above)

 The clasp was a little lose so Matt addressed this for me with some really strong glue.

 The wording is computer generated and free hand cut out and the roses are cut out from some lovely paper that was in my stash.

 The candles from another cheap local shop and the inner was painted in gesso and then the pale pink.  The papers that edge the sides again from stash.

 The computer generated wording was a quote I found on a web site, but there was not name to go with it.

Decided to take an angle shot to see if I could show you more, not sure if it worked.

I am entering this into the following challenges

ABC Christmas - U = Under the Tree

One Stop Craft - Alter It

Thank you all of my recent visitors who left some amazing comments

OK I am now going to hit the ironing with the new iron (not sure if I told you but last week the ironing did not get done as the old iron thermostat had a blip and I put the iron straight through my work trousers) so I have two weeks worth of ironing to get on top off - will watch the recorded Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor first live show to keep me going

Hope the rest of your Sunday is more pleasant than mine is going to be

Hugs 

Kate xx

Let's Get Shabby - Challenge Seven - Summer Influence

Hi everyone, hope you all had a lovely xmas and got lots of crafty bits in your stockings or under the tree - if larger items and if Santa thought you had been extra good. (Mine was under the tree :)) ).

Having a few days over xmas has given me time to play.  What with you may think, well actually nothing new on this piece of creativity, but I really enjoyed it all the same.  If you read the end of the post you will find out why.......

I decided, due to getting an honourable mention on the last challenge, on my first attempt, that I would try for gold on my second, however that may not be the case, as not everyone sees things the same way and I am usually a little bit eccentric, or so my work colleagues say.

Let's Get Shabby - The Challenge influence

My creation is based around the things that I love and that "summer" influence me on holiday, "Sun", "Sea" and "Sand".  I searched for hours for the correct photo's for this scrap page layout.  I finally found some - so far unused photos of my sister Jo.  She is in Tanzania and currently has no electricity, this can go on for days, weeks etc. So fingers crossed that they fix it for her quickly, and that when she does she will see this and feel instantly better.

I located some Blue Awning K & Co papers, chose the embossed one with the postcard on it, as you always send these on holiday to your friends.  I then thought that summer is flowers so chose a yellow sun coloured paper from the same pad with flowers on it in white.  Wanted to show rolling sea somehow, so used some horrid greeny / blue lace, it actually looks better now than it did on my hooks.  I added feathers for the crests of the waves (or seagull feathers - you can decide) I used Tim Holtz denim blue and a swirl stamp (not sure of name) to show swirls of water around the circle and then used my little shells for the sandy beach effect.   I added the flowers to complement and the lace through the middle as it had waves at the bottom of it, I had to cut it in half and turn it around under the image to sort of even it out.  I got these lovely flip flop charms from Boys and could not decide how to hold them in place, so got some craft wire in a lovely sea blue and twirled it around a ground peg, to get an even coil and then threaded the charm on to it.  Each image has a corresponding colour on it and then the last one was pink - so I used my copic holiday blue and coloured it up and then placed this just under the flower edge. The sentiments are created in word using an image with text set to appear in front of the image, I cut them out and further distressed.  I felt the rolling blue/green lace sea was missing something so added a Hobby House pin, with several beads that I got from that beloved place ebay.  I feel that this now has all my summer influence inspiration on it.  Hope you like it, again got carried away with my new camera.

 

 

Hope you can see them ok.

Well the reason I needed to get crafty was to take my mind off

the fact that the Insurance cover people on my washing machine turned up for the third time (4 weeks no washing) with still the wrong parts for my washing machine.  I finally accepted there money towards a new washer.  Went to a local store and purchased a lovely new one for an extra £35.00, bargain.  "So I thought".  Arrived home, plumbed in and placed the first load in.  You may as well have put the hosepipe in the kitchen and switched it on.  The kitchen was flooded I just needed my Summer Influence costume on..............and the husband could have photographed me for "Let's Get Shabby"

any way the washer had the most amazing crack from top to bottom in it's casing.  Paddling in the pond, I mean the kitchen - now that is a new one for me, used more towels to swill the water around the room and to late to call and complain, cleaned up and went in for the kill this morning.  I have to say they were very accomodating and did get a machine from outside the area to me within 4 hours, they plumbed it in and hoooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy.

First load just finished.

However, does anyone love ironing??????????????????????????

Hope you all have a great new year, look forward to an obviously intesting one myself as some lovely person bought me this

more to follow on that

Hugs Kate x

What a lovely xmas present - An Honourable Mention on "Lets Get Shabby" Challenge

Good evening everyone,

hoping you are driving carefully in this crisp, cold weather and wrapping up warm.

No photo's today just a catch up.

The ladies at work laugh at me every morning as I arrive, with my hat, scarf and gloves (which change daily) they think I own far too many.  Well my excuse is that if I had to clear my car I would be warm doing it and if I had to sleep in my car I would also be warm.  At my age the, what you look like bit, has already started to go out the window.

My colleague made me laugh this morning, she arrived in the car park and skidded to a halt, so parked her car where it stopped.  Luckily I was able to steer my car to a comfortable straight ish position.

Although I did have lots of work planned this week, unfortunately the weather is preventing that work arriving on my desk, so I feel quite relaxed.

The washer man arrived with the wrong parts (that he ordered) and then realised that something else had broken.  No washer for xmas (oh my gosh) won't get fixed now till the 29th December - ooooo well no washing or ironing.

And finally I am so excited and thankful to receive an Honourable Mention on the "Lets Get Shabby" Challenge 6, with my very first submission, xmas just doesn't get any better than that.

So with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart, I am going to make myself a cup of peach tea and sit myself down to relax. (Before I do the husband's head in)

take care all

Kate x

Lets Get Shabby Challenge 6 - Xmas Inspired Project

Hello one and all and a Merry Xmas to you all.

Sorry I have not posted for a few days but I have been decorating the house and home for our special month in between finishing my Lets Get Shabby Item.

It is the first time I have entered this challenge, however over a the past year the lovely Sue has been inspiring me in so many ways with all her lovely techniques. So think of this as a compilation of those and I hope it makes Sue (Paper Paradise) proud.

Challenge 6 - Lets Get Shabby

So get yourself a tipple as you might need one. This is my creation

Here is the overall image, this is a lovely little box which was just cardboard from Boy's. I needed a box to place two very tiny charms in for a very special lady, I think that this just fits the bill and I am so chuffed with myself, even if it did take almost a week to complete. But these things cannot be rushed.


The top of the little box and the lovely flowers, weathered with vintage photo (Tim Holtz) distress ink. The centre of the flower I added some little gold balls - not sure what there called. Little branches poking through and some more of the lace folded double and wrapped with wire to enable this to be glued in place.


A close up of the addition of small tailoring pins with added beads and bits and the lace.



A top shot for the different angle. Ok got carried away with the new camera.



Several photos of the sides (all six of them different) all distressed with vintage photo and chalked with a shimmer gold. This one showing the snowflake image, with punched snowflakes layered.



This one showing the cut out heart frame, edged in liquid pearls and the image (all images are from a pad of crafty sentiment images - love them, don't you. By the way their on line store is now open.

This one is another image picking up the addition of the rose from the image and the baubles replaced with pearls.


Another image this time with a wreath, adding tiny red pearls for the berries and the bow for the ribbon at the top.




Loved this little image, a while back I picked up these vintage metal corner pieces (not sure where from) so added one to the bottom and then decided to punch out my little butterfly and cut it's wings in half and place half the wing on the remaining exposed angel wing.



This one came from the cuttings left over from the heart frame, I took a rose and coloured with with my copics as it was originally pale pink. I then glittered it up and distressed it.


Well that seemed to take longer than creating it. Well I am going now to start back on creating an anniversary card for a family member and two birthday cards all for Saturday this week. On catch up................

Well take care all and hope the spirit of xmas is with you all. Thank you for looking and your lovely comments.

Kate x