Saturday 31 October 2009

Thank you....

to Clare Curd, who made this lovely cracker when she was on air last time - and by gum it had my name on it! Think it's lovely, it'll take pride nestled cosily in my tree this year.

Ta very much Clare luv.
xxx

Blog Candy

So, I looked at my room, with it's thin winding path to my overflowing desk - and thought, now to tidy and sort. Bliss. Time to tidy and sort.

I have a little blog candy, little parcels, but hopefully often. If you fancy what you see drop me a reply on my blog, and a name will be picked from the hat. There are some adhesive motifs featuring handbags, a poodle, Creative Imaginations stickers, epoxy stickers and 11 sheets of 12"x12" beautiful floral papers, 3 x HOTP acetate 12"x12" overlays.



Good luck
xxx

Friday 30 October 2009

Workshop projects and new date

After a costly visit to the vets today I let Teela have a nosey round the shelves to pick her treat (that's the benefit of having your vet in Pets at Home!). She was so cute - first time she's been in there. I should have taken her round that bit first, maybe then she wouldn't have shed hair everywhere and barked at nothing!

Anyhow, I bought them a bone each. An hour passed and I heard Dylan scratching around upstairs. The guilt was written all over his face (guilty dogs are ace arn't they). Nipped in the bathroom and he had cunningly hid the bone under the bath mat - I don't know how I spotted it!



Dog with a very little brain!!

Anyhow, our last workshop went particularly well - really good fun. We now have more dates. The first is in Wincheap, Canterbury next week on the 7th November, the one after that will be on the 14th in Harlow (see details on the right hand side). I've ordered some lovely bits again - love buying stuff for workshops.

In the last couple of workshops two of the cards we used I have featured here: firstly a Christmas card using a gorgeous Snowbaby stamp by our wonderful Lindsay Mason. We made the card from punched circles, some made from the wonderful whitewash cardstock, then added snowflake peel-offs to finish the card.






For the second card I'm going to share here we did some blending with Distress Inks, and stamping. A cracking tree stamp made the perfect focal image - and the top of the tree also makes a fantastic border. We used a white gel pen to emphasise some of the swirls. If you ink the stamp using two colours of Distress Ink, then Spritz a little water directly onto the stamp it helps to blend the colours, and also enables you to drag out the ink at the base of the trunk to create the ground after stamping (if you catch the ink before it dries). Looks effective, and saves ink! I also picked up the ink still remaining on the stamp to add extra colour to extend my ground (if required). These are the kind of "cutting corners" tips I will be sharing with you - and asking you to send in, in our new blog.






The stamp looks fantastic used with metal flakes. Stamp your image once with Distress Ink, then clean your stamp and sponge glue onto the stamp. Stamp over the top of your first image. Some of the glue will still be wet, and the flakes will stick to this part - I like this technique as you don't get a perfect coverage of flakes, so it adds to the distress look.

I have 3 of the tree stamps priced £8.60, and 4 of the Snowbaby Stamps £8.55, left to sell. If you would like to purchase either stamp, or both, add a message to this posting - it will be on a first come first served basis. I'll only add 75p per stamp for the postage
xxxxx

Thursday 29 October 2009

Your Comments........

are, and have been wonderful. What can I say - a massive thank you. It's so good to have so much support, and each one makes me more excited and inspired by the next chapter of life.

Now, whilst we're on the subject of comments, I want more.....but this time why not tell me what you would love to see more off, less off, which crafts would be great to see, you get the jist. I don't want who you don't want to see - but would love to know who you would like to see (no negativity!! this will be the positive zone haha). Either post on here or drop me an email:

leoniepujol@hotmail.co.uk

It'd be lovely to know what everyone thinks - after all without the viewers we'd be chatting to ourselves - and we'd be very bored!

I have been making the most of my time off - don't the days fly! I've been attacking the backlog of my ATC club, so have a look at flickr (scroll down the right-hand coloumn for the link) at new club member cards.

Me and Fab are also working on our new Blog - watch this space. I'm saying me and Fab, okay really fab is working on it because he is the wizzard of many things - and this blogging malarky is definitely one of them.

Today though me and my chum are going to one of the Art houses, which are part of the Canterbury Festival. If you haven't had a nosey, and you are in this area, then go. Saturday is your last chance - make the most of having a look at art whilst having a nosey round someones house (haha, love being nosey).

Watching C&C as I type, I've had a play with those crackers - they look great on the table at Christmas, or in the tree with a little pressie in.

Righto, dog walking time in the mist.........woooo
xxxx

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Gosh!

I've never had so many posts - ever!! It really suprised me, and really made me happy I have so much support out there. Thank you all, I am really touched by all your messages.

So now I'm chilling out - whoooopeee. I've got loads to do, so I won't have my feet up all the time, promise.

Again, thank you so much, really looking forward to seeing some of you at the NEC, then from the box at C&C!! xxxx

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Annoncement

I have been very quiet of late - as you know we had the sad news of my Gran passing away, but also I have been making massive, quite frankly life-changing, decisions.

I wanted to put a post on my blog before anything ended up on the forums. I think news is better from the horses mouth.

Well, I am soon to be joining Create and Craft/Ideal World. My start date is the 8th November, I will be on their stand at the NEC in Birmingham, then I will be in studio on the 10th (but hiding behind the scenes to see the goings on before they let me loose!).

They really have offered me a fantastic and exciting opportunity to be a Craft Presenter alongside Stephanie, which will give me lots of new and fabulous challenges.

Of course, anyone who knows me will know my close relationship with Dawn, and trust me this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make. We have not fallen out, I am not leaving because of anything Dawn has done - quite the opposite. I have, and will always, value Dawn's friendship. She is such a talented lady, who I have the utmost respect for and will always be grateful for all her encouragement and praise of my work over the years, and it has been many years, which is why this has been so very difficult and upsetting. It is with great and sincere sadness I leave QVC and Dawn, but with excitement, (and scary wobble belly) that I start the next chapter of my life.

I hope I leave one place, but do not loose those who stay.

I have driven all those near and dear mad over the last few weeks, thank you to everyone who has had me go on, and on and on. Thank you to Dawn and Abbie, who were brilliant and I know you really tried for me. I will miss the customer events, and of course coming up to the demonstrations and seeing all the Topaz Team, who I have always missed being part of. I hope I leave with everyones blessing, and do not loose people who have become an important part of my life.

All this said, I am looking ahead. I am very excited - I have been up to C&C and met lots of great people, and can not wait to start. There's alotta craft out there, so I recon there's plenty of room for two channels to be doing it without having to be bitter rivals, well I really hope that is the case and not my happy clappy version of life. Viva la difference (is that the right expression or have I used it in completely the wrong context?).

Well, that's my newsflash over. I now have time to catch up on all those things on my "to-do" list - and mental space to blog more often! I need to read a dictionary a night in order to improve my vocab though - a presenter!! Not everything can just be "fab" can it. Gulp.

xxxx

Tuesday 13 October 2009

QVC

This is an ungodly hour to be posting on my blog, but I forgot to let everyone know I'm on air this morning at 10am!

Presently having my breakkie. Picked up the wrong box, it was meant to be Crunchy Nut cornflakes, and I've picked ones up with chocolate in. I love my chocolate - but at 5.34am - wrong. It's so disappointing when you do that isn't it, was so excited (I know, I'm sad, excited about Crunchy Nut Cornflakes!).

Oh hum.

Righto, better try and do something with my hair, need to set off in 10 mins - oops.
xxx

Sunday 11 October 2009

Hello from afar!

Okay, not afar in the miles, but I feel like I've been afar in the way I've deserted my blogging.

This is just a quick post, to say thank you to everyone who left lovely messages for me when my Gran passed away. I really appreciate all your kind words. I'm sorry to those who had booked on the workshop at Topaz - I wanted to go and see my Gran, and wanted to leave the weekend open so I could play everything by ere. Unfortunately I didn't get chance to go down - but at least had a chance to have abit of "me" time.

It was lovely to see everyone last week at the QVC customer event - it was mad busy as ever, and I think everyone had a brilliant time!

Now, I need to go and eat. Been messing about on the comp for ages, need to find my phone (I've used my full months credit in 15 days!!! whats that about), find my new slippers and find some food - got a feeling it's going to be a "make do" meal - it's exciting that way, always a surprise.

Hope all's well out there, will post some pics - honest!!
xx

Saturday 3 October 2009

Gran

Sorry not felt like blogging this last week.

My Gran passed away yesterday - thankfully peacefully.

I'm very proud of my Gran, and sad we missed alot of time together following my mum and dads divorce - silly how things work out with families isn't it. Arn't we all very childish and petty! Lessons learnt yet again, but importantly we all made peace last year - and thankfully I saw my Gran when she was alert and chatty, which I think made her happy too.

Anyway, I'll pop on a few cards in the next couple of days to let you know I'm still working (of course!).

In the meantime, this is my Gran, rest in peace:

http://www.debra.org.uk/debra-history.html

xxxxx