Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope everybody has recovered from the excesses of Christmas (we still have Christmas cake and piles of chocolate to finish up.......I am working hard at getting rid of it though LOL!)

2010 is going to be a good year I think- I am working on some stamp images and hope to release our own line of Scrapz stamps in a few weeks time. We will launch them with a little competition and blog candy prizes so watch this space :)

Until then - take care

xxx Karen

Temporary insanity?

Apologies for not posting for months. I am well but struggling to find the time, inclination and mojo to do any crafting or blogging at the moment. I have therefore decided to temporarily put the blogging on hold as I feel it might be some time before I can get back to it.

Instead I will concentrate my efforts on the Scrapz online store which is very much alive and well and continuing to stock loads of lovely stamping and crafting goodies with lots of new stamps in the pipeline over the next few months.

Thanks to everyone who has followed the blog - your support and friendship has been so gratefully received.

xxx Karen

And the winner is......................

Entry number 3 - Well done to Wendy Kirk for the beautiful Matchbox Shrine. Your prize will be on it's way to you as soon as I have your address.

And because the other entries were so gorgeous I will be sending a little prize out to Lottie and Jet too.  Thank you all for entering.

xx Karen

Spring Competition Entries

Everyone must be super busy this last week as we have only had four entries (two from the same person). They are all gorgeous - see below.

ENTRY ONE

Spring Notebook - Front Cover

by Lottie

Spring Notebook - Back Cover

ENTRY TWO

Magic Wallet Birthday Card - Front Cover

By Lottie

Magic Wallet - Inside

ENTRY THREE

Matchbox Shrine - by Wendy

It's made from the drawer bit of a small matchbox, and is ATC size. 

The background is from a photograph of lichen on tree bark. 

ENTRY FOUR

Illustrious Spring

By Jet

See - told you they were all gorgeous!

I will be back later this afternoon with the winner (as there are only a few entries I will do a random number generator for the winner as I think that will be fairer.)

xx Karen

Spring Competition

Firstly I would like to apologise for going missing for such a long time and to thank you all for your kind comments and emails regarding my dad.  

I have been hunting high and low for my mojo since my dad died and unfortunately I still haven't found it!   All I have made in the last few months is this one card and a couple of candles so I am desperately in need of inspiration......and what better way to be inspired than to have a Spring Competition so that I can see all your lovely work.

So here's the competition - make anything Spring related (you can interpret Spring in any way you like - it could just be in the use of Springtime colours).  Absolutely anything goes as long as it is handmade (Card, ATC, jewellery, canvas, scrapbook page......anything!)  

This is the prize that is up for grabs: 

Innovative Stamp Creations unmounted Rubber Stamps - Harlequin Flowers.

10 Metres of Spring coloured ribbons

18 Charms

(the winner will be chosen by several of my family and friends - I will not be judging as I always want everyone to win!)

All you need to do to enter is email a picture of your 'Spring' creation to Karen@scrapz.co.uk before Midnight on Monday 4th May 2009. The winner will be announced on the 7th May.

Here is my example.

xx Karen

My Wonderful Dad

I wanted to let everyone know why I haven't been blogging for ages.

At the end of January my dad was taken into a hospice - to begin with it was just meant to be for a few days as they needed to access his medication (for prostrate cancer). However on 11th February he passed away.

My dad was a wonderful man and we will miss him so much.

4th April 1925 - 11th February 2009 

This photo was taken a few weeks before he died (he was in quite a bit of pain at the time but he still had a smile for us).  The photo below was taken when he was 17 years old - not long before he joined the Navy in the second world war.

We (myself, my 3 sisters and 1 brother) were all with him at his bedside for the last 48 hours before he died. I found this poem on the internet which was so fitting - it was read at his funeral on Monday.

The Best

God saw you getting tired,

And a cure was not to be,

So He put His arms around you

And whispered “Come to Me”.

With tearful eyes we watched you,

and saw you pass away.

Although we loved you dearly,

We could not make you stay.

A Golden Heart stopped beating,

Hard working hands to rest,

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

Rest in peace sweetheart. 

xxxx Karen

We have a winner......

Congratulations to Pammyjo - winner of our valentine challenge with this beautiful card.  

Thank you to everyone who entered.

xx Karen