24th March 2017 Mailer

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Looking Out To Sea by Janyce Cotterill

It caused a bit of a stir in the community when, Couple, a sculpture by Sean Henry was erected on a Northumberland coastline a few years ago. A couple of weeks ago I posted a few other pics of Seans sculptures and went on the hunt for this one earlier in this week. I have to say I was really taken with it, as have many other people now. Visitors travel to see it, as I have done. There is a nice cafe and museum on the beach front - and a nice promenade to walk along, if you are not able to or want to, venture onto the sand. So if you are ever up the UK Northumberland coastline, check it out! (The close up photo is a much smaller scale version of the couple, which stands on the prom.) If you wish to read more about the sculpture check it out here http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/art60085 Im leaving you with two male designs this week, one of them being from my latest collection. Two totally different modes of transport! Thank you for your interest. I hope you have enjoyed this little sculpture journey I have taken you on in my last couple of mailings!

cup774481_1035 by Janyce Cotterill

cup431793_1035 by Janyce Cotterill

First Days of Spring by Judith Henry

Even though the calendar says we are in spring, and the snow has finally melted, it will be several more weeks before we can get into our gardens. The robins have been flocking and looking for food. The ducks are looking for nesting ground. And the dog walkers have increased. Northern Iowa is just now coming out of its last blizzard and hope for NO MORE SNOW.I have been nursing my orchids which have bloomed two years in a row again. It gives me such delight each morning as I open the blinds to give it the southern sun light. The Netherlands Tulips and Windmills vacation are waiting for me in a few weeks. That surely will bring spring and big ideas for popup cards.

Latest slice form cards. Thanks for looking.

cup775166_2228 by Judith Henry

cup772923_2228 by Judith Henry

Knitting Socks by Patricia Platt

I have been busy doing the charity knitting and crocheting here the past couple of months, but decided it was time to do something for mean and Brian for a change. So I have learnt to knit socks. I did a pair for myself first the orange ones on the left in the photo. As you can tell they are different sizes. LOL Oh well the first one I was so chuffed with and went around like Dobby the house elf saying I have clothes. I then knitted the second one and was starting to run short on wool so it is slightly smaller than the first one, but they fit like a dream and I love wearing them. My feet and legs tend to swell and these are so comfy and dont cut off the circulation like store boought socks. I then knitted the second pair but took notes this time to make sure they were the same size. And I was pleased with them too. So afterwards I knitted a pair for Brian. He likes them so well that he wears them just about every day. Says they are more comfy than store bought ones too. I need to learn to knit faster as it takes me about 2 weeks or so to knit a pair. But that is with everything else too. I am now totally addicted to sock wool too.

The box kit would be great for Easter treats and there are others in my shop available too. They would hold a pair of socks too. I have also added some funny cards for various occasions. Great for men, teens or anyone in the family.

cup765632_1416 by Patricia Platt

cup775655_1416 by Patricia Platt

Spaced Out by Janice McFarlane

My 4yr old grandson Alfie came to stay with us for the weekend, whilst my daughter was being spoiled by her husband at a luxury hotel and spa weekend for her 30th Birthday. The pleasure of having him come and stay with us for the first time was an absolute joy. One of the many things we did whilst he was with us is splatter painting. Alfie is very much into Space and Rockets etc., and as he is moving into a new house soon with a space themed bedroom we decided to make a canvas for his wall. I painted it completely black, then we took it outside for the fun bit. His mum forgot to pack some old clothes and shoes, so I put my apron on him, and so he didnt get any paint on his new trainers his grandad tied bin bags to each foot. He did look a sight, but it did give us a laugh. Once I showed him what to do using stiff bristled brush, he was very creative and soon we had a wonderful galaxy of stars. There were a few happy accidents, which of course Alfie meant to do as he shouted its ok Nana, they can be shooting stars. Whilst the canvas was drying I had printed off the earth, planets, moon and a rocket, which Alfie glued in place with a little help. He was thrilled with the result, he even signed his artwork with his initials and date as any good artist would. Who knows his it could be worth thousands in the future (lol)!!!

These are my latest kits, a beautiful Wedding themed Open book Easel Card, and Matching Hanging Horseshoe Trio.

cup775690_905 by Janice McFarlane

cup775691_905 by Janice McFarlane

LA GROTTE DES FELINES - A Fascinating piece of history. by Wanda Lipski

As we were returning from our anniversary weekend we came across this little grotto and stopped to take a closer look. The story behind it is worth sharing. It was built (no doubt with a little help from his friends) by an 88-year old man towards the end of the 19th century, in memory of his father who was imprisoned during the Terror during the French Revolution in our nearby town of Feurs for having hidden priests. Destined to the guillotined in Lyon, he was released when the tide turned and Robespierre was executed. Without this, the builder, a certain Mr LAFFAY would not have been born, since he was the youngest of 13 children, 6 of whom were born after their fathers miraculous release. The family went to Lourdes to give thanks and the grotto is a reminder of that visit. There is a natural spring in the grotto, that although it had dry years before the construction has never dried up since. I just love these stories of unsung heroes .... And talking of heroes, Ive been busy adding to my celebrity series, so please feel free to have a browse ... and ENJOY!

cup775704_2237 by Wanda Lipski

cup775706_2237 by Wanda Lipski

So much potential by Anne Lever

We have a very small garden, and we grow everything in pots and containers. We hadnt thought about growing roses before, and my daughter decided it is something she wanted to do this year. We went to our local garden centre to buy one, and picked one that had lots of early growth buds, despite it being mostly bare sticks. We are really happy with the growth so far, and I can see this producing lots of gorgeous yellow roses this summer.

cup775307_1763 by Anne Lever

cup527502_1763 by Anne Lever

Cuddling up ... by Carol Clarke

... With Grandad!Olivia wasnt feeling tip top this week and so whats the best remedy for the? Sitting on the Cuddle chair with Grandad of course! You cant quite make it out in the photo but shes carefully holding onto a pretty little pink Unicorn that I bought her. She called her Lucy. Id bought her brother Austin a large stretchy sticky frog which he loved too .... the only problem was that Olivia loved it too! Thats my girl ... pretty pink unicorns and stretchy sticky fogs! lol Below are 2 of my NEWEST Easter On the Shelf Cards. Watch out for more Coming soon ... Just as soon as Ive drawn the characters! lol

cup773964_359 by Carol Clarke

cup773167_359 by Carol Clarke

Belated Birthday Treats! by Kelly Barker

My birthday was back in November and my husband bought tickets for us to go and see Dirty Dancing on stage, but the show wasnt on until March, this week was finally the week I got to use my birthday present. I also had a voucher for my birthday from friends to get my nails done, but hadnt used it as Im not very good at making time for myself. Im normally running my kids to one club or another and find it hard to fit in fun stuff for me. As the voucher was due to run out, I finally got my gel nails done on friday, which tied in nicely with the show, so I had my birthday presents 4 months after my birthday! The show was amazing, it really brought one of my favourite films to life and wow those people can dance!! The casting, costumes and set were brilliant and cleverly done, Id really recommend seeing it if you can. I have just uploaded a new Mothers Day/Birthday design with an Owl theme, suitable for a son or daughter to give to their mum. I still have 12 designs/kits on special offer with 25% off, so please take a look x

cup629189_1028 by Kelly Barker

cup670564_1028 by Kelly Barker

Character Party! by Sue Way

Last week was out grandaughter Imogens 6th birthday. She is a very sociable little girl, so wanted to invite almost every child in her class to her party! So her mum (CUP designer Kelly Barker) & dad hired a big hall & a lovely lady we know who does character parties. The children can pick which character they want, so Imogen chose Ariel, Anna from Frozen & Spiderman for the boys. Imogen also dressed as Arial & Jessica dressed as Anna. They looked so sweet. Imogen was so happy, you could see it on her face & she said it was the best day of her life lol I love this picture of her, that shows how happy she is & how funny she found Spiderman, who was also a bit naughty lol This week I have been adding more scalloped round easel cards. The are perfect for many occasions, from Mothers Day to anniversary or birthday.Please click the follow button next to my name on my homepage so that you can quickly find my latest updates & dont forget to check out my latest Special Offers with 25% off. http://www.craftsuprint.com/sue-way/?r=968387

cup775372_38 by Sue Way

cup775183_38 by Sue Way

Sleepless Nights! by Tina Fitch

Well the sleepless nights were getting to me really 2 weeks of it to be precise! Last April I ordered my New RS and was told then it would be at least a year before delivery.. Oh dear! how was I to cope?I decided to call my dealer two weeks ago and they replied my car was waiting PDI and would be ready soon.. I was so excited... Not having a brand new car for at least 15 years.. My sleepless nights were to begin... Tuesday 21st I went to view the car to make sure it was all ok.. Yes it was and I was ready to pick up! I paid my money and had to wait till the morning to drive away... It had to be registered and taxed so another 24 hours I had to wait..10.am Wednesday I was there ready. All that time I had waited and the sleepless nights were all worth it.. So here she is My new MK3 RS to go with my MK2.. She is definitely another beast of a car.. Show season is now upon us so the cleaning must also begin..As normal all files in all formats for all machines..https://www.craftsuprint.com/tina-fitch/

cup767467_596 by Tina Fitch

cup728938_596 by Tina Fitch

Hiking with my buddy by Debra Laraway

This is my hiking buddy, Patches, on one of our morning hikes through Florida scrub land. Patches would spend all day here if she could. She pays very close attention to all the signs of a trip to the scrub, including my hair. The only time I put my hair in a ponytail for a hat is when I go kayaking or we go hiking. If Patches sees me put it up, she starts dancing around and running to the garage. Who knew dogs would pay attention to hair styles!

cup773794_1571 by Debra Laraway

cup773780_1571 by Debra Laraway

Rain!!! by Vicki Avcin

Well what a difference 24 hrs makes. After being drought declared with little or no rain since last November we finally got a little rain. While a lot of areas around here have had substantial rain up around the 90mm mark, we havent been so lucky until Wednesday night when we got 30mm. The ground has been brown and crunchy, well whats left of it, but finally we have a bit of green showing through. Farmers round the region will have little or no crops this season, a lot of them with cane farms and its been sad to see what is usually lovely and green now dying off. I dont know if the minimal rain weve had will be enough to save the crops as we are only a couple of months out from crushing season to begin. Weve been putting water out for the wildlife as dams are empty…have been empty since December, and little or no natural feed for them. Weve been trying to keep a bit of green around the house with sprinklers from the rainwater tanks for them to eat and they knew where to come for some grass with a little moisture in it. But now thankfully weve had a little rain. Photos are off our back yard taken Wednesday and this morning (Friday). We need a lot more rain and it is forecast for the next week or so but well see what happens. Clear blue skies and sunny again this morning.

cup774833_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup774289_543 by Vicki Avcin