4 Cats and an awful lot of mess

This weekend MP and I were honoured to attend the wedding of Miss Lauren Cope and Mr Kieran Gilhooley at St John's Church, Cumnock followed by a reception at the beautiful Sorn Castle, Ayrshire.



I have been friends with Lauren's' mum, Susan since 1985. We met in Hertfordshire, where we were both working as nannies and introduced by the other nannies who took 'newbies' under their wings. This friendship got off to a rocky start but has endured the years and we were at each others weddings and I was a frequent visitor as her 3 children (Lauren, Jenna and Marc) grew up. I also have the honour of being Jenna's Godmother or Fairy Godmother as I like to believe.

Obviously what to wear to this event took much deliberation and research, wanting to look good. As I have a fondness for vintage style clothing I searched far and wide for the perfect dress. Eventually I found this beauty from Palava clothing, a UK company who make the most beautiful dresses and knitwear, the Elsie - Navy floral feather.


Stunning and made from the most beautiful fabric. I bought a navy net petticoat to wear underneath it but in the end decided to wear as is and felt great in it. I teamed it with Miss L Fires Amber shoes in Navy


a vintage hat from Etsy



a matching navy suede clutch bag and to ward off the cold (good job as it was freezing) a mustard coloured pashmina.

But enough about me and more of the lovely bride.




The Bride and Groom


Lauren and her proud Dad, Danny


Lauren with her sister and Maid of Honour, Jenna

So wishing Mr and Mrs Gilhooley the very best for their new life together as man and wife xxxx

With time on my hands at the moment until I am fit to go back to work and that I am enjoying making cards, I decided to try and push myself a little. Yesterday I started looking via Google at card challenges and came across quite a few on different sites. I have linked to some of the ones I really liked under the challenges section.

However, this challenge from CAS(E) this Sketch Sketch #294 really appealed to me so for my first effort at a challenge I have joined in. This is my take on the sketch:


I used:
Ninah Desert Storm Cardstock
Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle dies
MFT Kraft ink pad
Pretty Cute Stamps Fur Baby Stamps
Waffle Flower red ink pad
Simon Says Stamp Mini Heart Dies
Red Cardstock from my stash
Glossy accents

This is Sketch #294

As I am off work at the moment recovering from breast surgery, not able to drive very far due to the seatbelt or the fact I have been bra less for 3 weeks, I am getting bored and therefore doing a lot of shopping online.

Not sure how, think it was a Facebook group, but I came across a little UK based shop called Skull and Cross Buns that makes and sells its own stamps. I couldn't resist a look and ended up buying a planner set (not that I use a planner, I'm still using my Filofax from the 1990's) and a gorgeous personalised stamp for the back of my cards.



If you fancy a browse the shop can be found at www.skullandcrossbuns.com

I have also spent an awful lot of time searching for the perfect dress to wear at my friends' daughters wedding next weekend. Last minute I know but I had something specific in mind and that took some finding. More in the next post.

Twice a year I treat myself, well more than that really, but this is a treat from the fabulous Simon Says Stamp. Their own brand products are superb and much better than the limited choice we get in the UK. This latest treat coincided with the special 'STAMPtember'  event where stamp designers prepare limited edition sets sold via the SSS website.

This year was superb however the stamps sell out quickly so I wasn't able to get all the ones I wanted. I did manage to get these gorgeous stamps from Honey Bee stamps with the matching dies:

This versatile set of stamps are perfect to add to my growing stash and will be put to good use. Already I have used them to make these cards for upcoming birthdays.


Images coloured with Promarkers and embossed, Altenew numbers die and gold glitter paper from American Crafts.


Kraft card stock, Hero Arts Hues - White ink, Stamping Up glitter paper. Apologies for the photograph.

Two cards with one set of stamps, that's a record for me, so a worthwhile investment.

It seems most people start by making cards and then venture into scrapbooking. For me it was the other way around. I started scrapbooking when a friend suggested a day class at a local store and soon I was hooked. I started going to a regular crop where I met lots of like minded people, joined UK Scrappers and went on weekend retreats. It was through a circle journal that I met my still friend KathB and as the crops have died off, I too have not done any scrapbooking in ages, despite mounds of stash.

I have however started to use some of my supplies and added to it, making cards. I am really enjoying this, I am slow, I get it wrong quite  a lot but it is relaxing and the fruits of my labour seem well received.

Some of the cards I have made recently include:


A card for my neighbours daughter who moved into her first house. Scraps of paper from my stash, Claudine Helmouth stamps coloured with Promarkers and my Dymo label maker.




My Favourite Things Four Legged Friends again, coloured with Prismacolour pencils.

As you can see I am really liking Kraft backgrounds, they are so versatile and everything seems to go with a Kraft card. So come back soon for further creations.