Good morning - Traction engine anyone?

Thought I'd share this A4 card with you all as it really is something different. My friends are going to a 80th birthday party and want to give a card as a family. The man in question is a huge steam fanatic and loves his traction engines, as do my friends. However, finding craft-able images to create a suitable card is difficult - there isn't anything that really captures the magnificence of  a steam fair or indeed the wonderful engines. So we came up with the idea to use photos my friends took last year at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.  I took them into My Craft Studio professional and came up with this:

I used three photos to create the insert, backing paper and the decoupage. The scissor tool in MCS made making my own decoupage really easy, and I love the effect of the engine coming off the page. All the text was also created in MCS.  Obviously a card this size and depth needs an envelope, so I used the Crafter's Companion Enveloplus board to create an envelope half an inch in depth, A4 size. It fits a treat! I shall be delivering this to my friends later today - hope they like it, but I reckon they will, what do you think?

Take care Zo xx

The Versatile Blogger - have a look & see if I've nominated you....

Good afternoon! 


Well I'm sat here with the radio on ready to listen to my boys, Bristol Rovers, who are playing away at Torquay. Wish I could be down there on this sunny day, though I reckon it may be a tad chilly up on the hill where the ground is situated! Am sure I'll hear my fellow Gasheads singing over the radio air waves as I know there are 1000 of them down there!


Anyway I was having a look through the Blogs seeing what you've all been up to when I found Dionne's post - firstly I want to congratulate Dionne on being awarded this award, but most importantly I want to thank her for then nominating me, CraftygasheadZo, for this award too!

This award comes with its rules ..........

"If you are nominated, you have been awarded the Versatile Blogger award".  First, you should thank the person who gave you this award. then:

• Include a link to their blog,
• Select 15 blogs that you have either recently discovered or follow regularly,
• Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award,
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Ok so 15 Blogs...decisions....decisions!


My nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award are all people who in their own way have an impact on me,  in no particular order.  They are:


1. http://louscardcreations.blogspot.com/
2. http://thecazzbar.blogspot.com/
3. http://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/
4. http://popscards.blogspot.com/
5. http://stickydots.blogspot.com/
6. http://craftingalldayscards.blogspot.com/
7. http://debspenpot.blogspot.com/
8. http://craftythinker.blogspot.com/
9. http://sshhhcreations.blogspot.com/
10. http://gabrielle-price.blogspot.com/
11. http://mccraftys-cards.blogspot.com/
12. http://coopsclutteredcorner.blogspot.com/
13. http://stephanie-emma.blogspot.com/
14. http://emzycards.blogspot.com/
15. http://bondgirl-craftersblock.blogspot.com/

Each and every one offers something unique that not only inspires but also offers a different personality, someone to turn to.

Right so now I have to tell 7 things about me...hmmm..... not sure what I should say!

Ok here goes;

1. I'm only little - 4ft 10" (well it's actually 9" & a bit really).
2. I'm a huge bookworm, as anyone who visits me for WOYWW will have seen!
3. I enjoy waiting for pigeons to return home from races during the summer months. (My dad & son race them)
4. I'm very proud to have achieved a 2:1 BA (hons) Open degree with the Open University (I studied many   modules but mostly creative writing & English based.)
5. I have met Kevin Keegan twice!
6. I love researching family history.
7. I'm a big coffee lover - also love hot chocolate too!

So there you go, just a few things all about me.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, we've an extended one as my son has an inset day on Monday.
Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 144 - Wonderful Wednesday

Well here we are again! Wednesday is one of my favourite days of the week I must say.

Once again a huge thank you to everyone that popped by last week, it was a real joy to read all of your comments and to share my craft room with you all. I did giggle at all of your book envy...that lot behind my door is only half my collection! There's another bookcase downstairs and more books in the loft.

Right onto today;

My desk is rather bare (I took this yesterday evening before the light faded, but it's still the same this morning as haven't had time to do anything more). That's a new CD-Rom and stamp over on the far side waiting to be looked at and stamped out, the flower pictures on the craft mat are my first attempts at painting with the Lilac and Fuchsia paint fusion stamps. I'm actually really pleased with them so have decided to use them for my mum's Mother's day cards. I have already mounted the lilac one onto a card front  and need to do the same for the fuchsia, though I think I'll keep it simple as the paintings really are the main image. Here they are close up;

 On this lilac card, I painted the third leaf separately to cut it out and stick it on raised for dimension, I've not done that before and thought I'd try it!

Am really pleased with this fuchsia, it's not perfect, but for a first attempt I think it's decent enough, I'll get better with practise!

The backgrounds were printed out from Sheena Douglas's Paint Fusion CD-ROM, I printed onto the reverse of Centura Pearl card, just like Sheena does. Another first for me, but I have to say it is a really good surface to paint on, I had some free sheets once with another purchase but haven't used them in the colour given, perfect for printing!

Ok, many of you comment that I am a tidy crafter, and yes I'll hold my hands up to that, BUT I do make a mess sometimes.......here's some proof.  I was playing with my inks the other evening so I took a picture just to show you.

Now this little lot was just an experiment that ended up in the bin, but it was OK, I used loo roll!

I cut up the inner card bit and die cut it & inked & splodged to my hearts content. Just to see what it was like.....but I didn't like it so it went in the bin. (Holds hand out...ready.....to be slapped!)

Here's a peek at the shelf...can you spot the new jar?

Yes the one with the silver lid. Not sure what was in it originally but mum gave it to me so I gratefully accepted it. I've put my wooden buttons and bits/bobs in there.

Head over to Julia's place The Stamping Ground to see our wonderful hostess and to join in, and, of course, it's the permissible gateway to go snooping around the world, peeking at those desks.

I got round fairly well last week, wasn't able to comment on everyone's posts as I wasn't always able, daft technology. Will try to pop by and see you all this week. Take care Zo xx

Crafty Boots - All that Glitters

Happy Monday!

Today sees the launch of the next Crafty Boots Challenge and this time the theme chosen by the wonderful Dionne is -

All That Glitters


So head over to see all of our fab DT projects and join in the fun! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Ok here's my DT card - it's a new one for me. It's a Debbi Moore Grotto card, printed from her Garden Fairies range. As soon as I saw the word Glitter I knew I had to use this, fairies, wings, sparkle, glitter.......it all goes so well!

I'll be honest, this isn't a quick make. It was printed onto four sheets of card which I then had to cut out and score in the correct places following the template and folding the pieces into place. It's basically built in two halves then stuck together.  But I love the effect of the 'grotto' with the depth and dimension. The fairy and the sunflower were both decoupaged and as you can see I covered the wings and the flower with crystal glitter which catches the light beautifully.  Despite the depth of this creation, it does fold flat so that it can be placed either in an envelope or in a custom made box.  At the moment this card is happily sitting on the bookcase in my craft room - if you took a peek during last week's WOYWW you might have seen it!

Hope you all enjoy this challenge. Take care. Zo xx

Not too early...is it?

Hello to you all on this fab Friday.

I'm looking forward to a weekend full of football & crafting. My boys are at home tomorrow so I shall be going to the Memorial Stadium, accompanied (and looked after, she keeps me on my feet!) by my fab friend Sue to watch Bristol Rovers. Then I shall be enjoying a spot of colouring, card making and maybe the odd playing with new ideas.

Anyway for those of you who visited me for WOYWW you would've seen that I've started making Christmas cards. Yeah ok I know.....it's March.

But.....the last few years I've always been put under pressure to make my cards and though the cards I made for the general masses (not the real special ones) were lovely, they were never the cards I really wanted to make. They had to be simple; topper, spot of matting & layering, stick on a sentiment & off they go type. But I have some beautiful stamps and I dearly want to make this year's cards with them. So that means starting early! I've come up with a plan, which I've already started - stamp lots of images out, then choose the papers FIRST before I colour. Then I can match the image to the papers. I'm still keeping them simple, I make just over 80 in total for friends & family so I can't get bogged down by each card. Anyhoo....here's the first batch!

I just love how one stamp can look different depending on the colours & papers.

They are all made using stamps from the Winter Cheer collection from Crafter's Companion, and are all coloured with Spectrum Noir pens. The papers are from many sources - bought, free with magazines, CD's etc.
To be honest I'm enjoying making these. I suppose I ought to get on with my Mothers Day cards & Easter cards really........

Thanks for looking, I love reading your comments. Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 143 - Happy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Well I must say I enjoyed my trip around the world visiting all your desks and spaces last week. It takes me a few days, but Blogger allowing, I get there and am thrilled when you pop by my desk, and I must say Thank you for all the lovely comments that have been left over the last few weeks. They really do lift me.

So today I thought I'd not only show you my desk, but also let you have a peek at my room.

To start here's the view from the door.

I even resisted the urge to tidy up before I took these photos, I know some of you can't believe how tidy I am but I wanted to show you I do make some mess......see look closely, there's bits on the floor!

Looking around the room you see

 My laptop desk and specialised chair. The chair was made to order for me; it has many adjusting features and helps me to be able to sit. The chair material is flexible but supportive to fold around my back, which is twisted along with my ribcage. The chair also moves to propel me forwards so helping me to stand. It wheels nicely between my two desks.

 The tower with all my Craft CD-ROMs in and my printer which is always covered with paper and diary.

 My window sill and, of course, my shelves.

 The bookcase with all my inks, sprays, paints, pens, and jars full of flowers and obviously, my Cuttlebug.  In the baskets on the middles shelf are embossing folders, and that pink folder is home to my dies.

Under my desk is my Ultimate pro and Maxi Clevercut plus lots of A3 storage folders with various papers, sheets, sentiments etc.

And finally this is what's hiding behind the door

Lots and lots of books! Once, before craft took over, the room was like a reading room with bookcases along the walls, but then the craft came in and, well, pushed the books out.  One of these bookcases will be moved downstairs eventually. I need more storage and space for crafty stuff!

On the wall above my laptop are some postcards & pictures from Paris, and my Bristol Rovers calendar. In the frame is my degree certificate from the Open University(well the basic one, the one with the honours is in the living room!). The list under the frame is fixtures for Rovers where I record the results!

So my desk today

Last week I had a mammoth stamping session so over the last few days I've been colouring and making cards. You can see one of the stamped sheets which I'm in the middle of colouring fully and some papers that I've chosen to go with the images. 

This is where the image that is missing ended up, on the first Christmas card I've made this year!

I'm trying to be good and choose the papers first so that I can colour the image to compliment though I have a habit of just grabbing my Spectrum Noir pens and colouring away before realising I have no matching papers! Of all the pens that I have, I find my Speccies the easiest pens for me to hold.

I'm sorry to say there are no additions to the button collection this week.  My Dad hasn't eaten enough sauce for me to have the jar yet.  Some of you have asked what sauce comes in these jars.  It's from Tesco's and is their finest Tartar sauce in the smallest jar. My dad is Coeliac so can't have anything with gluten. He can't have the larger sized versions as the preservatives in them contain gluten. These little jars are perfect for my buttons. Can't beat a bit of recycling.

Anyway if you're reading this and thinking what is Zoe going on about, please pop over to Julia's blog The Stamping Ground and see for yourself and maybe you'll be like me and will enjoy being nosey!

Take care Zo xx

How lovely!

Well I've just popped on here to see what you've all been doing this weekend.  I looked at my awaiting comments to find that the lovely Marie has given me the Liebster award. Thank you!

The idea of the Liebster Blog Award is to spread the love from one small blog (under 200 followers) to other small blogs. This helps to spread knowledge and readership.

To accept the award, you must:

1) Link back to the person who gave it and thank them for thinking of you.

2) Post the award to your blog.

3) Give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.

4) Leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know.

"Liebster" in German means "dearest", so to carry on the

  Liebster tradition, I am going to pass the award on to 5 people who's blogs have been an inspiration to me and my crafting. 

I have been lucky enough to have been given this award before but never got round to putting it on my blog (forgot to save the image) so now I'm going to do it properly and show it!

Right 5 blogs to award to...hmmmm....this is hard because over the last few weeks I've come across some amazing blogs, especially as I have been taking part in WOYWW. But I think my first will go to 

1) Tracie I met this lovely lady on Twitter & through Crafty Boots DT. Her work is stunning, and I love Tracie's adventure when trying different things like canvases. 

2) My second goes to Sandee I found Sandee's blog by joining in with WOYWW and every week she makes me smile with her pictures. Hmm crocheted/knitted yellow men's shorts...you'll have to go and see what I mean by visiting her blog and looking through it! 

3) Another find on my WOYWW nose is Vickie at  http://okienurse.blogspot.com where fun and ink can be found! 

4) This one is for Sheena another WOYWW-er! Fab creations can be found! 

5) This one is for Debs, now I know she has had this award before but she really needs some new followers over at http://debspenpot.blogspot.com/ She is one creative lady with words that  inspire me.  So go and look and find out for yourself!

So there you go - please go and have a look at these fab blogs to see why I've chosen them, become a follower and enjoy. 

Take care Zo x