I've been baked!

I went for my very first 'Fake Bake' fake tan today. It is looking okay, not too brown and certainly not orange (my worst fear) Had my nails done too, all in preparation for the wedding on Saturday, I am getting really excited now. I get my hair coloured and cut on Saturday morning and the wedding is at 3.30pm, it is even looking like the weather could be good - keep your fingers crossed for me. Below is the church where the wedding will take place. It is in the grounds of the Crichton Royal Hosptial and part of the beautiful estate where I work and where the bride used to work too.

GIRLS Album

Okay, brace yourselves! This is a long post with many pictures - however, as the girl in Marks and Spencers said to my friend and I:"The Lake District is an unusual place to go for a Hen Weekend, would you not rather go to Blackpool?" Well no, actually we had a great time in the Lakes and this is the album I made to give to the bride to remind her of the fun we had. The album template was part of a kit from Bubbly Funk.
This is what the album looks like from the front now that it is filled up.

Inside the first page is the bride taking part in a Mr & Mrs contest, her groom had generously allowed himself to be videoed giving his answers -it was a lot of fun.

Everyone was instructed to bring silly headgear, that's the bride's mum in the England hat and her sister in the 'ears'. Also featuring is one of the highland cows that was just next to us behind that fence, and William the Westie (a familiar sight to regular readers of my blog).

More pics from the Mr & Mrs - and more silly hats.

Next day, sore heads were no excuse for not going to the Rookin House Activity Centre for a bit of Archery and some Human Bowling! My excuse was my sore shoulder which I didn't want to hurt, so I did get to sit this one out.

I wasn't quite sure how to get all the pictures into the album so I made this little pocket and three tags for the full effect of the human bowling.

And here are the pictures, including an action shot.

After the activities, we went to Glenridding to catch the Ferry across Ullswater, everyone was feeling rather tired by that time.

We had a picnic lunch on the side of Ullswater, that's me in the 'coat of many colours' with the big sunglasses.

On the back page is a picture of all of us, outside the fantastic cottages we stayed in. Jo (on the left) had to go home on Saturday night so I added her in. I'm the one in the yellow jumper.

Special thanks to Doreen and Jane for letting me use some of their photographs. The wedding is next Saturday, so there should be some more photos to blog after that.

A dare and a challenge

On my list of cards to make is one for my SIL's birthday. I used the 'Beads'

dare from Daring Cardmakers and the DiRo Challenge on Bubbly Funk Forum to incorporate printed paper, ribbon a chipboard word and a black and white colour scheme. I didn't have a suitable chipboard word and all my letters are too big to make a word without making a ginormous card, so one letter will have to do. It's an odd letter too as it doesn't really look like anything, hopefully having the name will give a clue! The papers are Dovecraft - Kate Knight 'A hint of pink', chipboard jigsaw alphabet by making memories and I outlined with sakura pens.

Birthday Card in double quick time

When I got home from work tonight, my MIL reminded me that it was Brian's Godmother's 70th birthday on Friday. She does not usually make much fuss of her birthday, but we had been talking about it when we were all at a funeral recently (my, that sounds depressing doesn't it!). Anyway, I said I wasn't sure if I would be able to make one to be posted tomorrow, but then thought I'd better make the effort. The paper is K&Co, there's a little bit of pink vellum and the sparkly pink paper I've had so long I can't remember whose it is, but I got it at the SECC Hobbycraft Show. The big bloom was from the Big Bloom swap on Bubbly Funk Forum and the chipboard circle and numbers came from BF too.

DCM Anamalia

Hi everyone, it's my turn (Mel) to set the dare this week :)
I've based my dare on the book by Graeme Base called 'Animalia' (just because that book happened to be sitting near my desk when I realised it was my turn for the dare this week).

Here's my card for the DCM Dare. It's a bookmark card, the stamp is one of my favourite by All Night Media, it always stamps out a really clear image. The paper is from Carol-Ann Studios CD -Patchwork Flowers and yes, there is a peel-off or two on there - tee hee.

The Stairs

There you go then, our new carpet and the paint stripped bannisters that have caused sooo much work over the last month. Mind you, I think it was worth it as it looks fab.

Too busy to blog

Oh dear, I have been having such a busy time, I haven't had time to blog at all. I hope to get some pictures of the hen weekend in the Lake District (that is where I was last weekend) and hopefully also get some crafting done.

I may also show you my stairs - has she gone mad? I hear you ask. It must be the fumes from the paint. We have been stripping the paint off our bannister and repainting the spindles of our wooden stair case. The carpet is coming today, in fact will already be installed, and I was still painting last night at 8.30pm. Third night in a row, Monday night we finished at 9.30pm, Tuesday at 9pm, so getting earlier every time.

Didn't get to bed till nearly midnight last night as I was in the Bubbly Funk chat room and on the phone with Tracey arranging our hotel booking for the Bubbly Funk Meet at the NEC in November. Sooo excited about that, it should be a lot of fun.

Hope to be back soon with pictures and more regular contributions.

Retirement card

This is a retirement card I have made for a colleague. She is retiring early and is not too sure about the whole thing, but got an offer she couldn't refuse. I wanted to emphasise the celebration and minimise the retirement aspect as I know she has concerns over finishing work. The big chipboard flower thingy is a fridge magnet that can be taken off the card and kept. Many thanks to Joanne (Angelnorth) for sending me some magnetic bits and to Kathy Black for the inspiration for a flowery layered card.

Paper and Vellum is SEI from the Bubbly Funk January Kit. Chipboard flowers from BF, Chipboard letters are Maya Road, tag from BF, Brad (live) Dovecraft, eyelets are Making Memories. Doodling with Sakura pens.

Rural Life

It was time for the calves to go out to grass this weekend. Before they go out they get a long acting worming bolus and a copper capsule, this involves putting them through the cattle crush before they get to go into the field. The photo below shows DH giving one of the calves it's worming bolus, you can't see it, but there is a device which goes down the calf's throat to deliver the bolus into it's stomach. Here are the calves, having their very first taste of fresh grass.

and here we are in all our glory, Massey Fergusson overalls, and yes, that is my tree that I'm journalling in the background.

Steven came over to help us out. It is much easier if you have more people to help get them from the shed into the cattle crush - they really don't want to go there.

James at the Window

Another digi layout featuring one of my photogenic cats - well what's a girl to do when her boys are all grown up!

DCM Double: Ad-dicted

AD-dictedI want you to browse the tv and magazines for advertisments and use them as inspiration. It might be the format, the colours, the products, the slogan - whatever floats your boat. Remember you can do this anytime, any place, anywhere as long as you link it to this blog in the usual way!

I love old adverts and used the same CD that had the Martini advert on my Hot & Spicy Card for these two. Papers on the first one are by Pink Petticoat, the background for the second card is just pastels straight onto the card blank.