The Serif CraftArtist Professional Give Away Winner is...

Hi there!,

Well I'm back from another busy week at Create and Craft! I have one more show tomorrow morning at 10am, then I can start planning for Christmas and some new exciting things I'm planning for the New Year!

It's time to announce the winner of the Serif CraftArtist Professional graphics program. Drum roll please....

The random number generator picked out the number...

The winner is....

Jenz Bitz 'n' Bobs!

Congratulations Jenny! Please leave your address for my by using the contact me button to the right of my blog. To get you started there are free digikits available here. For those of you that didn't win, thanks so much for entering.

Don't forget that you can download a sample trail of CraftArtist from Daisytrail, available here, and then download free digikits too!

I've also designed a patterned paper that you can download and use for free! here it is - hope you like it. Just double click to enlarge then save. Please leave a comment if you take it, and I'd love to see what you do with it!

Serif Craftartist Professional Giveaway!

Hi there!

Sorry for my absense for such a long time.

I hope you managed to watch some of the hours I've just finished on Create and Craft this past week. I was presenting the Pick of the Week, which was a wonderful collection of Eras Digikits, designed by the geniuses at Serif! They sure do know their stuff when it comes to digikits and crafting programs for crafters!

I had a wonderful time learning how to use Craftartist, then making projects and demonstrating them. It really got me into scrapbooking, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. It will definitely not be the last time I use it, in fact,  I bought some additional kits over the weekend and started making another scrapbook album! It's so addictive!

If you didn't see, or weren't lucky enough to be able to get the Craftartist Professional software last week, Serif have very kindly said I can give this fantastic CDrom away to one lucky, randomly chosen commentor! How kind is that. Please note, this does not contain any digikits, (see it like this is your tools - craft knife, scissors, guillotine etc) but you can download digikits either for FREE (yes, free!) or purchase others for a nominal amount over at www.daisytrail.com.

Here are just a few of the projects I made using the software and the Eras Digikits...

So if you would like to win this giveaway, please leave a comment below. I will draw a winner on 21st November 2011 (that's two weeks, as I'm away again at Create and Craft and probably won't get time to post a winner!). Unfortunately only entrants from the UK, and Eire will be accepted due to postage costs.

Our New Addition and another card!

Hi Again!

Today I wanted to take the opportunity to formally introduce you to the newest member of the Curd Family.

His name is Darren and we've had him for four weeks now. To say that he has been a racing Greyhound for all of his life {a Champion, no less!} he has settled into family life so very well. He is gentle, loving, sometimes playful but usually very lazy! He has the most softest fur especially around his neck and head, and I like nothing better than snuggling up to him for a love. He definitely has a calming influence!

He's four years old now, and ran his last race on the 18th June this year. His registered racing name was Rosewood Mike , and he was a champion in the very first race he ran and won three additional races, a fact I'm very proud of. He's quite large, even for a greyhound, and boy when he sees a cat, don't I know it!

I absolutely love him to death and now, I can't imagine life without him. Joseph is besotted with him too, and Darren is very patient with him.

I also have a card to share. Well, it would be rude not to!

Again it was made with one of the spellbinder border dies, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder, which was inked with white ink before going through my bog shot. The red grid paper is an old Doodlebug design from my stash, embellished with We R Memory Keepers rub ons.

Once I'd cut and embossed the edgeabilities die, I pricked the holes around the swirl and star, and sanded the cardstock to reveal the coloured core. I added mote definition with a white gel pen. One of my all time fave techniques! I hope you like it!

Just a cheeky reminder, I will be on Create & Craft tonight at 7pm with another hour of Tim Holtz!

Well, that's all folks! See you soon! x

Spellbound with Spellbinders!

Hi there everyone!

So sorry I have been neglecting my blog once again. I don't think I will ever get the hang of it!

Over the past weekend I have been busy getting ready for my three shows {which were yesterday on Create and Craft} and a show at 7pm on Wednesday 5th October, which will also feature products developed by the ubber talented Tim Holtz. I am absolutely LOVING his products! It's really enjoyable to do something different. 

I've also confirmed today that I will be joining Sara Davies of Crafter's Companion on Sunday at 12-2pm for Tool Shed. So exciting, I haven't seen Sara since before my holiday so It'll be great to catch up. And with any luck Deano will be presenting so it's sure to be a fun show!

I'll be photographing my cards from the Tim Holtz hours as soon as I can and PROMISE that sometime in the next Millennium they will appear here. In the meantime, here's another card I made with the Spellbinders Christmas dies. 

I cut and embossed the main die from patterned paper {I think it's actually Tim Holtz paper - Lost and Found}stencilling through the die with Colorbox Merlot ink before removing, then the frame dies from green Core'dinations cardstock. I also distressed the edges of the papers by sanding and inking with Old Paper Distress ink. The stamp is a very old one I've had for ages, inked in two colours and embossed.

I also cut and embossed the poinsettia and leaved from red and green cardstock. I sanded and shaped the poinsettia and added a few gems. You can just see at the top of the picture I've added a white gel pen frame around the green card.

Well, that's all for now, I promise not to leave it so long next time!

More shows on Create and Craft!

Hi there everyone,

Just a really quick post to let you know I've just had some shows confirmed by the bods at Create and Craft, I'm flying by my pant tails at the moment, so please forgive me! The shows are:

Tuesday 27th September at 2-4pm and 7pm;
Monday 3rd October at 9am, 2pm, and 6pm

There are some really gorgeous goodies on both shows so I hope you can join me!

Holiday on the Aurora - Instalment One - the ship

Hi Everyone,

Well I thought it was about time that I told you a little more about my holiday. It seems like forever ago now (why is that?) but I'm left with happy memories. I have sooo many photographs to show you, and they seem to be taking forever to edit! I thought that first of all I would show you our ship - the Aurora.

I took the above photograph when we were on an excursion around 'The Rock of Gibraltar', as it was a fantastic vantage point. When you're on the ship you forget how big it actually is, and it's only when you disembark that you realise how massive it really is. The Aurora isn't even the largest ship in the P&O fleet, at the moment they would be the Ventura and Azura (we went on the Ventura three years ago, and it's huge!) The Aurora will hold nearly 2,000 passengers and about 1,200 crew. That's quite a lot! To get an idea on the size of the ship you can see the size of the life boats and windows from the above picture in relation to Joseph and I stood on the dockside!

This is the Riviera pool, one of the adult only pools on the ship. The other pools all welcome children, and there is a pool which is aimed towards children, as well as a infant pool too. This is on the back of the ship and is known as the terrace pool {for obvious reasons!} I loved this area, reading my book on the sun lounger drinking the cocktail {or mocktail if too early!} of the day, having a little dip in the pool when it got too hot. Ahhh, bliss!

Here's another photograph of the terrace pool, taken early one morning when no one was around. Every evening the crew remove all the sun loungers and the decks are washed., then in the morning the loungers are put out again neatly. It's those little attentions to detail that make a holiday special.

I have a thing about order and neatness {you would never tell by looking at my craft room} and lines of steamers don't escape my camera lens! By changing the photograph to sepia, these chairs look as though they could be from the Titanic! OO-er! These were some of the most relaxing chairs available on the cruise and many a time I plonked on one hoping to read my book, awaking an hour later hoping I hadn't been snoring!

Now for some from the interior of the ship, this fantastic stained glass design is in the coffee lounge area. Yes, they have a Costa Coffee on the ship, complete with comfy sofas and such comfy chairs that reminded me of that one from the Cadbury's advert! On the colder of the sail days this was a great place to relax rather than out on the sun loungers! There is also a library where you can complete jigsaws and take out books.

And this is the fantastic sight that meets you in the Atrium as you board the ship. It is four floors tall, and there is a waterfall that falls behind it, the sound is so relaxing!

I know I've shown you the terrace pool already but I just love this photograph of the wake produced by the ship. Did you know, each ship's wake is completely different, no other ship will have a wake like the Aurora. Aren't you glad I imparted that piece of information!

This is our cabin, taken just after our Cabin Steward Karl had prepared it for the evening. Karl was absolutely fantastic, every morning our cabin was prepared to the highest standards, and in the evening, Joseph's bed was pulled down, our curtains closed and lights on, with a chocolate on our pillows. The beds and bedding were to die for...so comfy! Usually Karl would make Joseph smile by doing something funny with his toys, and as you can see it was the turn of the Gibraltar Monkey! When we said goodbye, Joseph had saved all his bedtime choccys for Karl! Bless! The cabins are more than big enough, especially when you are hardly in there!

Here's a couple of pictures of Joseph and I taken in the cabin towards the end of the cruise. I think these were taken on a formal night, hence Joseph in his waistcoat. He couldn't wait to wear his waistcoat and suit. I was so very proud of him!

And here is Joseph with Mathi {left} and Savio {right}, our waiters at dinner every night. Did you know the waiting staff work EVERY day from 8.30am till 11pm with just a few hours off during the day, for nine months! They work so hard and really do make the holiday! This was taken on the last night and it was sad to say goodbye!

Well, that's all for now - I will post more when I have edited the photographs! Thanks for visiting!

My Memories Suite Digital Software Giveaway!

Good Evening!

I know, I know it's been so long since I've been on here, and I have so much to tell you - there's so much to catch up on. I need to tell you about My wonderful holiday, and also about a new addition to our family! However, I have a fantastic give away of My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking software, generously donated by My Memories! 

My Memories Suite is an award winning digital software package that allows you to create digital scrapbook pages, cards, trading cards and calendars. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to use this software for myself, and I couldn't believe how east the software was to use, seeing as this was the first time I had done ANY digital scrapbooking. This is my first attempt, and I reckon it took me about 45 minutes!

There are templates for you to use, and you can begin by either using these templates, or starting with a completely blank page. I started with a template then added papers, embellishments, text, shadows and of course the photograph! The suite uses any true type font on your computer, and with all those freebie fonts out there {check usage agreements before using :)}there are simply no limitations! Also on the My memories  site, there is free papers embellishments etc, as well as kits for purchase, which can supplement the software.

I was so impressed with how easy the software was to navigate around, and also to use. I just began by having a play with all the tools, but 45 minutes later I had a page to be proud of! I can also see this software being used in hybrid crafting, as you can print out papers, embellishments etc, then use them in the traditional way!

So, how do you get your hands on this wonderful piece of kit? I have only two conditions. Firstly, please post on your blog OR facebook page about my giveaway, adding a link to my blog; and secondly leave a comment letting me know which my memories digital paper from my Memories.com is your favourite by 11th September at 10am so that I know that you would like to be in a chance of winning! It's that simple, and it could be you! I will choose a winner randomly from the comments.

However, if you can't wait to see whether you win the competition, or looking forward one week, let's hypothetically say that it wasn't you...My Memories have very kindly allowed any and all of my blog readers a  $10 discount on the purchase of the My Memories Suite, AND a $10 voucher towards anything from the my memories website ! How generous is that! Is you would like to go right ahead and download the software at a discounted price, use the Share My Memories code...STMMMS87309....which you should enter when you get to the shopping cart page.

Anyhoo, better get back to editing my photographs from my holiday, and tending to the new addition!

Hello from the Aurora!

Well hello there!

As you can see from the title of this post, I'm on my holidays, and having a great time! We are on the P & O ship Aurora, and although not as big as the Ventura we sailed on three years ago, this brings its own advantages! The ship is easier to find your way around for a start, and we keep bumping into the same people {not literally} and pass a few moments having a chat.

We set sail on Friday. after Embarkation {I love that word} at 3pm. Joseph was beyond excited, and to be quite honest, so was I, so from getting up to getting on the ship it seemed like an eternity! Once we boarded the ship we were taken straight to our cabin {or state room, as they call them} which is really lovely. I got a bit of a surprise too...I thought we had booked an inside cabin, but it had a window! Bonus!

Then we were called to our Muster Stations for a safety drill, where we had to don our lifejackets, just so we'd know what to do if the worst happened, which it never has, thank goodness.

Now for the sail away. The bit I had been looking forward to most over the past few days. Everyone gathers out on deck and waves to non existant people {well there were a few on the dock waving} whilst listening to a 5 peice jazz band as the ship sails away. Champagne is plentiful and spirits are high. Then for an explore of the ship. There's so much to discover! A theatre, cinema, gym {haven't explored that much though :)} lots of bars, four pools, internet room {and I hope you appreciate this, cos it's costing me a fortune!} spa, kids club, library, shops {yeah!}, restaurants galore and even a COSTA coffee - result!

And here I am after our dinner one night. We are sat for dinner with the most lovely family - Annabelle and Brett with their 5 year old girl. We are so on the same wavelength and are having such a laugh. This picture was taken at the karaoke night, after we had done a duet of 'Vogue' by Madonna. I also did 'Poker Face' by Lady GaGa, on Joseph's suggestion. Such a mistake - have you seen the lyrics for that song - SO embarrassing!

I've also partaken in a few of the classes etc on board. We had a go at beginner's bridge {no idea what was going on!}, daily talks on space exploration, and I'm doing a watercolour class with Jeremy Ford {he writes book on watercolouring you know!}.  I've also made a rose corsage which was great fun. Unfortunately there is no papercrafts so I'm getting my fill with the watercolouring! and I've had a one to one photography lesson, which was vewry informative. The photographer said I could follow him around Venice to take photos if I wanted! He doesn't know what he's let himself in for!

Anyhoo, that's all for now, better go out there and enjoy the sun. Joseph is having tea with Noddy tonight so better get ready!

Stop Press! More Hours on Create & Craft!

Hi there!

I've just found out that I will be guest presenting the Fantastic Miss it Miss out Pick of the Week on Create & Craft, starting this Friday 29th July!

The Hours {so far} will be:

Friday 29th July: 12 midday, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm
Saturday 30th July: 8am, 1pm, 3pm
Sunday 31st July: 4pm & 6pm
Monday 1st August: 5pm
Tuesday 2nd August: 12 midday & 4pm

There are some gorgeous things on the hours so if you can tune it that would be wonderful. Hope to see you there!

It Takes a Long Time to Grow an Old Friend...

HI there!

Sorry I've been missing for a while, I have spurts of continuous work that tire me out, then it takes me a couple of days to get over it, before I start again!

I still have the projects I did for the Tim Holtz Core'dinations Pick of the Week to share with you {I meant to photograph them yesterday, but completely forgot!} so in the meantime I thought I would share some cards I was asked to do for Create and Craft to show off some spectacular Spellbinder dies...How I love my job! They were displayed at the Doncaster Summertime Crafting Show, and now they're here.

Look how the Tim Holtz Core'dinations paper pack comes into its own when used with the spellbinder dies. Gorgeous! For this Card I cut and embossed the Spellbinder Frameabilities Polka Dot Frame, then sanded using the Sand it Gadget. Core'dinations and the Sand it Gadget go hand in hand! I also used Antique Linen Core'dinations cardstock as the base for my rub on element and greeting, adding Wild Honey distress ink to the edges before adding the rub ons. I love rub ons, but don't use them enough in my opinion. Must put that right!

Supplies: Dies:  Spellbinders Frameabilities Polka Dot Frame {in Everyday kit 189279} Inks: Distress inks in Wild Honey  Papers and Cardstock: Tim Holtz Core'dinations cardstock; Papermania Hampstead Paper, Tools: Martha Stewart edging punch, Sizzix Big Shot, Coe'dinations Sand it gadget and Dust Buddy Embellishments: BasicGrey and Kelly Panacci Rub ons, Satin Ribbon.


That's all for now. I did about 16 project with these dies, including Christmas, so lots more to show you! 


Thanks so much for coming to visit!