Easter surprise

For today's card I have used one of the box cards that are available from Do Crafts - there are a huge variety for you to chose from, this one is perfect to make up as a little window....

I filled the card with little mini eggs that I found at the supermarket - they fit perfectly!
And I thought it made a great little gift as well as a card. Something different from the normal Easter egg.

Here is a close up of the inside.....

Whatever you are doing today - have fun!

Nikki x

Love you....

Here is my card for today....

I really love this flower punch, it can be very delicate and just add that little something to your card.
The little hearts and the bear are both from the Forever Friends elements range.

I'm very busy at the moment with magazine commissions (keep an eye out for the July Do Crafts mag for these projects) As soon as I can I will show you them here.

Hopefully when things settle down a bit again, I can upload some of the tutorials that I have been working on.
Happy craftin'

Nikki x

A fairy castle

This is one of the stamps out now from Do Crafts.
I've added glitter to the castle to make it sparkle, and lets be honest - you just can't have enough sparkle in your life!
It was a good excuse to get my pens out and do some colouring....... I love to spend time colouring in.

The flowers are from Do Crafts and right now they are on a buy one get one free deal, so that's a whole heap of flowers for 99p!

Nikki x

Call me Bond.....

This is a card that I made for my demo in Inverness a few weeks ago.
I love this little bear - he reminds me of James Bond.....

I really love the Forever Friends range - but just wait until you see the new Tatty Teddy range that will be hitting the stores very soon!
They are amazing.... Stamps - paper - decoupage......... They are going to fly out of the shops!

I hope you are all out enjoying the sunshine.
Nikki x

Paper folding

Sorry about the photograph, I took it with my camera but got the lighting soooooo wrong!
I love paper folding.... this is a very simple little card - but it's great fun to make and I think it looks really good.

Nikki x

Clean,simple and circles

This is my card for today, just a nice, clean and simple card.
I made it using some of the new outline stickers from Do Crafts and a circle punch.
The border was created using the xcut leafy lace punch - it's one of my favourites at the moment.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are - today I'm off to visit Kris (he says he is going to thrash me at the kinex, sadly I think he may well be right!).

Nikki x

What's your work surface like?

Well this is the chaos that is my work space at the moment!!!!

Oopsie.... I'm not quite sure how this happened, but I know I need to sort it out to get some more work done!!
This is the other desk.....

I'm sure there's a desk under there!!!
Roll on the summer holidays to give me time to sort it all out!

I'd love to see your desk......... pop a picture on your blog - let me know and I'll come over and have a look.

When it's all tidy I'll take some picks to show you the whole room.

Happy craftin'
Nikki x

Right - todays list

I had a great day yesterday at my demo in Inkspot, a huge thank you to everyone that came to say hello.
Here is one of the cards I made

Today I will be teaching some people how to do parchment craft - next time it will be quilling!
Then I have to try and get my printer to talk to my laptop.... I need to get so much printed off for work and my DT's....... I am falling way behind and everyone has been very understanding but I am getting so frustrated with it all now.
Hopefully all will get fixed and then I can get on with playing with some more Elle digis - I love love love all of them!
Whatever you are doing today, enjoy the sun!
Nikki x

A Dog's life - from the eyes of a 6 year old

"Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued,''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

I'll be back soon!

Sorry I've been awol for a while.... I managed to get a virus on my laptop and for a minute thought my arm had been cut off while I was without it!!!
But thankfully a knight in shinning armour came to my rescue and sorted it all out for me.... hopefully now normal service will resume, but I am running late with some planned projects... I will catch up soon I hope - thank you for sticking with me in the mean time.
Here is one of my cards from the current loop over at Do Crafts....

I'll be back soon!
Happy craftin'
Nikki x