My photo
A very warm welcome to my teeny, tiny part of the huge world of blogging. This is where I share my passion for making hand made greeting cards. So - why "Always with a Heart"? Well this is for two reasons. Firstly, it is because every card I produce carries a heart on it somewhere. This can be big and bold or small and almost hidden - the fun sometimes is just trying to find it! Secondly it is because I put my heart into everything I produce. I hope that any visitors enjoy seeing what I post. If you drop by then please leave me a comment so that I know you called. It would be nice to know that you have found my heart in what I do.

Sunday 31 March 2013

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely Easter and that everyone has remembered to alter their clocks!!!

I am certainly missing my stolen hour already.  I got up with all good intentions of getting lots done and  am failing miserably so far.  But hey ho .. .. it is a Bank Holiday weekend .. .. and I am determined to make it as relaxed and enjoyable as possible amongst everything that "has" to be done.

My intention was to have two snippet makes done today .. .. one for Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge and the second being for taking over to Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge.  But once again I have failed. No Christmas make from me again this month :-(  I'll be sorry come October time when my customers are shouting out for Christmas cards!!!  But if anyone else still has time there is just a short time left to enter. 

Anyway, here is my "non-Christmas" snippet make.




As always I am super lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients but if you have any questions then feel free to ask.

I managed to find the spare bulb for my sewing machine too so the stitching on this make is a little more impressive than on my last make.  I wonder if the new bulb will last as long as the original .. .. I somehow doubt it.

Thank you for all the anniversary and birthday wishes on my last post.  We have had a lovely week with all our celebrations.

Catch you again soon.

Have a good rest of today

Love

Friday 29 March 2013

HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MR HEART

Hi Everyone

Well as promised yesterday I am back with the card I made my lovely hubby .. .. for celebrating our 38th Wedding Anniversary.

Thank you for all the lovely birthday and anniversary wishes.  You are all so very kind

How nice that our special day has fallen on a Bank Holiday so that we can spend the whole day together.  Not only that but the sun is shining brightly and we have a blue sky!!!  I wonder if it will last.  i hope so.

The day we got married it was Easter Saturday and I can remember spending the day before trying to make a hooded lace cape to go over my lovely Sister's velvet bridesmaid dress.  I managed to get it finished but when I put it on her the next day I didn't like it .. .. what a waste of time that was!!  LOL!!

So here is Mr Heart's card .. .. sort of how I envisaged it .. .. but to be honest my brain hadn't gone past marking the date on a calendar with a heart!




This used:

Image:  Created in Microsoft Word
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using Fonts "Chauncy" "Zipty Do" and "2 Peas Barefoot Professor"
Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Tiniest Pretty Little Hearts" from the Easter Colour Collection Treat
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Nestabilities:  Heart
Button, cord and gems from my stash box

Not sure why I have call my sewing machine "trusty" .. .. the bulb blew just as I was starting to sew (hence the straightness of everything leaving a bit to be desired). 

Nothing is made to last is it .. .. just 32 years of use and suddenly the bulb "gives in".  LOL!!!!  Wonder if I have a spare stashed away anywhere?!?!?!?

Anyway that is me for today.

Edited to say:  Just look what I found on my lovely blog buddy Eve's blog.  Thank you Eve .. what a lovely surprise.  You are very kind.

Have a wonderful Easter everyone .. .. and go steady(ish) with the chocolate over the weekend!  

Love

Thursday 28 March 2013

USING UP THAT CREAM CARD

Hi Everyone

Here early today .. .. with a card it has taken me two days to make LOL!!

Just not enough hours in the day, or days in the week for me to get on top of my general makes .. .. .. the House of Hearts is definitely in "Wedding Mode" big time.

This week has seen me meeting up with more new "happy couples" and saying "bye for now" to others :-(

I also had a birthday on Tuesday which of course needed celebrating!

Anyway, here is my share for today which uses up some of those cream card snippets that are increasing at a fair rate of knots.  I think I now have more cream snippets than white ones and that is saying something.  




This used:

Image:  Hero Arts "S5316" Silhouette Grass
Sentiment:  Penny Black "3849E" Birthday Dreams
Background made with Tea Die Distress Ink stippled firstly through a Deckled Edge Nestabilities Rectangle cut into a piece of scrap paper and then through some sequin waste.
Script Stamp: "32531" Elusive Script Background (stamped again through the Deckled Edge Rectangle moved to the right.
Stampendous Embossing Powder (my own accidental mix of pirate gold and silver but I love it!!)
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
X-Cut Butterfly Punch
Pearls, ribbon cord and bead from my stash box

So there we go.  I managed a share yay!!!  

I do miss it when I don't get chance to post or visit your lovely blogs .. .. but I will hopefully be able to have a good catch up with everyone over the Easter break.

But for today I have lots to do .. .. part of which involves making my lovely hubby a wedding anniversary card for tomorrow.  Thankfully I have an idea in my head .. .. I just have to hope it turns out how I am imagining it.  But whatever I make him I will let you see that tomorrow.

I was asked how many years we will have been married .. .. well we are up to 38 lovely years this year .. .. and it feels like 8!!  Where have those other 30 gone?!?!!?  My life is flying by far too quickly :-( 

Have a lovely day today everyone.  We actually have a little sunshine trying to peep through so with a bit of luck the snow might disappear today.

See you tomorrow

Love

Sunday 24 March 2013

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope your Sunday is proving to be a good one and you are managing to keep warm and snuggly.

We still have lots of snow .. . although it does seem to have stopped falling now!  For how long we will have to wait and see.

My lovely hubby and I got married on the 29th March and the weather was just like this during the week running up to our "special day". Everyone at work was pulling my leg and saying our wedding photographs will be like a quiz where people have to play "spot the bride". Thankfully the the snow disappeared for "the big day" but apparently it was bitter cold.  For some reason hubby and I never noticed .. .. our love must have been keeping us warm.

Anyway, after that soppy trip down memory lane here is my snippet make for this week for taking over to Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge.





As always I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients but I will share with you a link which shows you how I made the flower (this was done in bed this morning using ends of ribbon from my ribbon leftovers drawer).  Yep .. .. even ribbon snippets in the House of Hearts LOL!!

My flower hasn't turned out too bad for a first attempt.  I won't be showing these to my "happy couples" though.  I wouldn't want to sit and make 100's of them!

You will see on the tutorial that they use twine for the spokes but I used very narrow ribbon in a similar colour for mine.  You can probably see that if you look closely.

I am looking forward to another play with this tutorial as I have a few little ideas running round in my head of other looks I could achieve.

Here is the link if you fancy having a go


I must admit to having tried to make flowers similar to this before simply by adding glue to a circle of cardboard .. .. but I think the spokes make this a much easier flower to make.

Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll catch again soon.

Love

Saturday 23 March 2013

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

Well after me saying on my post yesterday that our snow hadn't amounted to much .. .. it started snowing very soon after and hasn't stopped since!!!!

So lots of snow here .. .. though quite a bit has been just very fine flurries.

We live on a main road so that is pretty clear but the little side roads around and about are not so fortunate.

Anyway, I have another little share for you today and this is my entry into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for March where the theme is "Spring into Spring" and the lovely ladies would like to see what we associate with Spring.

Well for me Spring is the time when your washing finally gets to have fresh air blowing through it after weeks of hanging around on clothes airers, radiators and being battered around in a tumble drier .. .. but of course no chance of that today with all the snow!!  LOL!!!

So here is my share:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "1469K" Clothesline Cat
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat
Woodware Punches
ProMarkers and Chalks
Diamond Stickles
Ribbon and Pearls from the stash box

and that is it!!!

Hopefully tomorrow will see me having time to shuffle my snippets around if there is time .. .. but a few bits of wedding work are on the list for doing first!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe in the snow.

Love

Friday 22 March 2013

RUSHING OFF TO THE SNIPPET PLAYGROUND PDQ

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well and that all this pesky snow isn't causing you any problems.

We are hoping to hibernate this weekend .. .. so it can do what it wants .. .. but that isn't very fair on all of those folk who are going to have to brave it!!!!  So stay safe if you are out and about in it.

It hasn't amounted to much here but it is very, very cold.

Thought I was going to miss out on playing along with Pixies Crafty Snippet Challenge this week .. ..  but thankfully things have come nicely together this week so I have been able to join in after all .. .. yay!!!

Here is my little creation:





This used:

Image:  Penny Black "4127K" Born Wild!
Sentiment:  Kanban Tickets AS6008
Backing Papers:  A mixture from the snippet drawers
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder:  "Diamond Plate"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers and Chalks
Glossy Accents

and that is it.  Just time to get my scarf and gloves on and head off over to the playground.

Catch you again soon.

Hoping to have a few more creations to share over the next few days.

Have a great weekend.

Love

Monday 18 March 2013

STRANGER ALERT !

Hi Everyone

Stranger in blogland here!!

Well the wedding season is well and truly upon us .. .. and as well as making wedding stationery I also need to get some actual wedding cards made .. .. so here is one I made today




This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Wedding Doodles"
Backing Papers:  Digistamp Boutique "Ditsy Rose Papers" (loving the scrummy little roses)
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
Ribbon, Cord and Charm from my stash box

I have spoilt you a little with the hearts today .. .. just in-case you have been having any withdrawal symptoms.  LOL!!!

I am also entering my card into the Digistamp Boutique Challenge for March.

So at last a share from me .. .. but now back to tying ribbons on wedding stationery!!  Hopefully they will all be tied in time for watching Broadchurch later.  I am really enjoying that programme.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

Sunday 17 March 2013

MORE LAZY THAN NORMAL !!

Hi Everyone

Well today I have treated myself to a Sunday where I have been even more lazy than I normally am.

I didn't even play with my snippets!!! (Sorry Miss Di xx).

Last week was one very busy week wedding wise .. .. in fact probably my busiest week so far .. .. and the coming week is shaping up to be the same and also sees me ducking out of a trip to the NEC later this week.

Lots of new customers coming on board and other happy couples coming to the end of their wedding stationery journey with me.  (Although some still remain customers for my general makes and for other occasions long after the weddings have come and gone).

I am so lucky to meet so many lovely people and to be doing what I love doing best in the world 24/7 .. .. however it is now a real job .. .. and it has turned into the job I gave up paid employment to make happen.

So after having such a busy week I decided to be super lazy today and re-charge my batteries ready to hit the ground running next week.

It was also nice to be able to have my Mum come for Sunday dinner.  Normally she goes to my big brother's every Sunday and has dinner there.  He works away all week so Sunday is the only day she gets to see him.  But he is away for two weeks celebrating his Ruby Wedding Anniversary so I stole my Mum this week and my lovely Sis will be able to do the same next Sunday.

So that is me for today.  Hopefully I will have some general makes to share with you this week .. .. but I won't promise.

I hope you have all had a great weekend and thank you so much to everyone who has sent emails checking as to whether I am OK.  I promise all is good. 

Catch you when I do.

Love

Tuesday 12 March 2013

COVER GIFT

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all doing well and that the snow isn't causing you any problems.  

All still super busy here with no time to make anything I can share with you at the moment as I am working my way through wedding orders and wedding stationery samples for potential new couples.

However, I was really lucky to be asked by Quick Cards Made Easy to work with the cover gift for this month's publication and thought I would share a couple of my makes with you.

It is the first time I have had a commission that involved the cover gift and I have to say I loved the stamps very much.

They were Somebunny clear stamps and I know I will be using them lots.  I did four cards in total and here are two of them.  The stamps are a brilliant size and they stamp beautifully too, as you can see.  I think the little boy rabbit is my favourite .. .. he looks so cute:



These used:

Images:  Somebunny Clear Stamps especially designed for Quick Cards Made Easy 
Sentiment:  Lili of the Valley for the birthday greeting and computer generated for the get well card
Backing Papers:  Wild Rose Studio
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Martha Stewart Punch:  Half Daisy
ProMarkers
Ribbon from my stash box


So there we go .. 

Enjoy what is left of this evening and I hope tomorrow is kind to you.

Love

Sunday 10 March 2013

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Mothering Sunday to all you hard working Mums out there!!  

I hope that your little ones (however old) have shown you a little love and thanks today.

I got my Mother's Day card made for my Mum bright and early this morning and then played with my snippets so that I could run over to the playground and share with the lovely playmates in Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge.

I decided my pink snippet drawer looked the fullest (ignoring all the white and cream/ivory snippets that increase by the hour) and came up with this little creation:




As always on a Sunday I am lazy and do not list what I have used .. .. but let's face it .. .. I haven't used very much have I!!    LOL!!!

Enjoy what is left of the weekend and I will see you when I do.

Not sure when as there is a lot to be done on the wedding business front this week .. ..  but I will catch up with everyone eventually.

Love

Friday 8 March 2013

NO PICTURES - ONLY WORDS !

Hi Everyone

I hope life is treating you well.

Sorry I haven't been sharing anything for a few days but life has been busy in lots of ways.  All good but all time consuming.

Yesterday was super busy.  The day flew by and the early evening was spent looking at a place for my youngest son to move into.  We looked at somewhere in the pouring rain and he loved it .. .. .. so when he sees it in sunshine he is going to love it even more.

By the time we had finished the viewing, talked about it at length, and had our dinner, everyone was shattered and I ended up in bed by 10.00pm.  I can't remember the last time we had such an early night!!  8 hours sleep!!  Gosh, I can't remember the last time I did that either!!

I am pleased he has found somewhere.  I was beginning to think he might have to move back home again .. .. which wouldn't be a bad thing .. .. but where would I put all the ribbons and wedding supplies I store in the spare bedroom and how would we fit in all of his guitars and records?  He has  gained so many more since he flew the nest some 5 years ago  LOL!!!

The rest of my time has been spent doing wedding work and I have had a few enquiries already from the wedding fayre we did on Sunday .. . so samples are needed pretty smartish.  I don't want my happy couples wander off elsewhere!!!

I can't believe it is only 5 days since we did the fayre .. .. so much has happened!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.  My apologies again for being such a bad blogger and thank you also to everyone who has emailed checking up on me and asking if everything is OK.  You are all so lovely.  I promise all is good .. .. I have just hit a little super busy spell that's all.  

I have a feeling we are going to be collecting together cardboard boxes over the weekend!!   LOL!!

I would guess my next share will be the Mother's Day card I haven't made for my lovely Mum yet!!  Am I the only one still needing to make one?!?!?!?!?!

.Love

Tuesday 5 March 2013

OOOPS!! I FORGOT

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.

Mine started off with frost and mist but by lunchtime we had lovely sunshine.

The day has been spent cutting hundreds of strips of ribbon to length and hundreds of pieces of card to size ready for a mammoth printing and construction session tomorrow.  Which in turns also means I have produced a rather large mountain of cream card snippets!!  

There are always lots of white on white cards in blogland .. .. I think I need to start a craze for cream on cream LOL!!

Anyway after all that cutting and preparation work I just had to have a little colouring fix with my ProMarkers and this is what satisfied my need for a little general crafting .. .. 




This used:

Image:  Joanna Sheen Messy Rabbit "MR132" Butterfly
Sentiment:  Computer generated using font "Zipty Do"
Backing Papers:  Nitwits "Affection Too"
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Eyelets
ProMarkers and Chalk
Glamour Dust
Ribbon 

I don't need an "oops!! I forgot card" .. .. .. but somebody might want one one day .. .. ..  and that little rabbit does look a tad worried as though he might have forgotten something LOL!!

I am also entering this little creation in the Sketch Saturday Challenge this week and this is the lovely sketch that has been provided .. .. just in case you fancy playing along.


I'll catch you again tomorrow .. .. have a lovely evening.

Love

Monday 4 March 2013

LOVE YOU MUM

Hi Everyone

Here bright and early today .. .. but only because I am sharing the last of my Mother's Day cards that I made last week.  This is now the end of my "ready and waiting to be posted" makes.




This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique: Sketchy Flowers (this is just one of the flowers from a set of four)
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique:  Mother's Day Set
Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Marshmallow"
X-Cut Punch:  Butterfly (stamped with a crackle glaze stamp and distressed)
Glamour Dust (for the flower tips)
Ribbon, cord and charm from my stash box

All layered up and printed out using Serif Page Plus.  A programme that I need to play with much, much  more!!

There were a few questions in my comments and by email yesterday about my snippet make yesterday.

The image is a stamp from Penny Black called "Scented Message" Ref. No. 4239K and it has fast become one of my favourite floral images.  I was tempted to buy it at the NEC last March but showed restraint and put it back onto the shelf .. .. but I couldn't get it out of my head and ended up buying it a few months later LOL!!

The backing papers were from Nitwits "Potting Shed Too"

The last question is hard to answer.  How do I manage to tie two ribbons together at the same time .. .. well no magic answer for that one I'm afraid .. .. just lots and lots of practice I suppose! (Hoping that is the right way to spell practice .. .. I never know if it is an "s" or a "c" .. .. if anyone can teach me that then please do).

So now round to the wedding fayre report.

Thank you for all your good wishes .. .. it was a lovely day.  Beautiful sunshine for most of the day.

There seemed to be fewer visitors than normal and possibly fewer exhibitors .. .. but I was the only one offering wedding stationery .. .. which was good.  Lots of interest and some folk who I know will definitely be getting in touch .. .. and one customer who sent an email before I had even packed away, ordering one of my framed table plans!  

Some of my current "happy couples" came and paid us a visit too and some of them were signing their samples off .. .. which now means I have lots of work to be getting on with.  I love hearing everyone's plans and sharing in their excitement.

As always we got to sit and eat a gorgeous cupcake from one of the ladies who exhibits.  Every time we go we are treated to one.  But then we were also given samples of ice cream and sorbet from a lady who was exhibiting an old fashioned ice-cream cart fixed to a bicycle.  That was all super scrummy too and very popular.

We came away feeling very full !!!  LOL!!!

So off to get some wedding work done now and I will catch you again soon.

Love

Sunday 3 March 2013

SUNDAY SNIPPETS AND THEN .. .. ..

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all having a good weekend and got to see some of that glorious sunshine yesterday.  I wonder if we will see any more today?  I hope so.

Sorry I didn't get as far as sharing anything yesterday .. .. I ran out of time :-(

As usual I was trying to fit far too much into one single day.  A shame really as my head was buzzing with ideas I wanted to put into play and I could have carried on for hours and hours.  Never mind .. .. the ideas will keep.  Better to have loads of ideas waiting in my head than none at all!!!

Flying by in a quick rush with my Sunday Snippet share as I am off to exhibit at a wedding fayre today.  All my lovely goodies are piled up by the door ready and it just remains for me to make myself look presentable.

So here is my snippet share for Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge (which I made in readiness on Friday).




As always on a Sunday I am super lazy and don't list my ingredients, but if you want to know anything then just ask away and I will try my best to answer

Sadly not many snippets met their doom in this little creation .. .. but every little helps.

Have a lovely day everyone.  Hopefully  I will get chance to catch up with a few blogs this evening .. .. energy permitting!!  But for now it is time to get ready to meet some "happy couples" planning their BIG DAY!!!!   Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!

Love