Life is a Journey......

I'm cardmaking a little again now and getting back into the swing of things a bit more.  I'm still not able to use my Cuttlebug and most of my punches, but I'm sure it won't be long before I will be getting back to normal.  Off to see my surgeon tomorrow so hoping he'll be pleased with my recovery so far and gives me the 'all clear' to push myself a little harder.

I've really missed entering the Less is More weekly challenges and as I needed to create a birthday card for a male pal, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try to make the card fit the challenge theme for this week, which is a sketch. 

I used three stamps from a little set which came free with a magazine recently, stamped with Momento and heat embossed with clear embossing powder (sadly the shine doesn't show up on the piccie).  I created the vertical layer using Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Inks, applied using stipple brushes.  I also added just a touch of the Bundled Sage DI around the edges of the base card to distress them very slightly. 

That's it, simple but I am reasonably pleased with the final result.

Thanks for dropping by to see today's project.

and there's more..... !

Today I'm sharing piccies of the other knitting projects I've completed while I've been unwell, there is one more garment that I'm still working on, but these are the ones I've finished so far.

This one is knitted in Aran weight yarn and is the same pattern as the one I inadvertantly knitted in too big a size to fit me so gave to a friend.  The yarn isn't the same as the one I gave to my pal though, that was in a pale blue flecked yarn.  I'm wearing this tunic today and I have to say it's really cosy - perfect for this rather chilly morning.

I had a little of the gorgeous Baby Alpaca yarn left over so knitted these fingerless mittens to use it up.  The pattern was a freebie in a knitting magazine and I also knitted a pair for my Dad who was staying with me over Christmas and just after.  I know he gets cold hands when he's working in his craftroom, so thought they would be ideal to keep his hands warmer but still leave fingers free for crafting !  It's a lovely pattern and takes next to no time to knit up.

The final project for today is the mitred squares I'm knitting up using the pale blue flecked Aran weight yarn left over from the cabled tunic I gave to my pal.  I saw the instructions for knitting mitred squares in a magazine and changed the number of stitches and needle guage to make the size of squares I wanted.  When I've knitted enough, I'll join up the squares into a throw and maybe add a pretty crochet edging to finish it off.  I haven't done mitred work before but it is really easy and gives a great finished look I think.  I shall probably stitch them together in this pattern when I've knitted enough of them.




Just one more knitting project to share with you once I've finished it, I'm starting to do a little cardmaking again, so will have a couple of cards to share with you over the next few days.

This evening hubby and I are meeting up with my lovely crafting pal Kathy who is visiting Plymouth with her hubby.  We are heading off for a meal at a local Chinese restaurant this evening and it promises to be a great evening of catching up and crafty chat !

Thanks for checking out my post today, I hope I haven't bored you with all this knitting!  I think I may be recovering from my knitting 'bug' a little as I don't have a new project in mind for after the current one is completed - gasp !

Anything but Cards !

Since getting sick at the end of November, I haven't been able to do much of my cardmaking and papercrafting, but I have been knitting - lots !! 

I currently have my sixth garment on the go since November and thought I'd share a couple of piccies with you as I've been asked exactly what I'm knitting. 

This is the first jacket I made, I'd previously made one using this pattern in darker colours and liked it so much I thought I'd do another one.

As I had been well and truly bitten by the 'knitting bug' I then bought some gorgeous Baby Alpaca yarn and knitted this longline jumper with an asymetric hemline.  I just loved working with this super soft yarn and it's great to wear as it keeps me warm but not overheated and is remarkably light.  I do plan to knit more garments with this fabulous yarn.

The final project I'm sharing with you today is not quite finished as I need to press the parts before stitching up and knitting the roll collar.  I am still not able to do ironing (shame!!) so can't complete it until I can.  I put the pattern into the picture to show what the finished garment will look like.  The yarn this time is a mixture of Alpaca, Silk and Wool - nice to work with but nowhere near as soft as the Baby Alpaca, although may be a little more hard wearing.







I knitted an Aran weight short sleeved tunic with lots of lovely cabling on the front but when I'd finished it I realised it was far too big for me and should have knitted a smaller size.  So, I gave it to a friend who was delighted with it.  I have knitted myself one now and will share a pic of that another day.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing some different projects today, thanks for dropping by.

My Heart Belongs To You

I've managed to do a little light crafting over the past few days, albeit with limited stash as the bulk of my stuff is still packed away since Christmas and my OH won't let me get at it until I'm 'well' again !!

Today's card is my DT project for the I Love Promarkers blog and our theme for this week's challenge is 'Pink and Purple'.  This week's prize is sponsored by Digi Doodle Shop and I've used a lovely image from them for my card.

The image is coloured with Promarkers and a couple of the very lightest shades of Fleximarkers - I like these for blending.   I used dies by Memory Box and Nellie's Choice to create the hearts and Nellie Snellen punch and emboss sets to punch out the flowers and leaves.  The sentiment was created on my computer and I've added Stardust Stickles in the centres of the flowers, on the filigree and the lace on the bodice of her outfit.

I've enjoyed getting back into my card making and hope to get more projects done in the coming days to share with you.

Thanks for dropping by to check out my latest creation.

Quick Update

I thought I'd post up a quick update as I haven't been around for some time. 

My surgery on 16 December went well and I continue to recover, although much more slowly than I would like and had anticipated !!  I guess that's just me being far too impatient and I do know I have to take things easy for a while.

Sadly I am not yet able to get back to my crafting as I still have to take it easy and not lift anything heavier than a mug of coffee.  I have been doing a lot of knitting though so that has stopped me from going totally stir crazy !!  I've completed a cardigan and two sweaters and have another ready to stitch together, so I've been keeping busy. 

I'm hoping to be reunited with my craft stash soon and get a few projects done to share with you.