Our first house guest!

We have our first official guest. Albeit uninvited...

As Abs opened the front door this afternoon she screamed VERY loudly that a Gecko had run into the house! So whats the first thing that I do...? Climb on the couch and call Lewis of course! Its not that I have anything against the cute little creatures but y'know the kid needs an edumacation an all! He has spent many a happy hour in the back yard BBQ hunting the little blighters and trying to show me how cool it is that they shed their tails n stuff (yuk!) so who better to do a Texas round up and evict our guest?

Well, Lewis being Lewis he was so interested in the thing that he forgot the whole point of the exercise was capture and THEN release so he missed - and did the release part first!

For those in foreign climbs this is a Gecko...


Of course Graham is only about an inch from nose to tip of tail...!

Now of all the places in the house where do you think our little friend has taken up residence? Behind my crafting shelves! ARGH! Nothing will be created for a while as I have images in my mind of sitting being creative and Graham the Gecko climbing up my leg to take a look-see! Bleurgh!

There will be those of you who will scream out loud about animal cruelty but Im hoping the dog will find a new playmate or starvation will set-in before Graham gets to be the size of this one!...



Only joking this is a Komodo Dragon!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Lizards.... Yukky!

Oh the joys of living in Texas! Anyone got any ideas for eviction proceedings? Please?

TTFN

C xx

Busy again!

No cards to show you yet as Ive been a busy girl! We are lucky enough to have some fruit trees in our back garden, a peach an apple and a fig tree (actually a bush at the mo!) So, the birds and squirrels have left enough for me to pick and after recieving several thumps on the head from falling apples as I pick from lower branches (One got me smack dab in the eye till I realised that I should look down as I pick!) We had about 8-10lb of lovely green fruit.

Matt picked some teeny-tiny ripe figs and I spent Sunday making Spiced Fig & Apple Chutney. Yesterday I made 'Hot' Indian Fig & Apple Chutney. (Valuable lesson learned from my dalliance into culinary stuff... Dont stick your head over a pan of boiling vinegar to have a sniff! Matts eyes were watering for ages!... He He He!!!)

14 jars in all! AND Ive still got apples left over! Applesauce today I think. At least if I pop some in the freezer we can actually EAT the fruits of all my hard work!
Now I just have to figure out 2 things... Where do I put a thousand jars of chutney for 3 months and what do I do with a thousand jars of chutney when its ready to eat...?

I really should think these things through dont you think?

TTFN

C xx

Mojo Monday Challenge #94

Heres a card I completed for a Mojo Monday Challenge... These are really fun and certainly get my creative juices flowing.

Seems like Im on a roll now!



I am slowly re-discovering what I have in my crafting stash! All the papers used here are from Anna Griffin, including the sentiment. The flower detail was made with my trusty SU punches and a small strip of old SU Organza Ribbon was used also.

I tried to challenge myself with this and mix lots of different patterns. I think it works as long as you use from the same colour family.

Anyway off to do more crafting! Dont forget to tell me what yoy want to see on my blog... Please leave your comments...

TTFN

C xx

More Watercolouring...

Heres a girlie card I did with the Stampin Up Markers and a watercolour brush/pen. Im liking this effect as you can pick your patterned paper (from SU) and use the same markers to coordinate your colouring! This card is using the Sweet Always Papers and pens to match.



A close up on the colouring...

YES, I did go over the edges... ON PURPOSE!!! Honest.

Heres the boy version...


This time I pulled out the Junior Vasrsity Papers and used the colours from there...


Another close up of the colouring...


Ive just noticed there is a bit of fluff on Juniors hand! Please excuse... cant be bothered to take the photo and edit all over again! At least not in todays 103f heat!!!

Sorry to keep showing the SU stuff but as an Ex Demonstrator I seem to have a lot of product from them... Cant imagine why? From now on I will try to introduce and demonstrate different ideas and methods you can use with whatever product you have at home. So obviously if you dont have the SU Markers you can achieve the same effect with Marvy Markers and many others on the market. We all have our favourites so, lets use them people!!!

Hope you likey likey... More projects to come soon. What do you want me to show, 3D projects, Big Shot projects, Basic stamping, Give me some ideas and I will give it a try for you...! (results are not guaranteed!!!)

TTFN

C xx

First USA Card!

Well, here it is!



As mentioned in my last post I used the Stampin Up Markers to colour this image and for my first attempt at watercolouring I am pretty darned pleased with the results! The main outline is stamped with Timber Brown Staz On. You MUST use a waterproof ink (Staz On works for me) or your outline will bleed and you will end up with a mushy mess. I started by applying the colour in the shadows (with the brush tip of the marker) and blended with a watercolour brush across into the highlighted areas. I found it easier to then let this area dry and come back with the same colour to apply a darker shadow over the top. I blended this just very slightly to get rid of the pen line... Details were inked with the smaller end of the marker.


(Dontcha love her dirty feet?!)

If you try this technique just play around and have fun. If youre not sure what the colour will look like then practice on a scrap piece of paper. Remember that the watercolour paper will absorb alot of water and will dry fairly quickly so you can always go over an area again if you dont like the result.



By the way the colours were from a DCBD challenge (number 132) and the layout was from a Mojo Monday Challenge (week 71). I would have liked some more 'girlie' colours for my 'girlie-girl' but went I with the plan!

If you ever get stuck for inspiration just do some blog hopping and get some ideas! Its not stealing!... Generally everything we craft bloggers put out there in cyber space is open for what we call CASE - ing, CASE = Create And Share Everything... Obviously we dont want you to copy our projects EXACTLY and pass them off as your own but you are free to use them as inspiration for your own creations.

More colouring to come in the next few days... Im on a roll!!!

TTFN
C xx

Happy 4th July!

Just popped in to wish you all a Happy 4th July!
Although it still feels slightly wrong for me - a Brit living in the USA - to be celebrating the day that the Americans won independence from the British(!) Hey Ho! When in Rome!!!

Took this photo myself - outside my local Hobby Lobby!

Hubby is working a 12 hour shift (as usual!) so the kids & I are going to bake (urm, burn) a red white and blue cake. If it doesnt get too hot (expected 100f today...) we may run up to Fort Concho and watch the Military Re-enactments, then off to Freedom Fest for entertainment, magic show fireworks and Funnel Cake!

Just realised how long it has been since I posted! OOOOOppppppssssiiieee!!!

I will be back tomorrow with a card! YES I MADE A CARD! Its the first thing I have made since moving and I think my mojo may have returned! I guess I cant craft if my space is unorganised!

I have been admiring lots of cards with images coloured with Copic Markers and wishing I could do the same thing. For those who dont know, Copics are gorgeous markers that give an almost 'cartoon' look to your coloured images. They blend and shade brilliantly and the results can be amazing. Just do a search on youtube there are loads of videos.

Anyway rather than spending quite a lot of money on the markers (about $7 each) I thought I would do what any good crafter is best at - Use what you have got! I used some watercolour paper (Had for a while) my Stampin Up Markers and a watercolour brush. Im really pleased with the results. Not as smooth and precise as using the Copics but I kinda like the more rough & ready look. Im off to take a photo and will post either later today or in the morro!

Hope you all have a great day. For my old Buds back home... Hope the carnival goes well, dont get sunstroke!

TTFN
C xx

OUCH!

Im being eaten alive!

For some reason the mosquitos here seem to love english blood! Maybe its more refined or something (i know for sure mines not blue!) but OMG! I have a total of 35 bites over both legs. And thats only from the knees down!

HELP!

Found myself at the shop at 7.55am today buying itch relief and the biggest can of mozzy spray that can be legally sold in the state of Texas!

Stay tuned for more update on the war!

TTFN

C xx

Normal service will resume soon!

Sorry its been a while since my last post.

Been trying steadily to unpack all the boxes and over the weekend I finally feel like we are on the home stretch... The kids needed new mattresses and Lewis a new bed. It arrives tomorrow. Both kids now have curtains and blinds at their windows and Abbi has a dresser arriving tomorrow to replace the wardrobe that had nowhere to live! That just leaves a couple boxes that have unknown items in (!) and my craft goodies. Im taking my time with these as Im pruning and throwing away as I unpack. Gosh it makes you feel virtuous having a clear out!

The list never seems to end though!... We still need a new computer desk, 4 or 6 dining chairs, rugs for the living room and under the dining table. We are also seriously looking at a sectional couch for the living room as we have a broken spring in our old one... will probably have to wait till the house is sold and finances are straight! In our room we just need to put up some curtains, hang pictures, put the headboard on, buy some bath mats... Oh dear! I wish I hadnt started this now!....

On top of all that we are in negotiations for the house in the UK (fingers crossed!) We are going to be out of pocket but not by too much. Makes more sense to sell at a slight loss than to keep paying the mortgage indefinately.

AND! The kids break up from school on FRIDAY!!!

I personally think it should be against the law but here in Texas they have... get this... a total of 12 weeks summer holiday!!!

12 Weeks?? Who thought that one up? I hope they are locked up in the same insane asylum where I will be in 12 weeks time...!

Luckily Abbi has some homework to go through so at least her brain wont be total mush by the time school starts again. Nothing major, just some maths... She is a very bright spark but the terminology and the way math is taught here is so completely different we are making sure she starts the next grade with (hopefully) a bit of a head start and a firm grasp of what the teachers are talking about!

Maybe some photos to come in the next week, Who knows, crafting might happen!

TTFN!

C xx

PS. Look out for the sheep!

Photos...

Just a quick update today... wanted to share a couple of photos with everyone...

Heres a lovely photo I took of the kiddos before we left the UK. They are both actually smiling for once as opposed to pulling faces at each other, poking eyes, pinching, yelling etc...

Cute huh?

This is a photo of our new rental home... Yes there is a house behind all that green! Once the summer is over we will be majorly pruning back believe me! House was empty for about a year so the gardens need some tlc...



Heres our mail box...

For those of you in the USA, please humour us brits, its a novelty to us ok!

Enjoy! Crafting by the weekend hopefully!

TTFN,
C xx

O M G ITS HOT!

Do you remember on those rare summer days in England when it reaches 95 degrees and OAP's are being bundled into ambulances and carted off to hospital due to heat exhaustion? When the whole population of the country squeezes onto the 10feet of beach that hasnt been poluted or pooped on by dogs, and the ice cream man runs out?

Well...

It was 98 yesterday. Today its expected to be 100. Tomorrow its forecast to be 103!

HELP!

The rental car has gone back today (Very sad as it had the BEST air conditioning in the world!) so now I have to walk to pick Abbi up from school. Not that its very far, only a 10 minute walk. But its 98 degrees already people! Im also surrounded by a million boxes screaming 'unpack me!' but just the effort of walking to the fridge brings on sweaty armpits and foreheads so nothing is being 'sprung' from box prison today!

Ok, I know we have air conditioning but im under strict instructions not to use it coz its about to give up the ghost and will cost us a fortune to run... BUT!!! He's not here is he...

Think Im off to find the switch... Shhh! Don't tell!

By the way... Ive noticed a vindictive streak in Texans. Upon discovering I am from the UK they have all (Yes, every single one so far!) taken great delight in asking how I like the heat... Upon me saying 'its not too bad at the moment' they then smile broadly and tell me that 'its gonna get hotter girl, this is nuthin' or 'last year it hit 110 degrees downtown' or 'its gonna be hot till November now'.

Can I just ask you all to please stop it. (Fingers in ears, going 'la la la la la la, I can't hear you'!)

Thank you.

Off to stare at the boxes and see if I can get them to unpack themselves with my telepathic powers...

TTFN

C xx