more challenges

The challenge this week on

http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/

was to make a card for a teenager - well it just so happens it is our teenage neices birthday so this was perfect timing

Challenges

Here is the challenge this week on Arty Girls - make something using this gorgeous sketch
isnt it lovely - think I could use this quite a lot...






Anyway this is what I have done with it - birthday card for my young neice - hope she likes it



and the challenge on paper take weekly is create using this sketch

here is what I have done - dont know if I am really happy with it though - didnt quite come out how I expected - iykwim!!


Have just discovered Cute Card Thursday - so have done this for their make a card for a child challenge

Am quite pleased with how this one turned out - I have used dream street paper for the background and then cut a pattern out with the plain green paper and laid it on top - then coloured and cut the cute stamp - made a little table out of bazzill and then finished off with the happy birthday plaque

Their blog is here http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/

I have been having a browse around and am amazed by the kindness amongst fellow crafters - look here at the blog candy this lady is giving away
http://franmade.blogspot.com/

and this lady is giving away some gorgeous blog candy - some adorable stamps
http://shary-theothersideofme.blogspot.com/2008/07/exciting-news.html

and look at what Maya is giving away
http://mayas-hobbyblogg.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-candy.html

and heres another blog candy giveaway from a lady called andrea

http://andreabrownjohn.blogspot.com/

Aren't they all amazing!!

Look What we Have Been Doing Today

Days to do are getting few until my princess starts school - I do not know where the time has gone but one thing for sure - every Friday (my day off) we are spending lots of quality time together - last week we got dressed up and went out for lunch in a restaurant in town and then did a spot of girly shopping including nipping into a photo booth for some piccies to be taken - what a giggle. Anyway the weather today is poor to say the last - very very wet - so we decided to stay home and we have baked and baked - first on the agenda was

Smartie Cookies - oh so heavenly - found the recipe online - yummmmmmmmyyyy!!! Had to prise a few almost out of ems hand - ha ha no only joking had to give her a little box of them to keep her happy otherwise she would have been eating the mixture out of the bowl.

I often wonder if Emmie is going to be into photography when she gets older - she is always grabbing my camera and catching me unawares - lol!!!

Heres the end result - can you smell them - oooohey they are lovely - think once the boys get home the only thing that will be left is a plate of crumbs ha ha

and of course what is the best thing about baking at home with Mom - yep - you get to lick the bowl afterwards - I used to love doing that with my Mums baking

then after baking the little cakes - it was time for the fun part - the icing

Here is the final result of all our hard work today - anyone hungry!!

I didnt dare take a photo of the kitchen - although I have got it cleared up now - thank goodness

Chocolate Battenburg - I nearly fainted when I went to get the marzipan which I had forgotten to buy earlier.....£2.89 for one box of marzipan - HOW MUCH!!!! I had no choice but to buy it - I had already made the cake - aaaggghhh!!!

Chocolate Orange Cake - the chocolate we have used is Dairy Milk Chocolate - y'know the one in the purple wrapper - ooohey I am putting on weight just looking at it all

After the amount of money I spent on the marzipan I certainly wasnt going to waste any - so I added some orange extract and covered it in milk chocolate - stuck it in the fridge and voila - a yummy treat for later

We were so busy baking we forgot the time and was almost late going to collect Daniel from school - so a very quick journey up there and an encounter with the cascading rain or should I say bucketing it down - aaagh - anyway once we got dried off - heres my boy enjoying some spoils

Can't be bothered to cook tea now - Lee is picking some thing up from the chippy on the way home lol!!!!

Cute Teddy Stamps

Have you seen these - arent they gorgeous - http://spiralwhisper.blogspot.com/

challenges

The challenge on Cardvaarks this week is PINK so here is my Pink Card - I have used an autumn leaves stamp - I really like their stamps

Here is my thank you card for the coffee and cream paper take weekly challenge - looks better irl

Centre Parcs

Here are a few layouts from our trip to Centre Parcs in January to celebrate Ems birthday - finally got around to scrapping them

Heres Robin Hood and Maid Marion at the Sheriffs Banquet - what a brilliant evening but how embarrasing too in a funny way - Em was sat on my knee during the stage show and Guy of Gisbon came onto the stage (rather good looking I may add) Emmie said Look Mummy that man hasnt got any hair - everyone heard and I mean everyone including him he couldnt help but stop what he was doing and he laughed(luckily) I think everyone laughed bless him - bless her - but oh no he got his own back five minutes later they needed a volunteer to go up on stage and dance with the jester and with him - I didnt get a lot of choice I was frog marched up there lol!!!! Needless to say I am definitely not putting those photos up on the blog - hubby delighted in snapping away with my camera - meanie!!! Anyway we had a great evening - one to certainly remember and remind her about when she is older!!!