This fantastic country

I know I haven't been about for a while but now I'm back and I find I cannot access any blog, they did this with youtube for years, so I just wanted to say sorry, I'm not being rude not visiting or commenting on anyone's blog I just can't get on - how infuriating!!!

Hopefully it won't be too long - will just have to concentrate on Do-Crafts

Clare

Easle box calendar

I've been wanting to do one of these for ages but haven't had the chance. Feeling a bit fed up today and my mojo on the way out I decided I'd have a day doing something fun, just for me.
I can't remember where I got all the details for it, if/when I remember I will put it on. The papers are from the Clip Art Fairy.




I'm quite proud of it actually and feel really inspired again, good job really as mum and dad have now got booked to go back to England for a week so I need to get Eddie and Rose's advent calendar/boxes done, got until the end of March, should be ok even though we can't get small matchboxes here so will have to make my own, all 48 of them!! Wish me luck!!

Thanks for stopping by

Clare x

Christmas Prezzies

I totally forgot to put pictures on of the prezzies I made for my nephew and niece! I thought I'd make them something as there isn't much you can buy here, plus I have to remember they have to take home again so nothing heavy!! I'm already thinking about making them both some advent drawers for next year, got to do it early coz don't know how I'll get them to England!!




Also just a quick couple of pics, I made myself a gluten, lactose and fructose free quiche, seriously proud of myself:


Then of course I had to make something for mum and dad so I made some chicken and mushroom pies, wonder how long they will last in the freezer?!



Right, best get on, I'm making sweet chilli sauce, caramalised onion chutney and sweet & sour sauce this afternoon ready for Sunday.

Clare x

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Ah, it's all over now - thank goodness! I absolutely love the run up to christmas but always find the big day itself quite a let down so my favourite day has always been Christmas Eve, and this year it was even more special, my sister and family were due to come out on the 20th but their flight was cancelled due to the snow but they finally made it on Christmas eve!!

Here is a picture of my dad, sister, brother-in-law and nephew Edward enjoying the sunshine,



I thought I'd do a mega post today with everything that I've remembered to take pictures of, I was so manic through December, I really don't know what happened!!

First off, my christmas cakes finally finished:




Some fun jewellery I made for my table top sale, cupcake earrings and allsort cufflinks, I did make some rings but forgot to take pictures of them!



And some bracelets I made up:


Some notelets I made with the freebies I got from DoCrafts:


Marmalade and Mincemeat, also for the tabletop sale:



And finally one day at the tabletop some people were moving and selling pretty much everything and I managed to get 2 smallish purple frames with dodgy flowers in them, for 40p each, they were just screaming at me to alter them:


Right, finally back to normal so should be back to regular upadtes!

Clare

Baby Rose

Just a quick note to say baby Rose arrived at 10:30 Saturday night, here is a picture of her and one with mum and big brother.




Mum and I are so excited, two weeks today and we'll be there! Dad gets to stay here and cat sit, he'll get to see them when they come here for Christmas.

Will have to think of a lovely Baby's 1st Christmas card...

Bye for now

Clare X

There just arent enough hours in a day

Since the table top sales have gone into winter mode ie every weekend I don't seem to have enough time. Since my last post I have made my christmas cakes, and am 'feeding' them regularly - lucky them!



I've been making as many cards as I possibly can, the first is the poppy, I can't remember where I got the image from, coloured with my ever increasing copics.



The second and third are Kenny K images, I love these so much, they are just so fun to do.




Now from card making download, I just fell in love with the sweety shop:



I also got a lovely poinsettia card from there:



And last but not least I got some Christmas Forever Friends transfers and today I've been putting them onto some mugs:



My sister is expecting her second baby any time now, she was due last Friday so we're all on tenterhooks every time the phone rings. That also means mum and I are going to the UK in two weeks and as Vicky doesn't have any craft shops near her I've been shopping on the internet and yesterday I bought myself the Forever Friends CD rom, it should have been £49.99 and I got it for £29.99, what a bargain, how chuffed am I?
Don't know if I'm more excited about that or getting another nephew or niece?!

Hopefully will be back soon with some baby news, fingers crossed it won't be much longer!

Bye for now

Clare X

Another quick post

I've just got a spare minute to show you a couple of photos of my table at the table top sale, I didn't have much room to take the pictures as the table accross from us was selling clothes for about 40p so you couldn't move for locals!




I've also signed myself up for step aerobics, so I have to leave in about 10 minutes. What have I let myself in for??

Right when I get back I'm making christmas cakes, I got all the fruit measured out and soaked in booze over night so they should be good lol!

Right, best get off now and get ready - wich me luck!

Clare X

Where did that week go?

Hi, it only seems like yesterday that I was saying I was getting ready for the table top last weekend and here it is again this weekend! It went really well, I sold all but 1 piece of cake and quite a few cards and had orders for 7 more so thats where the week went!

I had had an order from an elderly lady who was short of cash so wanted 1 card to incorporate a gentlemans birthday, his wife's birthday AND their wedding anniversary,



As you can see I did it flowers but in blue so to try and please both parties.



Inside the simple anniversary image and I put verses behind each front panel.

Today I've been busy getting ready for the table top so just have a couple of food piccis to show you.


Carrot Cake

Fudge

Just got coffee & walnut, victoria sponge, turkish delight muffins, fudge muffins and lemon curd slices to do tomorrow.

Bye for now, thanks for stopping by

CLare X

Quick Christmas Cards

These quick christmas cards are taken from Clare Curds from ages ago, they just seemed really simple yet still christmassy.






I think the stamps are Woodware, coloured with copics, computer generated greetings and simple gems in the corner.

Thanks for stopping by

Clare X

Quick Post

Hi there, just a quick post for today as I seem to be so busy. I've made quite a lot of cards just haven't gotten around to taking pictures of them!
This is just one for my 'stock', made using capsule collection paper, nesties and little roses. I'm trying to get my stocks back up again as the table top sales start again this Sunday, at least it's cooled down a little now, can't be baking in 50+ degree heat!



Will make sure I take some pictures and get them put on ASAP.

Must just say tho, how lovely and helpful Mo at Mo's Digital Pencil Shop has been, I was having trouble ordering from her using PayPal form Turkey and even on a Sunday she helped me and hot me sorted.

Bye for now, thanks for stopping by

Clare X

My first award

Good Morning, I received my first blog award last week from the lovely Sally and have only just figured how to get it all done.

The rules for this award are:

Thank the person who gave me this award

Put the award on my blog

List 3 things I like about myself:

1, I'm very patient, if I can't get something done I'll persevere until it's done.

2, If I hadn't moved to Turkey I wouldn't have discovered card making or probably have time to do it anyway.

3, I'm an animal lover, if I had enough money I'd look after all of the 'street' cats and dogs in the town.

Post a picture I love.



This was taken May '09 when I went 'home' to visit my best friend, I hadn't seen Lisa or been back home for 4 years so it was very special to me.

Pass the award to 5 other lovely people:

Lorie

Rachel

Mina

Jenny

Natalie

Hopefully all of this has worked...

Thanks again Sally.

Thanks for stopping by

Clare

I just can't stop colouring

Since I got my first Tilda together with some skin colour copics, there is no stopping me, not just colouring but buying! I'm on my second Tilda and 23 copics not even getting to all the digi stamps I've now aquired! Ah well you only live once eh?

Speaking of digi stamps I got these 2 that were just shouting to be coloured with my new felt tips, and with the whole back to school in all the shops it just seemed fitting. Also needed a break from Christmas!

They were from Kenny K, which is such a fab site, trying to stay away from there at the moment, need to replenish the funds first!




At the moment here it's the festival at the end of Ramadan so pretty much everywhere is closed and you have to keep a supply of sweets in for if/when the local children come around, I'd compare it to our Christmas with a twist of halloween (coming round knocking on doors for sweets) in it! So Iyi Bayramlar everyone!!

Christmas Tilda

I've had these made for ages now just haven't gotten around to uploading them. We have family here at the moment, helping to paint the house so it's rather busy, I'm not getting much done. Although they did bring me a huge bad full of goodies, I'm dying to get going with them but don't want to appear rude!




Best get off now, already been away from them for too long lol!

Thanks for stopping by

Clare

The bauble stamp

Well I've fished out my fave stamp from last year, decided to go with blue and silver and red and gold. Embossed onto matching card, mounting onto either gold or silver then onto the backing paper - simple yet effective.

I've just received my new Tilda so I'm dying to get colouring...

Back soon with pics

Clare

Is it really the season?

Well seeing as it's just far too hot to be outside, I've been making more christmas cards. I'd ordered loads of Forever Friends Decoupage the other week and decided I'd get on with them. So I put the fan on and set to, I also downloaded different layouts because when you're doing that many they can all end up looking pretty much the same

The papers are all Pink Petticoat, I decided they would all be of the same theme, just different colours and layouts. I also added the odd snowflake and poinsettia.

Here are just a few of the pictures:







Thanks for stopping by,

Clare x