When you just have to laugh

Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions - I was so excited as I drove to the garage and pick up my new car , after having said my very fond farewells to Lola, a beautiful black luna Beetle which my DH bought me as a wedding anniversary present. The new car - yet to be christened - is a sexy salsa red Beetle. Go for a test drive, you'll be hooked.
Anyway, I was demonstrating at York and had packed the car with 'stuff' and arrived with loads of time to set up etc etc. I had just opened my bag, put my hand in when a large tube of glitter glue exploded in my hand. The glue shot up in the air, splattered the demo table and when I looked I realised that I was wearing most of a whole pot of glitter glue. The two blokes waiting outside for their wives to come out of the craft shop were too polite not to laugh. After I had spread it everywhere, whilst trying to clean up, one of the blokes came over and said, " Do you do that to attract all your customers? My wife has to spend all night with glitter to look like that!"
I'm just so pleased I didn't have to take the new car back to the garage to be cleaned or report any mishaps to DH!!!

Take Care

Beetle Juice

A bit of Fun !!

Every family has one (I hope) or life could become very dull! My mum, auntie and I went shopping the other day and left the shop with several of these silly hats. My excuse is that I'm a Brownie Guider and my Brownies have come to expect such behaviour from me - I'm not sure other shoppers found it so amusing. Go on have a laugh, we did and felt sssooooo much better!

Cuttle and Create

A few ladies have requested images of some cards I made last weekend at the Graphicus Open Weekend. I hope the cards you're looking for are here. The stamps I used are supplied by Inkadinkado and are available at http://www.graphicus.co.uk/, as are the cuttlebug embossing folders and dies.

Also I have uploaded some cricut create samples but I'm delighted to say that I have been given two free housework days by the Clan and have decided to play with Design Studio. Saying that I do have a gorgeous set of stamps sitting on my desk that have got my name written all over them. Watch this space.

It's Raining.... It's Pouring.....

......but inside Graphicus the sun is shining. Thank you to all the lovely people I met today. I just love watching people's faces as they walk out of the door, peering into their shopping bags, looking at all their lovely stash. I always spread my stash out on the floor and smell and stroke the papers - my dog thinks I'm mad and the kids know that I'm mad. Today I just could not resist some beautiful prima flowers, a delicious Maya Road hand bag and some ribbons. It's my daughter's birthday next week so I shall see what I can secretly create for her. I shall put some sample cuttlebug cards on here for those ladies that wanted photos next week.

By the way this is how I found Marmalade and Sparkle when I got home tonight. The vet has been quite rude about Sparkle when he has had to go for a check up. The truth is when we got him we thought he was a she.... say no more

and the award goes to......

with the delight of receiving an award comes the responsibility of passing it on. I've thought long and hard and looked at the criteria for A [Wild] WYLDE Woman!

Purpose of the Award: To send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy. There are only two rules:1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it’s up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.2. Link back to this blog site (http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/) so I can go visit all these wonderful women.

I would like to pass this award onto Helen Chiltern, whose work I have admired up close when helping to mount artwork over at Graphicus. Helen has also had projects published in Crafty Stamper, and Helen has recently joined the blogging sisterhood and her artwork can be viewed at http://helenchilton.blogspot.com/ . Congratulations Helen xXx

Back to Black

These clear stamps from Inkadinkado starved off the black theme in mind from yesterday. Although I have to say finding any lovely soft black ribbon is almost impossible. Also tried a little test using Stazon and Ranger Archival Dye ink and on this occasion the Ranger ink gave a better finish in my opinion. The gem stones are from Hero Arts and I just love the colour range they have. I just got my hands on some olive green gem stones and when I saw the colour my mind was racing back to the fabulous Peacock Summer Party CD (http://www.graphicus.co.uk/ to purchase) and a particular paper on that so watch this space.

Yesterday my daughter started a self portrait for a competition. The rules are that it has to be a self portrait in the style of an artist you admire. True admiration for her as she sat down to compose. Sometimes wish I had that child like approach to life. She chose Van Gogh and as part of our chat I asked her why she liked his style. Her reply certainly put me in my place - 'can you not see the way he fills in flat spaces with pattern and he doesn't really paint he just draws in colour' An art critic in the making. Hopefully I'll ask her permission to show the finished portrait.

I've not forgotten....

I've not forgotten about you all but this week my time has been employed purchasing school uniform and if anyone has a daugher they will appreciate the difficulties in purchasing a pair of school trousers. Apparently the 'in thing' is to wear the afore mentioned item long, so long that they trail on the ground, then you spend all day walking on them so they take on a shabby chic look. By the end of your first day at school they look exactly like the ones your mother threw in the bin on the last day of school. The lesson I've learnt this week is to choose which battles you want to fight and I think this is one I have definitely waived a white flag at.

To compensate for the madness I have been working on some samples with some new stamps, but they are been kept under wraps until after their launch. I have also been playing with some different ideas using rubber stamps and a cuttlebug. Ideas are progressing and again I hope to be demonstrating this at the Graphicus open weekend, along with the new Cricut Create. Hope to see you all there.

I'm now bracing myself for a morning shoe shopping. The only rule is they have to be black..... Perhaps that could be my theme for a card today. Let's see what happens
Annette