Digital ecard generated with Smilebox

It so easy to make Smilebox creations and they are more interesting to view than a plain, boring, Windows slideshow

Doesn’t time Fly? Without broadband I find it difficult to make time to update my blogs and website but I am on the case now! I have been checking out what is available in my area and hope to be connected real soon.

I have been scrapbooking a lot and have had a lot of comissioned cards to do. I have just recently got a job with a local service station to sell cards. Ebay will be next and then on to my website….

This is the latest kaleidoscope box that I have made. They are made from photographs that have been kaleidoscoped and so are all individual and make a nice keepsake for the recipient. Have one made for a gift for someone or why not treat yourself to one?

You can visit my website for other styles available here I also create unique cards from kaleidoscopes of your family, pets, friends, or whatever you want. As soon as I connect broadband at my new apartment, I will be uploading more new products. I have a load of photographs that just need sorting and the time to upload them.

Moving home has been hectic and still not managed to unpack all crafting stuff.  I was previously in a 3 bedroomed extended house and now in a 2 bedroomed apartment with open plan kitchen and lounge. It is very nice and I like it much better but it is hard trying to fit all my crafting stuff in. I will have to stop buying for a while!  The shock of it! I will get withdrawal symptons.

Having no broadband yet is also making it difficult to update my sites and blogs, but I will get there soon.

Today would have been my cat Nikki’s birthday, had she lived. She died of a blood disorder in August 2007. She was born 28 2 03 and was given me to comfort me after the death of my daughter, Nikki, in January 2003. I intend making a scrapbook page or two of my cat Nikki this weekend and will post them on here shortly. Just a few pics in rememberance:

Exploding boxes are very popular in the crafting world just now. There are lots of different variations that can be adapted to the particular occasion.

This is one I made for a customer for a wedding present. The gift was a cheque which is always welcome, but it is much nicer to have something that you can keep and can be useful as well! By putting the cheque in an exploding box with personalised pictures, the couple have a keepsake of their wedding; the box can be used to keep memories from the day, such as confetti, table confetti, small embellishments from the cake etc.; and also is a talking point as a reminder of the day when kept on the mantle piece. The initial surprise of the the personalised kaleidoscopes is a joy to see on the recipients faces, too! This particular one had 3 lids to enable stuff to be stored easier but it has a nice exploding effect if only one lid is used. No two boxes are the same….

You can buy your own unique box in my shop here

They a made around the photographs, so  no 2 are going to be the same.

My craft room often resembles a crash site, but at least I have a dedicated space that I can work in. I still keep buying things with which to make some lovely projects and I cannot wait until the time when I will be spending the majority of my time crafting. I make a lot of commissions and am currently working on Christmas themed cards at the moment. Lost my camera, which is very infuriating as I used it daily, to take photos of my family and also for my craft business. Everything is upside down at the moment so when I tidy up, no doubt I will come across it, then I will shout “Hip, Hooray!” I will then take a new photo of my craft room. This one was taken in February and I am forever changing things round and buying new stuff.

My craft desk.

My Abbey was 7 years old yesterday, I made a couple of digital pages and am putting some in my shop  here This is one of them, she made a wish while blowing her candles out, we had put magic candles on her cake so they kept lighting back up again after she had blown them out.

She delighted in her presents but her favourite was her guitar. We are going to give her lessons.

 I haven’t finished the album and it requires journaling.

She is into High School Musical just now and so she had a few HSM items for her birthday. A couple of family members asked me to make some High School Musical themed birthday cards so it gave me the idea of putting a few in my shop. I will be adding more as I have loads of pictures to make more cards and I have been designing a few background pages and will be selling some in my shop. This is the card I made for Abbey

 Follow the link to my online shop and then look in the High School Musical sections, one is in the commission area and the other is a separate section in the Handmade Cards. Keep checking back as I will be adding more. I can make any similar ones with different greetings and verses depending on the occasion and recipient.

I have been making Fathers Day Cards for my website hereBusy with kids who use me as a taxi all the time and sorting my sons book keeping that I have not had time to attend to my blogs. I will be adding more techniques this weekend.  I have been commissioned to make some High School Musical Cards so I will spend time on those and add them to my site if anyone is wanting to buy some. I will make more than actually commissioned so they have a choice.  Had a Day trip to Southport the other day, took loads of pictures, here is a sample of a couple of digitally scrapped pages.

I created these using my faithful LifeTimez software but have just purchased Serif PhotoPlus x2 so will have fun experimenting with that.

This is just one of the Fathers Day Cards.

My little girl started her new school today, she really loved it! I have taken photos to make a scrapbook page. I love scrapbooking and always take the photos with a page in mind. Here are a couple of raw photos that I will edit as I create a scrapbook page.

She bought the staff and children some chocolates when she left. They made her a lovely book with all their individual notes as a send off. I am so sentimental that I started to cry when I saw it, but Abbey was excited about her move and wondered what I was blubbering over it for!

This is her with her teachers and the chocs! Mrs Jeavons, her special needs teacher and Mrs Spooner.

And of course, she had to say “Goodbye” to the Lollipop lady, Cynthia Marshall:

It was very sad for me as all my 4 children had attended the same schools.