I'm not ready...

As usual time is creeping up on me again. Every year I make a decision to be making my cards early and aim to get them finished and out by the first of December ...
Yep you've guessed it, I haven't made any yet !
BUT i have been a very lucky girl and had a wonderful trip away to Bavaria last weekend just like last year where we visited the Neuschwanstein Castle again.
I was so hoping that it would be snowy again like last year,but wasn't holding out too much hope,but when we arrived it seemed that it was actually more snowy!

 

I won't bore you with too many photos  'cos I did that last year but it really is so pretty.

We took a horse and carriage up the mountain to the top as there were no buses running - and it really is more fun in the carriage.

When we got to the top - there was the same overpowering eerieness - with the mist and the cold and the castle on its own holding all it's secrets... although there were lots of people around it still had an amazing presence- maybe because of the snow and weird mist...

One minute the sky was blue,then suddenly a mist descended

 

So- no I'm not ready for that day yet,

but you know what,I'm going with the flow- it will all come together in the end... ( she says hoping ).

I will be Journalling my December Daily - a good mix of the two I hope... turkey is ordered.

I taught a class yesterday at our monthly crop which I'll blog about  soona nd I really will get down to those cards very soon!

Are you ready ???

Crafting Musketeers Challenge Eight

December already - and nearly Christmas. Where does this time go?
It's time for another challenge over at the Crafting Musketeers Challenge Blog and with the fact that it's getting nearer I thought I would make a festive card this month. The theme is 'Layerit Up' and for my card I have used one of my favourite ranges - Graphic45 Nutcracker

 

The sponsor this month is the wonderful Hunkydory   who  have donated a gorgeous prize

 

Looks good doesn't it ?

Hope you can pop over and have a look at some of the great  inspiration from the expanded Design Team.

Have a go - you know you want to !!

 

Simply a moment - busy exciting times

We arrived here yesterday,Bavaria Germany in order to visit the lovely castle that somehow seems to have become really special to us.
I'm sitting at the little table in our hotel room whilst himself is nodding off - of all things  he pulled his back just before we came out here and I can tell its troubling him.
In about half an hour we are going off to get pick our ticket up for the tour round the castle...but for the moment it's given me time to stop and take in all that has been happening this week.

This is the view from our hotel room this morning.If you look closely you will see the castle

just starting to appear through the mist. It has a strange way of making me feel calm.

Life has been pretty hectic recently and this week was no exception. Something very exciting for me happened. i have been part of a design team for Aspire Crafts for a while and when I was asked if i would be interested in going for a screen test to present on Create and Craft I immediately said 'oooh yes' - and then it kind of hit me that it was actually real...

Anyway, Thursday was the day, off I went - drove myself up to Peterborough. Checked make up ( nowadays thats more of an 'oh well' rather that an 'oh wow !!!' BUT I did my best with my new foundation ! I met two other lovely ladies who were equally as nervous as me as they planted the powerpack thingy around our waists and the microphone on our lapels ...and to cut a long story short,we all passed ....so in the near future you may be seeing  me on your screens showing you some products and demonstrating crafty things!

This quiet time has reminded me that I am so lucky to have great friends,blog and otherwise and a loving family who have all been excited for me 

and watch this space for further updates - who'd have thought it !

And now himself is awake and busying round me - he wants to go and get visiting that castle - so am off for a while. Back soon !

Aspiring Craftiness

A little while ago I was asked to join a new team of crafters for a new small company who manufacture card making supplies.
The company is called Aspire Crafts and have a wealth of knowledge within the industry.
The team were all sent box of goodies a while back to have a play with and make some samples .

The collection they have out at the moment is called 'Vintage Bloom' and is very Vintagey with a contemporary twist.
These are some of the cards I made with the goodies - I also made a tag using one of the Prima Dolly stamps I have in my stash...

Something else I really enjoyed using in the box was these lovey 'Dekromount' frames.

They can be left as they are or coloured with inks and paints or gilded - they're really versatile.

I'm not really a 'cat' person but this one really reminded me of some of the cards I found whilst going through Mum and Dad's things - very vintage !

I've had a little blog makeover - hope it is all hunky dory and everyone can read it all ok.

 

A bit of a messy page

I haven't been doing much crafty stuff over the last couple of weeks, there are lots of projects sitting in my little (?) crafty box to be finished from various retreats i've been to lately,and work has been really busy as well
I'm also having a bit of a bloggy makeover too - but I am really missing my blog friends - so I'm sitting myself down to say hello again everybody and catch up.

I don't know if anyone feels the same but sometimes I don't have any 'projects to share and think its a bit daft to sit and waffle on here but i really miss catching up with everyone so here i am!

Anyway, I digress. As its coming round to the time of year when we all think of love and peace and families and all that I thought I would share a bit of a messy layout i did a while ago for A Trip Down Memory Lane's design team gallery .

It was using Prima resist canvas ,papers and products and some mists. 

The picture is a precious one of Dad and me and I really quite liked it when it was finished even though  its quite bright !

Anyway, I hope you're all well and getting those December Dailies and Journal your Christmas albums sorted!

Two retreats in a row

It's been a pretty busy crafty time here in Den's Crafty Land - Last weekend was a bit of a special one for me as I was one of the teachers at the ATDML weekend retreat that the lovely Mel and Jill run twice yearly.
I was introduced to the retreat nearly five years ago ( wow where has that time gone ) by a friend of mine called Hilary. We had met at another crafty class and she thought I would like it. She was right, I loved it. I've been attending for 5 years now and in January this year I was asked to join the Design Team,I'd done some guest spots before and was thrilled to be asked to be a member.
Fast Forward to now and it was my turn to take a class ...
I decided to use Echo Park Beautiful Life papers and here is the layout.

We  inked through a stencil for the background and stamped and layered flowers 

Class in full swing ..

and we made a little card too 

 

The time flew by and all too soon it was over. 

In the evening I took a make and take class .

We made Tags with Prima Dolly stamps - everyone loved them so I was really happy!

 

and this weekend I've been to another retreat run by the lovely Clare Charvill where we made a beautiful book using the Twelve Days Of Christmas papers by Graphic45. 

I'll post about that in a day or so.

Petty Pastels

It's that time again, time for another challenge over a the Crafting Musketeers Challenge Blog. It's number 7 this time and the theme this month is Pretty Pastels.
 The challenge is being sponsored by Little Claire Designs this month and there is a lovely stamp set for the prize..

                                                     and here's my card

A bit of a sewing theme on this one- all in one of my favourite colours .

With a little bit of bling for good measure . 

Happy crafting !