Happy Birthday Funky Hand !!

It's an exciting week here at Funky Hand Towers as on Thursday it's the Funky Hand official 2nd birthday. I can't believe that it was two years ago that we sold the first copy of The Funky One CD. So much has happened over the last two years I thought I would make it a special week here on my blog. So.. over the next few days there will a few things going on. We will be releasing two new downloads on the website which I will tell you more about later in the week and on Thursday I will launch a giant blog candy prize! I'm still pulling all of it together so I can't tell you anything more at the moment but I'm planning on making it worth entering!

Speak again very soon!!
Anice xx

The card that got away!

Now that our holiday is almost a distant memory I thought that I should face my craft room and try to tidy up a bit. As I was preparing like mad for the recorded shows that I did for Create and Craft at the end of last month and then went on holiday a couple of days later...my crafting space is rather a nightmare to behold!

I thought approaching it in an orderly way would be best so I set about emptying my pull-along tote which had all the samples and card demos still inside. Immediately I found a card that I'd prepared that didn't get included in the show for that CD. (I talked too much and ran out of time!!) So I thought I would share it here with you as I haven't had time to do any crafting recently and this blog has been seriously lacking on the card side!



This is my attempt at a more 'boyish' sort of card. It was made using papers and extras from my Funky Seasons CD,along with a bit of doodling with my trustly Sakura pen! I always seem to find papers I had forgotten about each time I look at this CD.

July is a big month for me, as I mentioned in my last post this blog was two years old last week and Funky Hand as a business is two years old this month as well. I can't believe that two years have gone by so quickly, but at the same time it seems like just yesterday when I launched my website and sat waiting excitedly for my first sale.

Because it's a pretty special time, I am planning on having a bit of a celebration here towards the end of the month with a big Blog candy prize. I'm still in the planning stage so I once I've fine tuned everything I'll be back with more details.

I'm also working on a couple of new downloads that I hope to be able to launch in the next couple of weeks. I'm sorry but they are Christmas themed! I know it's only July but so many crafters now get organised early for their Christmas cards that I had to buckle under the pressure and get designing. I have to admit to leaving my Christmas crafting to the very last minute most years but maybe having new designs to use will inspire me to get crafting earlier.. I can hope!!

Firstly though I need to get back to sorting out my craft room..once I found 'the card that got away' it hasn't been touched much more. I've got three Birthday cards to make and at this moment I can't even see my desk! Maybe a nice cup of tea before I get back to it is in order, anything to put off facing the tidying again! Speak again soon.

Anice xx

I'm back from my travels and Funky Hand Thoughts is Two today!!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post..it's been a mad house here at Funky Hand Towers with so much going on. Thank you to everyone who has messaged me to check that I was OK, I'm sorry I didn't mention that I was off on a trip but I just ran out of time to update my blog before we left! I really appreciate you all thinking of me..I promise I wont do it again!!

I recorded the three shows for Create and Craft at the end of last month, which will begin to be aired in the next couple of weeks hopefully. It was a very different experience recording shows than appearing on a live show, as when you make a mistake on the recorded shows you can re do that bit again! I didn't make too many mistakes but my face ached at the end of the day after having to smile for so long!!

With the shows all done, last Tuesday, Ian and I jetted off to Portugal for five days of sitting around in the sun and doing nothing! We haven't been away on holiday for longer than a weekend for about eighteen months so we were both VERY ready to get away! I thought I would share a couple of pictures of where we stayed.





The hotel was fantastic and the sky was really that blue all the time we were there! The reason I am rather covered up whilst lying in the sun is two fold..one because I really don't have the figure for airing my flesh in public but also because on our first day there I burnt my shoulders and had to cover them up!! Boy did they hurt!! We arrived back yesterday, tired and more than a little grumpy at the prospect of getting back to work today..but all good things must come to an end I suppose.

Whilst we have been away Ians Mum has been a total star and kept everything running along smoothly getting orders out to customers etc. Thank you Heather you made going away for a few days alot less stressful.

Well now I'm back I have realised that there have been a few milestones passing..I've gone over 15,000 blog viewings and this blog turns Two years old today! I can't believe that I have had this blog for two years and that I have had Funky Hand for two years as well! We always count the 24th July 2006 as the birthday of the business as that was the date of our first order on the website. So this month is a pretty important one for Funky Hand. I think that deserves something fun happening so..once I have caught up with my paperwork I will be back with a big, fat blog candy post. I think I will make it a special one so keep dropping back.

Also at the weekend I had the honor of sponsoring a challenge on a fab new Challenge blog called The Penny Black Saturday Challenge. If you love Penny Black stamps you will love joining in with this challenge blog. Each Saturday a new challenge is set, this weeks, the one I'm sponsoring is to make a card using buttons and brads. All you have to do is visit the blog to see some fab examples from the design team and then post your own creation on your blog for the chance to win a copy of my latest CD Now that's Funky. Go on take a look and have some fun with your Penny Black Stamps.

Well best get back to it I suppose..until next time.
Anice xx

I promise I haven't been slacking..

With my weekend away last weekend and no posts all week I bet you were thinking that Anice was having an extended holiday! Well I haven't, I have been working away all week preparing for three shows that I am recording for Create and Craft next Wednesday. All my other shows so far have been live one offs on Ideal World so it's a big step forward to get to record shows that will be shown repeatedly over the next six months or so. It means I wont have to keep traveling down to Peterborough from Newcastle (which is a loooong and boring journey!) to have my products seen by crafters. So this week I have been designing card demonstrations, and throwing them in the bin, and then designing some more! I have finally completed six demos two each of each of my latest CD releases Funky Seasons, V Funky & Now that's Funky. I'm recording a half hour show for each so two demos each should be enough (I hope!!)
I thought I would share a few sneak peeks of three of the cards just to prove I have been doing something all week..







As well as making card demos I have also been having very exciting meetings with a stamp manufacturer and I am all excited about getting started on my stamp designs once these shows are out of the way. Anyway I have loads of work to get on with today..even though it is Sunday so I had best get back to it, speak again soon...

Anice xx

It's not always, work, work, work..

Last weekend Ian and I took a well earned trip away for the weekend with a couple of our friends. We visited the Lake District and enjoyed a little time away from Funky Hand..don't be shocked it was only a couple of days, I couldn't leave it for much longer!! I thought I would share a few of the photographs of this momentous occasion, I hope you are getting the drift that we don't get out much!!



We stayed in a fab bed and breakfast not far from Lake Windermere and this is a picture of the great view we got when we were out and about of the hills around us.
We pushed the boat out and visited a very nice Michelin starred restaurant on the Saturday night where we ate fantastic food at enormous prices!! Thank goodness it's only every once in a while or we would be bankrupt!!

Ian has a bit of an interest in prehistoric stone circles so we agreed to go and see some on the way home on Sunday thanks goodness the weather was good as they were in the middle of nowhere!



I have to admit I am a bit of a town girl and I don't really 'do' the outdoors that much which Ian finds hilarious most of the time as he is a bit of a country boy at heart. He took this picture of me out in the middle of a field where some standing stones were, I wasn't really that comfortable walking in fields etc..I had heels on!



I'm glad he finds me entertaining sometimes..I'll find him some work to do to pay him back!!

Anice xx

Another day, another birthday card!

As usual it's none stop here at Funky Hand Towers but I've had to fit in making a few cards as it's Fathers Day on the 15th June and Ians Sister has a birthday this week as well. My Fathers Day cards can be seen on the craft forum Blog here blog.craftsforum.co.uk if you'd like to see what card my Dad will be getting this year!

I was struggling with an idea for a card for Sandi until I looked at
Di Hickmans blog. So this card has been made using Di's latest sketch.





I used papers from my latest craft backing paper download Shabby Saturday. I printed the polka dot paper directly onto the base card so that the paper design is all over , that's something I have been finding I am doing regularly at the moment it's simple to do just make sure if you are making an A5 card like this one that you set you printer to borderless print then your A4 card blank will be covered completely. The flower is by Brazill and I attached it to the card using my trusty 21 gauge craft wire and a button. The lettering is large Doodlebug All Mixed up rub ons which I am still in love with using at the moment!

Since my last card post where I introduced you to Kendrick Kat I have had a few queries asking if I am going to make stamp sets. Well that's the plan. I am still in the designing stages at the moment and I'm having talks with manufacturers so it's not going to be any time real soon but I will keep you posted on my progress.

The weather has been so fantastic here in Newcastle for the last few days it makes it really hard to stay in doors so today I might venture out into the garden with my laptop and try to do a bit more designing for the new CD away from this office, which even with all the windows open is like a sauna this morning!! Have a great day whatever you are upto.

Anice xx

I've been tagged!

Esther on her wonderful blog has tagged me so, as I am hiding from the lounge whilst Ian watches Big Brother (I can only stand it in small chunks or I start shouting at the TV!!) I thought I would answer the questions and pass it on!!

This or That Tag

Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla ice cream...Chocolate, is there any other flavour of ice cream?

Big Mac or Whopper: Big Mac every time..err if you saw me lately you would know it far too many times as well!!

Coke or Pepsi : Coke as long as it's diet..I never believed those ads you know the Pepsi challenge that Pepsi tastes better..yuk it tastes like sugar in water!!

Beer or Wine: Beer if it's Cherry Beer!

Coffee or Tea: Tea..Earl Grey though not your horrid builders tea like what Ian drinks!!

Apple Juice or O.J.: Orange Juice, Apple juice tastes like cider (which I hate)

Facebook or MySpace: Facebook, I spend far too much time on there when I should be designing.

Summer or Winter: Both..for different reasons.

Windows or Mac: Windows but I would like a MAC.. oh dear more money to spend!!

Cats or Dogs: Cats

Now I am supposed to pass this on to three other blogger friends so.. I will tag three of my design team craftling, tip top and Jozza

Anice xx

This weeks Daring Card Makers Challenge

I don't always get a chance to take part in the DCM challenges but when I looked this morning to see what the challenge was and I saw that our very own Funky Hand Design Team Member Jozza was a guest designer I promised myself I would join in.

Here is this weeks challenge:
Jane this week has dared us all to include a quote on our card. Stamped, Computer Generated or Rub Ons it doesn't matter and choose your own style or occassion.

The design teams cards are fab and my effort seems a bit simplistic but I wanted to introduce you to a new friend of mine Kendrick Kat...





Kendrick is a cat that has been hanging around my design space for quiet a while in many different guises..I am auditioning him at the moment for a possible part in my up coming new rubber stamp collection.. he's a bit of a pain and can be a touch grumpy but he's one of the front runners at the moment!!
Anyway the card has been made with papers from my Funky Seasons CD and Kendrick has been badly chalked by me..but I am trying to use different techniques..not all that successfully!! The quote 'Dogs come when they are called, cats take a message & get back to you' (incase you can't read it!) is one I found on the internet by Mary Bly ,it spoke to me as that is exactly how I always thought my cat behaved when she was with me.

I mentioned in my last post that I was having some PR photographs taken for a Business thing that the local enterprise company were doing. Here is one of them..



The photographer came early so I hadn't finished sorting out my hair but at least it was sunny outside in the garden..I was terrified he might want to take the pictures in my office..I would have needed a couple of weeks to clean up first!!

Anice xx

More Magazine stuff for Funky Hand !

I thought I would share with you another card that I made which has been included in a designer card give away booklet this month..as well as the one in Crafts Beautiful I shared a few days ago I also have one included in this months issue of Simple Cards & Papercraft.



The papers I used for this card are from my CD Now that's Funky.. I had a bit of a green and blue theme going here, the advert matches my card!!

I got my timings off a bit this month and I've also got a competition running in the same issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft. You can win a complete set of all six of my CDs and the two paper packs, the competition is to make a card for a Teenager and send it in to the magazine.



It's always fun to see my designs in print and to hear the reactions from readers. I've been lucky enough to have a few very pleasant emails which has been really nice.

On the work front I am still beavering away designing papers for my next CD release, I'm afraid it's not going as quick as I had hoped, other things keep getting in the way but I will keep at it. Tommorrow I have a photographer coming here to take my picture for a PR thing for the local Tyneside Economic Development Company. They are using me and Funky Hand as a case study about new businesses in the North East. I will need to get myself tidied up for the photograph, do my hair and put some make up on..I wouldn't want anyone to see what I really look like when I am working..(looks down at the stylish New York Police Department t'shirt, Jeans and spotty slippers combo I am wearing.)
Speak again soon
Anice xx

A sneak peek at some new paper designs !

I have been working away for a while on paper designs for a new CD collection and it is finally starting to come together! It can be difficult to find inspiration sometimes when I am dealing with all the other 'stuff' that has to be done when you run a business..all the boring stuff!! So when I heard that my long standing hairdresser was celebrating finding out she is to have her first baby I decided to use a couple of my new papers to make her a card.





The papers are both from the next CD which will hopefully be out in the next couple of months, if the mojo keeps on working!! The lettering is doodlebug all mixed up letters and the little lady is a stamp by Stampendous that I have had for ages! The stitching isn't real stitching, it's far to neat for that!, they are also Doodlebug rub ons.

Things have been really busy here as usual but there have been some fun things happening too..as I mentioned in my last post I have had a few cards printed in craft mags as well as Crafts Beautiful I have also taken part in some things in this months issue of Simple Cards and Paper craft. There's a competition in there to win all the Funky Hand CDs and paper packs. I will be back to tell you more about that once I have my copy!!

Well I had best get back to designing some more papers or this new CD will never see the light of day.. speak again soon.

Anice xx