Crafting Musketeers Challenge Blog

I'm happy to say that all of us from the Kanban design team have got on very well over the last few months. We all wanted to keep in touch or stay together somehow. Two of the ladies had an idea of forming a new Design Team and a challenge blog- and from that The Crafting Musketeers was born. The blog is live now but the challenges won't  start until  May. We already have some great sponsors on board for the prizes, one of them being A Trip Down Memory Lane  - whose Design team I am very proud to be on. So I hope you'll come and have a look and maybe join in some of the challenges,it's gonna be fun!

                                 
                       One for all and all for one and all that !

Pages from the weekend

When we did our 'mini crop ' at Deb's house this weekend as part of our blog meet up,we had a lovely kit that Karen had put together ( with a little help from me ) - these are the pages I put together of us - no doubt there will be a lot more!

Blogfriends Unite

A few years ago I started this blog. Just to keep a diary of life,crafty bits and general 'stuff' for me to look back on. I never had the time to sit and write stuff - so thought this would be far more interesting for me. Then I decided to do an online class run by Shimelle, as lots of my friends were doing this 'picture a month' thing and it sounded great fun. After signing up I started to discover other peoples blogs.I saw their pages and crafty makes -also learned  bits about their lives and began to think of them as real friends.
We have shared happy moments and sadder moments between us and have always thought how wonderful it would be to actually meet in person.
Well,this weekend,some of us did. I'd posted about a crop that my friend Deb  and I go to which is run by Karen  a few times and the lovely Deb from Arizona had said she would love to be at one of our crops one day ..........
This weekend, we fulfilled that ambition. Deb and her lovely daughter Carrie came to the UK for a visit -  and Alison flew in from Spain - so Karen arranged a wonderful set of papers ( with a tiny bit of help from me ) and Deb very kindly hosted it .

It was just like our crops,we had cupcakes

We scrapped and chatted 

We even went to a 'typical English pub' for dinner and ' pudding'. 

The day after was also a perfect day.

Even more lovely ladies who have all been friends via blogland came together in London.

There were eleven of us altogether, a real international gathering. Helena came down from Scotland,Alison flew in from Spain, and of course  Deb and Carrie from USA.

We all got on so well,it was like we'd all met before .. it was an absolute pleasure to meet each and every one of these lovely ladies

Deb and I have shared some very happy emails chatting about our joint love of a certain Mr Donny Osmond - and some very emotional emails when we both went through some sad and trying times with both of us losing one of our parents,we always said how lovely it would be if we could make those cyber hugs we used to send each other real - this weekend we did ...and it was amazing.  

and it was so very hard to say goodbye. 

Today's the day !

For meeting the lovely Deb ,Carrie from USA and Alison - and what does the weather decide to do ?????

I went to bed last night and woke in the North Pole this morning!

Anyway, I've got blankets and shovels in the car !!!

It had better stop soon.

I'm so looking forward to meeting some other lovely blog ladies tomorrow too.

Have a good Saturday  all x

Secret Garden

I bought some of the new papers from Graphic 45  'Secret Garden' collection the other day and they are gorgeous - right up my street ! The colours are very spring like and uplifting. I made a card with some of the papers earlier

I can't wait to have another play with them and maybe make a layout- I think I need to find some girly photos though!

You may have noticed that I haven't posted Kanban cards this week. Sadly the company announced that it will be closing down so there are no more Design Team cards to make weekly.

I must say that  I have really enjoyed making cards again - If anything,it's got me back into it. I just love papercrafting so much, all aspects of it,I've 

 made some lovely friends through scrapbooking and I wouldn't have had this blog either where I've made some very special friends without it. 

 Talking of which, not long now until a very special meeting with some bloggy friends ..

Graphic 45 and Tonic

I'm loving the new flower punches from Tonic Studios - there are so many permutations you can make with them. I had a play with some Graphic45 papers last night - they are Christmassy papers but I think they look ok on this card. I used the Poinsettia punch for the flowers - I do like to sit and fiddle with papers sometimes!

I had a lovely Mothers Day yesterday, although I missed my mum - the boys gave me some gorgeous cards and lovely bunches of flowers and a bottle of hazlenut Baileys -yum!
I'm all behind with bloggy catch ups but will be popping round later to visit you all.

Weekly makes and a tv personality in the family!

I was a happy lady last week as there was a new kit launched for Kanban on Create and Craft.Sometimes the design team email in to the show to say hi -I've only done this once before and didn't have my email read out. Anyway.... when I tuned in at the launch of the new kit - which was 'It's a Dog's Life' and' Feline Friends '- lots of viewers were sending in photos of their cats and dogs and the presenter was getting quite a collection of photos.
So i was sitting there watching and thought 'I'm going to send one of Archie ' and did exactly that.
Imagine my surprise and joy when there in front of me was Archie-with his Santa hat on- they read it out - so he is now a TV personality. He hasn't let it go to his head too much though!

                                Tee hee, So one of my projects this week had to be this......              

Something to keep for the future ! It's using It's a Dog's Life toppers - stamps 901792 and papers from the A4 pad

My other project for this week is a card using toppers form It's a Dog's Life -Lovely Labrador 

901791

I think this is a lovely image - so appealing. I wonder if they might bring out another kit and have Collies in that one ? 

Thanks for popping by as always.

Kanban Monthly Challenge

Good Monday morning to you
There is a new challenge over on the Kanban blog where you will have the chance of winning some Kanban goodies.It's going to be monthly and will have a different theme each time. The theme this month for the very first challenge is 'anything goes'- so basically you have a free rein to make whatever you like with Kanban goodies.
Here's mine for this month- an easel card using my favourite Lavender Rose collection.

I hope you like what I've come up with and will pop over to the blog to see all the details.