More Digital Designer pages for Evelyn's Scrapbook

Hello again everyone from a very cold and wet Sowerby Bridge ...

Yesterday I told you about my grandaughter and how I has made a start on her scrapbook using the Docrafts Digital Designer.  I wanted to tell you about my alternative graphics programme - Serif Craft Artist Professional - but I haven't sussed out how to upload my pages so a postponement is on the cards for the moment.

However, the Docrafts programme has been chunking away most of the day today as I slowly work my way through the family.  I thought I would use alternatives to the normal pink for a baby girl so Mummy and Daddy have got the Forever Friends Black and Gold .... I hope you like it ......

and Gramps and I have gone for Portobello Road in GB colours ..... I made three different versions of this one ...... I would say the above is an Intermediate level and the following two are beginner ... what do you think? .... am I on the right track?

So these are probably the last pages I will complete as I travel back to the South Coast tomorrow ...and my lovely hubby Dave ... missed him xxx

So will blog again next week but in the meantime take care and happy crafting ... whatever it is you like to do ... Maggie xx

Evelyn's Forever Friends Scrapbook Page!

Gosh - has it been nearly a month since my last Blog, Father's Day has come and gone - Wellington still sits in his chair and my birthday came and went with the wind and rain - the south coast has really taken a battering this last week!

I'm away from home at the moment - in the wilds of West Yorkshire with my beautiful grandaughter Evelyn Iris and her mum and dad of course.  Evelyn is a very special baby as she is the result of Five years and Four lots of IVF - so every moment we share with her is so special!  Unfortunately, nearly three hundred miles separate us so I depend on the train an awful lot. My disability stops me from doing the normal things you would do to negotiate that awfully long journey, but am about to acquire a Rail Card so that should make things easier!

My Docrafts buddy Katy Godbeer is a wonderful scrapbooker and her articles in the Creativity Magazine inspire me so much - so to record Evelyn's first few months  not only by photograph or video,  but to scrapbook using the two graphics programmes acquired from that wonderful crafting channel that we all know and love!

The second of my two offerings was put together using the Papermania The Best of British CD - and our little Forever Friends Teddy.  Believe it or not it took me three hours of joy to complete the 8 x 8 page which can now be e-mailed to Evelyn's Auntie Alison in Adelaide and Uncle Antony in Sri Lanka.  Also Evelyn's mummy and daddy can print it and place in the scrapbook I started when she was born and then e-mail to whoever they like.

As you can see I like to keep things 'busy' but I think the two sentries 'guarding' Evelyn (appx 3 months old) are a treat - the small crown was placed on the baby's head but I wasn't keen on that idea so the sentry box bear has now got a crown all-be-it small!

I found the Digital Designer graphics software very easy to use once you have spent time 'playing' with the various buttons and found out what all of the techie bits are.  For this project I didn't use any advanced features or matting and layering - focusing on  re-sizing and making sure the layers are correct.

I hope you like my offering from the Best of British Cd  - will have to look through the Forever Friends Black and Gold collection see what I can come up with for Evelyn's Mummy and Daddy as my next project.  

So from a sunny but somewhat breezy West Yorkshire  - Evelyn and Me  Luv xxx

The Magic of Docrafts - Wellington and Friends!

Hi to my fellow crafty buddies -

We crafter's don't need an excuse to rifle through our stash, especially our Docrafts stash but this weekend I had a double excuse to be creative - of course it was Father's Day last Sunday ...... I had another celebration on Wednesday - my lovely Hubby, Dave celebrated his big 66 birthday (would you believe it is the new pension age)! So what should I create - Forever Friends, Tulip, Me to You or something a little more 'lived in' - like Wellington or Hot Diggety Dog - Wellington won on this occasion!

I doubled up and made it into a DVD gift box come 'bow fronted' greeting card (a technique I saw Jo use today on C&C) with Wellington in a definitely, 'Lived in' pose!  Just the ticket - I thought!   Lots of distressing and Spellbinders - two of my fave techniques!  Unfortunately I had made it too secure and he couldn't get into it - well not without some heavy handed scissor action - will have to use normal double sided tape next time not extra strong .. 

 Next we had Father's Day - our three grandchildren and three 'adopted' grandchildren - who call grandad 'Gramps' - had managed to wish him a 'Happy Day' from 10,000 miles, 256 miles and 30yds in one way or another - but I wanted to do a little extra 'special' something from all of them - so I made a tiny greetings card to go with the gift I had organised!

As you know my love of dogs (I keep harping about them) surface in every blog - well Dave is as potty as I am - so here is the embroidered polo shirt which arrived last Friday - his very own Gramps polo shirt - complete with the obligatory woofer sitting proudly above the wording - and Hot Diggety Dog sitting to one side in a special 'pose' on a pedestal!  A simple card wrapped around a button was the key, to go with the snow white shirt! 

My sentiments tell you that I'm a great big softy at heart - so on Sunday my little adopted brood presented him  with the parcel and he was very touched ....but to all of us he is definitely Top Dog! 


So here we are a few days later, putting all of my thoughts to paper, listening to Land of Hope and Glory and The Royal Marines CD  feeling very patriotic - and thinking what project to do next! Well it's my Daughter-in-Law, Liz's 40th birthday on the 25th - so I had better get my finger out and make and post that card PDQ .. maybe I'll channel a little of Cool Britannia patriotism into it too! 


So TTFN (ta ta for now) ... will catch up with you at the other side of my creative rush to the head ... Luv from Abi and Me ...


Margaret xxx 

Abidog three years on!

Hi Everyone - sorry have been slow to get back in 'blogging' mode!

A week later we collected Abi from the rescue centre - from the moment she entered our home she physically relaxed - and as the weeks and months passed, her bones filled out and her coat began to shine ... so here we are three years later ... need I say more?

Abi Comes Home - Continued ....

Hi Everyone .... yesterday I started to tell you about Abi's story - continued this morning .....

- o O o -

We stood and watched Abi for a short while - she didn't move - just watched us with sad wide eyes - could we look after her properly?  Walk her often enough?  A raft of questions without answers darted in and out of our mind's eye  - what should we do?  

The decision was soon to be taken away from us by the RSPCA - they weren't happy for us to adopt her unless we had 'investigated' the ins and outs of owning a 'sight hound' and the implications of what that would mean!  That night the internet was buzzing from one doggy site to another for every scrap of information about all hounds in general!  The stumbling blocks seemed to be - recall (you can call until you are blue in the face but they won't come back until they are ready) so an enclosed exercise area had to be found  - to chase and kill any rabbit, squirrel, cat or deer in sight!  Ok - so take her to places that are animal free - if poss!  We had been advised to put a 'reserve' on her just in case someone else saw her and decided to adopt her before we decided.

The Manager, Helen had recognised us from our previous visit to The Ark, 10 years earlier to adopt Sooty.  Helen was a kennel maid in those days and had a rapport with the animals in her care - had moved up in the world and it was lovely to see her managing the kennels.  What she had to tell us about Abi was heartbreaking -

•  Abi had been found in woodland - near to the sea.
•  Her head was covered in scabs - possibly cigarette burns.
•  The Warden who found her found that she was very well behaved but
•  could have belonged to travellers, and if she had they use the 'burning'
•  method to train the animal!  Was this what happened?  We will never know

Helen showed handed Abi's file to us to read.  No wonder she looked so sad - it was gruelling reading!

Knowing Abi's history gave us a steely determination to overcome any negative thoughts that we had.  We suggested to Helen that visiting and walking Abi for a week, would give Dave and I time to get used to her, and  that she could get used to us - then make a decision!  That is just what we did! .......

Thank you for reading Abi's story .... I will continue tomorrow - watch this space ... M xx

RSPCA Rescue - Abi Comes home!

Hello again - yesterday I promised to tell you about how Abi came to live with us in 2007 - so here we go ....

January 2007 was not a good month - Hubby Dave had suffered a couple of heart attacks and a slight stroke and we didn't know - he had suffered 'silent' heart attacks - no pain just shortness of breath!  Following two weeks in hospital Dave came home to recuperate, and so a couple of months passed, and by April  he felt better and needed a new way to exercise (banned from the gym), a new woofer appeared to be the answer.  It had been 10 years plus since Sooty our Heinz 57 had passed away, so now was the time.

The RSPCA rescue centre, The Ark is just a few miles from home so we toddled off to have a look.  Sooty had been a 4 month old pup when we got her - not this time though - a young dog would be better if we could find one, but we went with an open mind.  We didn't have to wait very long - one of the kennels had 'sight' hounds - we had never heard of the term but soon found out!

Greyhounds, Whippets, Lurchers of all denominations and Salukis (or Gazelle Hounds).  In other words, very fast hunting dogs, long dogs, whatever you wish to call them.  All of their photos were pinned by the door for us to look at - that's when we saw her - a lovely black almond eyed beauty! Along the corridor we strolled carefully looking at all of the woofers, the very noisy woofers until we got to one kennel, a shared kennel - Brian the greyhound was bounding around being very vociferous, and in the corner was a hard plastic bed, and laid in the bed was a very quiet, sad little black dog who looked so unhappy!  Brian was still bounding and causing havoc, as this skinny little creature stood up and came to the gate - sniffed our hands, looked at us and gave a tentative tail wag, turned around and went back to the hard unforgiving dog bed.  We looked at each other and smiled, in a very quiet, fleeting moment Abi had chosen who she wanted to go home with ! ......
 ...... so what happened next? .... I'll tell you tomorrow ...

Love and hugs xxx

P.S. Take a good look at the doggies on our Anniversary Card - they're just like Abi  .....

Rule Britannia - A Coin with a difference!

Hi everyone - I've just been inspired by two of the lovely ladies from Docrafts and another lovely lady called Annie who left  very first comments on my last post - girls you have lifted my spirits no end, so again thank you.  Just a quick note about the 'typos' - sorry guys I didn't proof read it!

Yesterday I promised a post about Jo Austin's Birthday gift from ALL of the ladies at the Members Day - and the fact that it just so happened to be made by Your's Truly in a former 'Life'!  What everyday pre decimal objects would you find Britannia on the tail side!  That would be a coin, you may answer - and I'm talking about the lost art of Coin Enamelling!  

It just so happens that I took with me a pair of cufflinks and a pendant, just to show the previous crafty endeavours that used to fill my days, and nights before the papercraft, crochet and knitting took over!

One of the ladies let it be known that it was Jo's birthday on Jubilee Sunday, so Katy produced a lovely Brit themed card, and I thought "how apt that the pendant I had with me was a Grand Britannia farthing" given that it was Jubilee weekend - just the job for an impromptu pressie - so to speak!  So that is what we did - we gave it to Jo.

- o O o -

Coin Enamelling, a Victorian invention - all those years ago someone came up with an idea that to colour both sides of a coin would be a  very good idea - so the craft was born!

Ground glass enamelling is the key to a well crafted coin.  The only difference in the two eras (1902 example using old method) is that the modern day craft 'normally' includes gold plating, in our case 18ct, which gives the coin an opulent look and feel!

Sadly, this is now a dying craft in the UK - there are still a couple of 'true' enamellers around but the majority now come from the Far East, so need I say more!! Just check out E-bay!  

I had to change direction because I needed a very still, steady hand - in the long run the process damaged the nerves in my right arm - so here we are five years on ...... I still miss it!

- o O o -

However, coming back to Jo - I think she was pleased with it, in fact I'm sure she was  - we both had a few tears and a hug!  It was all a part of that wonderful day! 

I'm glad I can tell you about some of the more unusual goings on at the University of Life known as Crafty Abi's Mum  ..... in the meantime ... Happy Crafting and Warm Wishes to You and Yours ..

from Abidog and I xxx

Memories - Docraft Member's Day ...

Hi everyone on this dull day on the South Coast - as a newbie I found out a while  ago that I've been doing everything wrong and wondering why I wasn't getting an where - however, I thing I have sorted myself out now so things should improve!

The last few days have been awful weather wise - rain and gales - luckily we live on high ground so have missed the floods.  Abi Hates the rain and has spent more time indoors than usual - she is now in the front garden under the porch, in her bed watching the world go by.

I'm just reflecting on the events of the last couple of weeks, the very first Creativity Club Club Event was held on the 1st June - I was so very, very lucky to be invited - one of 35 out of 'how many' thousand members?  It was one of those events that will stay with you forever.  A whole day of fun spent with your contemporary s  - Jo Austin, Sheila Helliwell and Katy Godbeer - not to forget our hostess Emma Collins, Creativity Club Manager.  We had lots and lots of laughs,  a few tears, and also learned a few things.  It was Jo's birthday 2 days later on the the Jubilee weekend so we all signed a card for her.  That's another story .... so watch this space!

Since then I have spent most of my time uploading photos onto my Docrafts Creativity Club Gallery, a mixed lot you may say, so here are a couple of projects:

This is just a couple of projects - the Cup Cake Tree was made with Pampered Pets collection and the Exploding Box was made with a selection of toppers from Kanban.  Hope you like them! ....

My next creation will be for the Crafter's Companion monthly Challenge and the A to Z Challenge on Creativity Club Blog - letter Q  so maybe Quilling or Quilting!  Have to think about that one! So if anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear from you ...

The next item on my agenda is to get supper then settle down to watch episode 125 on Creativity TV - Jo's new Crafting masterpiece!  So I'll toddle off now and see you soon ....

Luv Crafty Abi's Mum xxx

My very first blog ........ The Saluki Star - Abi ...

Abi the Wonderdog!

Morning everyone ..... as this is my very first offering ... I thought I should introduce you to the Star of the Show - Abidog ... who is a wonderful girl .... so faithfull and true but a true hound .... Watch out rabbit, cats and deer! Alongside our children , adopted children, and grandchildren - Abi is the very reason our lives are soooo fullfilling (not to forget my crafting) ..... at the moment she is in the garden trying to find the least resistance against the wind!  So, I dedicate to all of the lovely ladies I met at the Very First Member's Day last Friday - who have changed my life completely .... you all know who you are ... Lot of love Margaret xx