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Thank you for stopping by...

Thank you for visiting me today, I hope you see something here that you like. I love colouring digital images and I am on a few Design Teams.I am taking art classes with Kit and Clowder, and Make it Crafty. I hope maybe you will get some new ideas here or you can leave comments and links so I will be picking up new ideas from you. Anyway I will put on the kettle and have some cupcakes at the ready...

Friday 30 December 2011

Christmas cards and thoughts...

This Christmas was a bit of a jumble of feelings. My estranged daughter Sarah had a baby and my sadness at not seeing her or my grandchild hit me quite hard. The things family members do to each other at this time of year seems at odds to the idea of the family togetherness portrayed in Christmas films etc. anyway...I think these are the last of my Christmas cards to show here...
I printed the image onto matt photo paper, sprayed with crafters companion Spray and Sparkle "iridescent". The snowglobe is from mcs christmas bunny snuggles over an image of Jasmine and the flowers are from w.o.c.
I think the fireplace and the snowglobe are from bunny snuggles again, the florishes made with my cuttlebug, the wooden reindeer from a pack of Tesco tree ornaments.
And finally, for my stepdaughter Lisa and her husband Manwai.. the moon was from one of the christmas cd's from mcs, in fact, all the printed embellishments are mcs. The flourish from my cuttlebug, the image in the bauble is from their wedding day this year.
Our Christmas spent with Lisa and her family was lovely. Colin and I played with the children and their toys and it was just so peaceful and at times so funny...we were shattered and I could have slept for a week!
I hope you all had a very Happy Christmas.

Saturday 24 December 2011

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas

I do hope you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas, spending the day however you wish. To be warm and light hearted, well fed and loved. 

Thursday 22 December 2011

Yet more mincepies.

I have been baking mincepies again today. Actually, this is a photo of last time's efforts but today's look the same. I think we all have our own recipe but this is how I make them.
7ozs plain flour
1 3/4oz icing sugar
4 1/2oz unsalted butter cut into small cubes (must be very cold)
pinch of salt
2 duck egg yolks

First I put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and added the icing sugar and the butter. Then I sat and watched some of a Christmas film while I rubbed the butter into the flour with my fingertips. I then added the egg yolks and started to mix them into the flour/butter mix with a wooden spoon. I do it this way as my hands just get covered with the stuff. After a few moments the stuff comes together and I can get my hands in to form the pastry into a flat round. I lay a piece of clingfilm (large enough to wrap round the pastry) onto my worksurface and place the pastry into the middle of it and wrap the clingfilm round it. The pastry then goes into the fridge for two hours. Near the end of that time I get out my bun tray and grease it well with the wrapper from the butter, it has just enough butter to do the job. I turn on the oven to 170 (I have a fan oven). I get out a couple of little pots, one has some cold water in it and one has a beaten egg. I get my mincemeat and some sugar ready and my rolling pin and two pastry cutters. Then I get the cold pastry out of the fridge and roll it out (not too thinly) on a lightly floured worksurface. I use the larger of the two cutters and cut 12 'rounds'...these are place into the greased bun tray. I then cut 12 of the smaller 'rounds' and put these to one side. I use a teaspoon to place the mincemeat into the little pastry cases and dip my finger into the water and moisten the edges of the pastry cases, this helps the lids to stick. The I place the little lids onto the waiting pastry cases and press lightly to seal. I put an eggwash onto the lids and sprinkle a little sugar over them. Then they go into the oven for 15 minutes. When they are ready I take them out of the oven and leave them in the bun tray for a while before getting them out using a teaspoon and placing them onto a rack to cool. They are so yummy eaten warm but they do freeze really well.
There are so many ways to make these but this works for us....and I think I can hear Colin doing a spot of quality control in the kitchen! Hummmm....

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Who's a lucky girl then?

Woohoo...Colin has bought me a cricut create! I must be on Santa's 'nice' list! He ordered it yesterday and I was told it will be here before Christmas. Now then, is it a ploy to get me to do as much housework as I can so that I can play when it arrives? Well...it worked! I am going to clear a pathway through my craft room and get everything ready for its arrival-I knew I would find a use for those bits and pieces of pretty papers, I am all excited and keen to get my hands on this fantastic piece of kit and I will be visiting loads of your blogs to get some ideas. Colin has been busy taking photos of my cards and stuff so I will get up to date with that as well. And maybe, just maybe I will get some more mincepies baked later today. Anyway, I am going to be scooting round so if I am passing by the computer I will stop by and say hello.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Do you think I like purple?

Another image from dulemba.com they really are amazing digi's and so easy to colour.
pearlescent card from the Range, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, coloured with promarkers, papers, ribbon and buckle from stash. I have made this for my hairdresser...I am off there in a few moments to be re-purpled! Yes, I have purple hair, not bright purple but still an obvious purple. I will be taking a tub of hot chocolate drink with me and I would have taken some mincepies but they won't be ready in time. I think Colin took some photos of the last batch so I'll put them on here when I come back. Hoping you all have a very nice Tuesday, keep warm.

Saturday 10 December 2011

So pretty....

This is another image from Elizabeth at dulemba.com  I am amazed she allows us to practise colouring with her amazing images. This is printed onto the Daler Rowney Bristol Board, coloured with promarkers and embellished with Wild Orchid flowers. The background is card from my stash and the star is from a large set of christmas decorations which Tesco has on sale at the moment...I think they are just tree decorations. The greeting from Kanban.
November, for me, has been really difficult but this month is going to be much better. Colin bought me a halogen oven and today I cooked a chicken in it. Took hardly any time at all and all I had for dinner was half a little chicken. Cooo....I think I could live on roast chicken!