Your Challenge Cards

My Challenge Card

Lilian's Challenge card

Karen's Challenge card

Maria's Challenge card

Margaret's Challenge card

Michele's  challenge card

Good Sunday Morning My Lovelies,

I'm not sure if I prefer the really cold weather or this horrible wet weather?  I hate being cold I really do, but the continual rain we've been having is just too much, everywhere looks so miserable. We had some really heavy frosts this past week, lots of cars being scraped in the mornings, but the clear sky and sunshine really lifts your mood, I am lucky in that the sunlight floods into my craft room first thing in the morning, making you want to sit in there, (mind you it highlights the dust too)!

This weeks Challenge was to make a 'Tri-Fold' card, you could design and embellish it however you pleased.  

My card was made using Floral Pavilion papers, with green Bazzill card as the base, with the pretty pattern being busy I decided just to add a few flowers in the corners.

Lilian, WoW, such a pretty card from you this week, you were 'first past the post'  too, I was genuinely surprised when your card appeared in my inbox on Monday, I think I remember you saying that it was a coincidence that you had jusg made a Trifold card.

The paper you haves used is absolutely gorgeous Lilian, you have picked out the perfect blue to accent the paper too, the pretty butterflies are all that is needed to compliment the paper, I love the stamped sentiment and the pretty label you have stamped it on. 

Absolutely gorgeous card Lilian thank you so much xxx

Karen, I love the sewing room theme of your Tri-Fold card, you are so clever, creating all the papers in Serif for this card, it looks like exactly like an actual dress pattern, the Dress Form die Karen has used is from Xcut. 

A fab card Karen, thank you so much for taking part xxx

Maria, such a lovely Tri-Fold card, I didn't find mine easy to embellish, mainly because of the shape I think.  You have done a fantastic job, I have loads of peel-offs in my stash from years ago, I always forget to use them, I love how you have used them to finish the edges of your papers.  I love those papers you have used too. 

Such a lovely birthday card Maria, thank you for taking part xxx

Margaret, you have used some of my favourite papers for your Challenge card this week, the Floral Pavilion pads are just gorgeous, so many pretty designs. You have matched it perfectly with that green base card and the colour you have stamped the sentiment in. Those darling little butterflies work perfectly.  

Thank you so much for taking part xxx

Michele, I know you aren't keen on your Challenge card this week but I like it, I think if you added a sentiment to that label on the front you might like it a little bit more ( not that I am critising, I don't consider myself qualified to judge other people's cards), I'm trying to get you to see that your card is fab !  I like the interest that the flourishes give, softening the edges along the top. 

Thank you so much for taking part Michele xxx

Now ladies I need your input.......

With regard to the challenge, would you prefer going back to the 'card sketch' style challenge, then maybe once a month doing the 'card fold' challenge?

I don't mind which way we do it, I just want it to work for all of you . 

Paul is back on shift today, so I will be able to spend time in my craft room, I am going to start 'planning' I think, planning posts etc, well that's the plan!  

The girls are going to help me cook a Roast Beef Dinner for tonight, for when Paul comes home,  they have always helped with things like Yorkshire puddings and peeling veg, over Christmas Lucy took a real interest in helping in the kitchen, she made some delicious sausage rolls. So I thought that I would get them a little more involved today, for two reasons really one being I cannot actually physically manage to cook a full roast dinner any more, lifting things like pans of potatoes and  getting things in and out of the oven are just to painful, secondly I learnt the basics  of cooking from helping my mum in the kitchen on a Sunday morning, preparing veg, making Yorkshire's, making up stuffing, we used to prepare things for Sunday tea too, making up a trifle, usually a 'Birds Trifle', I remember vividly those rock hard sponge squares and trying to make them stay at the bottom of the jelly by weighing them down with tinned fruit, making up the Blancmange and later on whisking up the Dream topping to cover the pink Blancmange, they always seemed such a luxury back then, but we bought one for a nostalgic treat, my goodness either I look back with rose tinted spectacles or those trifles have shrunk, I dug out my best Crystal trifle bowl, made up the jelly but it barely covered the base of the dish, same problem with the tasteless Blancmange and the dream topping wouldn't even cover the surface, what a let down ! Needless to say the kids hated it.  The other thing it got my thinking about was how my mum made things stretch, I was be of 4 children, on the Sundays we didn't have trifle we had jelly and tinned fruit with evaporated milk, how on earth did my Mum make one find of fruit cocktail share 6 ways?  We always used to fight over who got the cherry !! Haha 

So back to my point I learnt a lot of the basics from helping Mum, I think that in recent years we have muddled through meal times, Paul does pretty much most of the work, I over see the cooking etc, I will say that Paul has stolen my 'Queen of Roast potatoes' crown (kings crown for him obviously)!, With my input he cooks an incredible roast dinner, strangely for a man, the only thing Paul isn't keen on doing is carving meat, I have no idea why, I have always had to do it.   

There will be 8 of us for dinner so it's going to be a big task, I am planning to spread the prep out throughout the day though.  I'm sure it will be fun.

Have a great Sunday ladies,

Love and hugs

Sandra

xxxxxxx