busy busy busy

Hello girlies and I hope you're all having a lovely Bank Holiday Monday! Not much of a Bank Holiday here the kids are at school and I am working as usual boohoo lol

It is all go in the Panda household and Mr Panda is ripping out our kitchen to replace it so the place is like an absolute bomb site. Every time I look at it though I am just thinking of the finished look, we are changing the layout as well as the units so it is double messy as there are walls being torn down and a doorway being boarded up!

Sadly the crafty stuff has had to be packed away for the time being as we are storing lots of stuff in the living room for the time being........so if I am quiet you'll know why. I am relaxing the stresses by knitting though so I am still crafting in some form lol. I am halfway through a lovely cabled poncho for a Xmas present for one of the wee ones I look after. Then it will be time to do a wee cardi or two for the baby lol

have a faby day whatever you're doing girlies..............it's back to the pandemonium for me..............

allsorts week 16.......my challenge

Morning girlies!! It is my turn to set the challenge over at Allsorts this week and I have banned rubber!!! Yup no stamped images..............I have relented though and will let you have digital stamps/images.

I went for stitching for my card with a computer generated sentiment. I made a batch of cards for an aunt who was leading a week of meetings at her church in London and she wanted cards to give everyone at the end. She gave me a list of bible verses she wanted me to use and I got to decorate them how I chose...............but not too feminine as they were for man and women. It was quite a difficult brief to follow but I managed it and made 30 cards. She must have liked them though cos she has ordered some more!!! (heehee more stash money lol)

So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the idea of no stamping hasn't sent you all running for the hills and you will join us this week :o)

1 bag for three challenges

Felt great after I put Lily to bed tonight (fingers crossed this is the end of the pregnancy exhaustion for a while lol) so headed straight to the craft table (bugger the dishes lol) Over at Truly Scrumptious the theme is "anything but a card" hence the gift bag; there is a colour scheme over at Charisma Cardz of lemon, pink and green and the ABC challenge is B for buttons

Image: Anya by the Greeting Farm

Sentiment, cardstock and buttons: all Stamping Up

Flowers and ribbon: from stash

It is lovely to have something to blog!! I have been working on a couple of top secret bits for the mystery challenge with Crafty Ribbon...............they'll be up for show as soon as the ribbons are available to buy :o)

Allsorts week 15...

Where oh where has the time gone? Week 15 already over at Allsorts it has gone really quickly!! This week the theme has been set by Jules, our newest dt member and it is a doozy girlies...............we have a sketch to follow.....ok easy peasy.........but you also have to do some tearing...........gulp...you want me to tear my pretty papers? It was hard but I managed it (just)

Image: no idea it was a swap, coloured with whispers and promarkers

Paper: again no idea it was in my stash

Ribbons: Crafty Ribbons

Flowers and Gems: from stash

Also used: Glossy Accents on her wings

I can assure you that the edges of the paper are torn, not sure if you can see it in the pic. I tried to take a close up but they all came out rubbish! Come and join us this week and have a ripping time (groan....I know I know lol)

The Sugar Bowl challenge 17

The challenge over at the Sugar Bowl was to follow the fabulous sketch by Judy and to use flowers you made yourself. I really liked the sketch so I got my butt in gear and had some fun :o)Image: Gorjuss Girls set 2, coloured with promarkers

Paper: Stampin Up

Cardstock: scraps from drawer

Ribbon: crafty ribbons

Flower punch: Stampin Up

Back to school :o)

Lily has gone back to school today (and not a moment too soon lol) She looked very smart and grown up in her new uniform, can't believe my baby is in Primary 2 already.............ugh where is the time going?? I am glad the holidays are over at last, not that I don't LOVE spending time with Lily but she was soooo bored and she was missing her friends. Her class has changed a bit this year as we have had to lose two teachers at the school due a huge drop in the roll numbers (the class that left to High School was 30 and the new P1 were 9!!) Lily's P2 class have been split according to their birthdays and the eldest 7 have gone to a P2/3 class and the other 10 are in a new P1/2 class. Lily has her birthday in November so she is young in the class so she is now in a 1/2 composite class. I'm not worried about her learning rate tho as the methods used for teaching is ideal for composite classes as the kids are taught in small groups according to their ability. I am sure she will love P2 as much as P1 :o)

wahey a couple of challenges at last!!

YAY I finally got some time (and energy lol) to join in some challenges. The card is for the ABC Challenge which has started at A again.............a is for anything goes/animals and the sketch is from Carols Sketch Fun I am sending this card to a little boy I used to look after who is starting school tomorrow :o)

Image: Dovecraft

Sentiment: handwritten (can't you tell lol)

Paper and cardstock: SU

buttons: SU

Also used: cuttlebug and scalloped circle nesties, fiskars border punch

Now if I can get some more challenges done tonight I will be well pleased lol

This week over at Allsorts the theme has been set by the fabulous Brenda and she picked "In an English country garden" I thought this Sugar Nellie stamp was perfect for the theme.

Image: Sugar Nellie "postbox", coloured with PMs

Paper: Papermania

Cardstock: SU

Also used: Martha Stewart heart border punch

Hope you'll come and join us this week at allsorts!!

phew

got my list back thank goodness :o) thanks to the ladies who reassured me lol

help!!!

I am hoping one of you gorgeous girlies will be able to help me...............I just went to my dashboard page to check out the blogs I follow and according to that I am not following any blogs and the page is blank!! I've checked a couple of the blogs I know I follow and I am still in their followers list so I don't understand it!!

Any ideas anyone??

back from holiday.............

.....and already it feels like I haven't been away lol We were away for two weeks in total, we went to Essex first for a family wedding and it was a lovely weekend, the sun shone and the bride looked amazing. It was lovely to see the Ian's family again (we haven't been down since his mum's funeral in October) Here's pic of the three of us at the wedding (I was so happy the dress still fits with the baby bump lol)

On the Monday we left Essex to head to the Lake District for 9 nights in a camping pod. We found this camping pod online and it looked great, it's basically a wooden shed with window, glazed door, electricity, light and a heater. You take all the usual camping gear, which we have, but it means you are dry and warm if the weather is rubbish.................just as well cos the weather was absolutely atrocious, it rained virtually every day and the evenings were cold. if that had been the only problem we would have been happy.....unfortunately we weren't to be that lucky. The pod was a LOT smaller than we thought, there was basically only enough room to put out blow up bed and Lily's camp bed side by side, so we had to store the cooking stuff outside and the suitcase in the car. Because of the rain we couldn't sit outside so ended up having to buy another camp bed and then Lily slept on a foam mattress on the floor so there was room to sit down inside! The site we were at was building a new clubhouse and swimming pool and although the actual building work was finished the site was very much still a building site! The clubhouse wasn't on mains electric yet so there was a huge generator running 24/7 just behind our pod which meant we didn't sleep very well. The main road into the site ran right past the pod so there were diggers and lorries passing from 8am til 8pm and it meant that we had to keep a real eye on Lily when she wanted to play outside.

We had a few great days out, but of course with the state of the campsite we felt we had to go out every day so we spent an absolute fortune.............and get this............I did not come accross one craft shop!!!!!

All in all we had a pretty rubbish holiday, but hey ho these things happen eh! We are home safe and sound so what more can we ask for. As I say though feels like we've not been away

Not had much time to do much crafty this week but am hoping to get back to it tomorrow night :o)

more candy....

Gayle has some lush candy on offer that she brought back from CHA..............hop on over and take a looky :o)

Bevs blog candy

The ever fabulous Bev has a magnificent blog candy on the go, get yourself over there and join in!!

The draw will be on Monday 17 August so you only have this week to get yer name in the pot :o)

Week 12 over at Allsorts

Morning girlies I am hoping that when this post publishes I am halfway through a lovely hot and sunshiney holiday in the Lakes (haha not holding my breath for the sunshine lol) This week at Allsorts the challenge has been set by the fabulous Lisa and it is a 3, 2, 1 challenge: 3 flowers, 2 papers and 1 ribbon.................easy peasy for all us flower and paper lovers :o)

I am sending this card to my gran as she has her 81st birthday this week and she loves Forever Friends bears, I think she'll like it :o)

Image: 3D die cut sheet, Forever Friends

Papers: Papermania

Ribbon: scrap from Crafty Ribbons

Flowers, pearl and gems from stash

Also used: Cuttlebug and Nesties

We hope you'll come and join us this week :o)