Mixed Craft Saturday!!

Good Morning Ladies,

Mixed Craft Saturday is upon us once again,

First up today we have two gorgeous Utensil Pots

Made by Patricia's grandson Robert,

they are both fantastic!

This First one is so pretty, Robert made the air dry clay flower

and leaves too, so beautifully decorated, how brilliant is Robert

to create something so amazing out of a Bean Tin!

 

 

This Next pot Robert has made from a Hot Dog Tin,

again, beautifully decorated, those papers are so pretty

and perfectly finished off with the twist of ribbon and

a pretty flower, he did have a little help with the

hot glue gun to stick the pearls around the bottom!

I think you should make some of these for Grandma to bring

to the craft retreat Robert, you may boost your pocket money jar!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share these gorgeous 

pots today Robert, you are very talented! 

 

 

Next up we have a beautiful cross stitch by our Janet,

This beautiful picture must have taken you ages!

It has been framed beautifully which sets the Cross stitched

picture off fantastically, another family heirloom Janet.

Thank you so much for allowing to showcase your creation.

 

Now last but not least today we have another card by Scarlett,

I think that Scarlett might like Owls!

She has made this fantastic card, its amazing Scarlett,

you are a very clever girl, whoever you made this fabulous card

for must have been so very pleased, keep making them, so that your

Grandma can keep sending me the pictures to share.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share your card

today Scarlett, you read below all of the lovely comments

about your card!

 

 

Thank you to each and everyone of you that sent in pictures for Mixed Craft

Saturdays, it is so lovely to share everyone's makes!

Well as you are probably all fed up of hearing, we are off to Ally Pally

today, I will pass on your hugs and wishes to Sue and our blog sisters!

I know that the Café will be in safe hands, I am sure that between

Patricia & Hazel and Steph, things will be all switched on and ready for

all the regulars, although the numbers may be down slightly as there will be a good few

of us meeting up for a (poorer quality) cup of tea at Ally Pally!

To all those of you going, I can't wait to meet you!

love and hugs

Sandra

xxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Mystery Designer!!!!

 

 

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well and have enjoyed the beautiful weather, of which today is the last day according to the weather reports, which is a shame as it just stays long enough for us to get used to it and then disappears again.  Ally Pally is a beautiful place but in the sunshine its stunning, there is a huge round feature stained glass window in the main hall and it looks amazing in with the sun pouring through it!

Today's card contributor wants to remain anonymous which is understandable, although I think that they would still appreciate the usual comments given when we feature such an amazing card.

Lots of Sue's dies been used for this card, proving once again how amazingly they all work together,

The Noble Square die being used for the main focal element and the amazing Camellia die used to give the perfect finish on the corners of the card, I will be borrowing that idea, the Ivy die just gives that elegant touch of finesse just where its needed with the tiniest of the Camellia Dies to adorn the ivy.  The little flags with the Greetings on work so well on this card too, it looks like a gorgeous Rose Embossing Folder brings the whole card together.  Thank you so much for allowing me to share your work, the inspiration will be so greatly appreciated, it certainly is by me.  I would also like to add that your stamping is fabulous too!

We had a fantastic family day out yesterday at the West Midland Safari Park, such a fantastic day out and you get a free return ticket too, it was absolutely heaving with people today, they had used every overflow car park available I think.  I don't think we have ever been anywhere where you got so up close with the animals, feeding the Giraffe's was a highlight for me, it virtually had its whole head in the car, they were just walking among the cars, another amazing sight was the family of elephants, Mum, Dad and little Baby too, he was a little mischief and his parents were amazingly protective.

I love spending quality time with my family, seeing  Becca and her friend in her car in front in amongst all the animals was hilarious with her car being so tiny, all you could see was her beloved "selfy stick" poking out of the car at every opportunity! Another hilarious moment was when Matt (who was our driver ) was distracting whilst we were stationary by his phone and he didn't notice the advancing enormous Camel, Lucy tried to alert by squealing but that didn't help, Mr Camel was very curious and just sneaked up and stuck his enormous head straight in the drivers window, the look on Matt's face was a picture, he was so shocked and disgusted as it drooled all over him!

We didn't leave the park until almost 6.30, so didn't get home until gone 8 o'clock, these are the days I wish we had a chef, or had put something in the slow cooker!  I am exhausted just thinking about it.

Some one asked the name of the Hotel we are staying at for the retreat, its Hillscourt Hotel, Birmingham.

Well we need to organise ourselves for Ally Pally tomorrow, so maybe we can do it by email, we could send each other our mobile numbers maybe, or make a decision to meet at about 3pm maybe.

Everyone let me know what you think, I am so excited !

Love and Hugs

Sandra

xxxxxxx

 



Regular Guest Designers Janet & Pat

 

 

Good Morning ladies,

I hope that you are all well and enjoying the glorious sunshine while it lasts, I believe we have

one more, even nicer day tomorrow and then we have quite a temperature drop for the weekend!

But we can't complain, it has been so lovely for the school holidays.

I was so thrilled to hear that the Scottish Sisters meeting went well, I had a lump in my throat and a proud tear in my eye when I read your posts yesterday, it so reminded me of when I first met up with Pat & Sue at the beginning of last August, I still find it so unbelievable that we have only known each other 8 months, it feels as though we have been friends for years, that's as honest as I can be, I feel that we all play a huge part in each others lives, going a week without seeing them is just unthinkable, they are mostly the highlight of my week and I now get to leave the house 100% more than I ever did before that first meeting. 

So I have full confidence that it will be the start of a fantastic 'actual' friendship as well as your continued 'virtual' friendship!  I am sure it will be the same for all of us that are meeting up in October, my biggest wish is that all of you could make it, that would make the perfect retreat, it is shaping up to be a great event!

Today's cards: First up is Janet's gorgeous birthday card, those Gemini dies make such a pretty and interesting front to the card, I love the sentiment too Janet, is it a stamp or die? I am looking for some pretty 'Happy Birthday' stamps or dies to add to my collection. The flowers and that pretty paper all work so well together Janet to make a totally stunning card, thank you so very much for sending me some cards etc for me to have as back up for these tougher painful days.

This pretty birthday card is one of Pat's creations, it is so pretty, I am sure the colouring medium

used for this card had some iridescence, like the Twinkling H20's, It is so pretty in the 'flesh'. I think Pat's granddaughter will have loved it. Those star borders set the stamped element a treat too!

Thank you Pat for sending me the photos to share with everyone, I have really needed your support this week, haven't I ?

Well I missed my two crafty chums today, I spent the day not doing very much, sulking like a spoilt child because I was missing out on seeing both of them!  I am struggling to get control of the pain this week, this has been the worst it has been for a while, which worries me, so I just want to personally thank you for the cards you have all sent in, please don't abandon me, normal services will resume as soon as I can possibly make them!

I have another thank you to make too, I had the most beautiful card delivered today with a lovely surprise hidden with in, I have never received such an exquisitely wrapped card Cheryl, I cried like a baby when I read the inside, thank you from the very bottom of my heart, I was so touched, even Paul had a lump in his throat, you are very kind, although I am at a loss as to why I deserved such kindness!

Well all have my wee chicks have the day off from work/school today and Paul is home too so we are (all being well) having a family day out, we are planning to go to the West Midlands Safari Park, Matt is driving us and Becca is following behind, we are only doing it this way as Matt had taken the girls for their birthday treat some weeks ago and has a return ticket for the three of them. The picnic is all planned, the only fly in the ointment is that Matt has developed a swelling under his right eye, there is nothing in his eye or any soreness, just looks like a build up of fluid underneath, he had this a couple of years back but it spread to the whole side of his face, so we are all waiting with fingers crossed to see what a good nights sleep can do to relieve his symptoms!

I hope that you all have a lovely day in the sunshine,

I will catch up with you all later,

Love and Hugs

Sandra

xxxxxxx

 

Myra's gorgeous Birthday Card



 





 Good Morning Ladies,
As you can see Myra has made today's amazing card, I did go and sit in the craft room today,
I was in there about 2 hours, most of that time was taken up by helping Sophie mount her GCSE
artwork onto coloured card and arrange them in her Art Book! I enjoyed spending the time with her
but by the time I had done that I was too exhausted to finish a card.  I am trying to reserve my energy and keep control of my pain so that I don't end up being to unwell for Saturday, I have looked forward to meeting everyone for so long.
I have even had to cancel my Craft day with my two besties, sorry girls :(
Well today the Cotswold Café has made another successful match up.....................................
Hazel, Jess, Norah & Patricia, I hope you have an amazing time today, I want to hear all about it
when you get home. I know you will all get along, you are four of the nicest ladies ever, I cannot to continue the party with you all in October !
Anyway back to todays amazing card, thank you so much Myra for allowing me to share your card with everyone today, I can see you have used the Austrian Collection Dies, I just love that embossing folder too, it was almost impossible to get hold of when I tried, so frustrating!  is that the Cornflower die you have used for that gorgeous flower too, with a dazzler in the centre, I always think that they look like fruit pastilles (well the coloured ones do)!

So Much more detail when you look closer,
you have used the Trailing Ivy Die and a lovely pair of stick pins, they match your card perfectly,
What is the colour of the card that you have used?
You have one of those amazing card stands too, how very posh! (sorry) xx
Saba, I hope that you had an amazing day visiting Val, I bet she was so pleased to see you, I can imagine that there were a few tears shed!
Well I am off for another frustratingly lazy day,
I get too bored! I am going to make cards today and nothing more!
Oh by the way the lady loved the Sapphire anniversary card that I made and I was over the moon as she insisted on paying me £10 !
I was so amazed!
I will pop in later to see what you are all up to,
love and hugs
Sandra
xxxxxxx

Brenda (littlelamb) Saves the day!



Good Morning Ladies,
After a very exhausting weekend, I just couldn't get a card made yesterday, I sat in that Craft room and nothing happened! I had to alter a card I had already made because the name I was given was incorrectly spelt, lesson learned, if you are in any doubt that a customer has spelt a name incorrectly, check and double check before proceeding! Anyway I got that done and finished, but I couldn't concentrate enough to get my creative mind into gear!
I wanted to be in so many different places today, Matt and Paul were out in the garden in the glorious sunshine, Matt was mowing the lawn, Paul was clipping and trimming and moving pots about, I went out for about an hour, purely as a forewoman! I did get my hand on the secateurs to have a go at cutting the dead bits of an old rose bush, but as my concentration is not on point today I got a massive thorn in the fat pad part opposite your thumb, boy did it hurt! I gave up after that and went in!
I am so grateful that Brenda answered my plea for sending in a card for tomorrows post, as you can see she has sent in the awesome Exploding Card, I certainly want to know how she made that, its so fantastic and a real WOW card, the recipient must have been blown away!

Then there is this gorgeous card, with a real Cutie on the
front, I bet scarlett would love this card Brenda!
I love the embossing folder you have used, it would make a feature of any focal element, however simple!
Your flowers are beautiful, have you used Bitty Blossoms?, they match perfectly with the rest of your card.
You have really captured the movement in the little girls dressed with your colouring, the butterfly finishes it off perfectly.
Thank you so very much Brenda for allowing me to share your cards with our lovely ladies on the blog.
Well I am going to have a quiet day today, Paul has gone back to work for a couple of days, so I have time to recharge my batteries, I am hoping that Sue & Pat are coming over on Wednesday.
Then relax to make sure I have plenty of energy for Saturday, I can't wait to meet some of you at Ally Pally,
Sam I am so hoping you are going to be well enough to come too.
Well I must go and get a shower, I hope that all of you have a lovely day, whatever you are doing!
Love and Huge Hugs
Sandra
xxxxxxxxx

Margaret's Amazing Anniversary Card !

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you all had a lovely Easter Sunday,  with family and Chocolate in abundance!

It is fair to say that I am somewhat exhausted after a whole day of entertaining, as lovely as it was 

To have my mum and sister & her boyfriend over for the day, I was on the go from pretty much 9am

until they left and the back of seven!  So my knees, hips and ankles I would gladly give away today, not to speak of my back! I would not have managed without Paul, my goodness me he's a good'un! 

Now to Margaret's fantastic card, what can I say, it's amazing and goes so perfectly with the cake that 

Margaret made gorgeous the same couple , that was showcased on the blog on Saturday!

I look forward to Margaret coming in tomorrow and telling us all how she made this fab card.

Well we are spending the day chilling today, it will hopefully be a little quieter than yesterday!

Although I have loved every second of having all of my children home!

What have you all got planned for today? I am hoping to fit in a little card making, after all it us relaxing, until it comes to tidying the craft room.

Steph thanks for flowers and chocolate on each table! I never got to eat one piece of chocolate! 

We have enough food leftover from yesterday to aid a to relaxing day, I cooked turkey, lamb and an 8lb ham, everyone was too full for Apple crumble & fruit tart!

So guess what's for dinner today!

Well I must go, I gave some relaxing to do!

Love & hugs

Sandra 

Xxxxxxx

New Beginnings!!!!

Good Morning Ladies,
Today's post is all about New Beginnings and a transformation, we have heard a lot about this particular transformation and is has had us intrigued well I am lucky enough to be able to share with
you some photographs of both the before and after transformation, so here goes...............

 

 These are photographs of Cheryl's craft room, before she
started the decorating and beginning to transform her
crafting space into something more workable.
Mind you it looks like you had plenty of storage space
already Cheryl!

 

 





 This looks like it is where Cheryl did a lot of
her creating and where she keeps us updated of her progress and busy social life!























This last photograph shows some of 
Cheryl's crafty stash......
is that one of those Scan n Cut machines
Cheryl????

Now for the New Beginning, the transformation the

excitement of what lies behind those doors

 

All of the sorting taking place, I can see all of the drawers

starting to fill up nicely, I guess the good thing

with this set up is, if you don't like where something is

placed you can just swap the whole box over!

 

More storage below the table too, looks like lots of space for

all of you 12 x 12 papers and scrapbook goodies!

The computer desk has gone too, there's even room for that in

this fab new unit, I love that ribbon storage too,

it looks like they really have thought of everything!

Finally, all set up and ready to craft, I hope you have left room

for your new goodies to arrive from our Sue, you will need a couple

of boxes at least, for everything you get in that fabulous prize,

I have to say Cheryl every single one of us thought that the winner

of Sue's Blog, the timing was perfect!

I look forward to sharing lots of your projects with

everyone too, thank you so very much for sending me the photos of

before and after your transformation Cheryl

 

I think everyone of your crafty sisters here in the café will join me

in Wishing You Happy New Beginnings in your

amazing new Craft Room, with all you new craft goodies from Sue!

Lots of love and Hugs to all of you

Sandra

xxxxxxxxxxxx