WHERE DO I START WITH THIS POST???

I needed some fun so last week I managed to book onto Amy and Lindsay's first joint workshop venture. A dose of crafting bliss enhanced by cuddles from friends just cannot be beaten.
First up for the morning session was Amy. Now I know Amy does 'simple' cards but I learnt something new from each of the 4 projects and to me just proves that there is nothing 'simple' so to speak about any card crafting. The ones we made are really gorgeous and I shall certainly be taking the techniques forward many times over. Also, I started my day by making mistakes on the first 2 cards!!!!! See I told you crafting isn't simple - just me!! - sorry David, again!
Here goes then with my fabby day. Card #1.

How could I get this wrong? Well, the patterned paper on the left should have the zig zag side the other way round so that the edge shows up on the pale green paper on the right. Lindsay to my rescue. She suggested I punch a Martha Stewart border to go over the plain edge. Looks good now eh?
2nd card.

Oh I loved this one. I carefully cut into the punched flowers so they would bend upwards, and carefully glued them together. No problems with this card - so I thought. I stuck the patterned paper to the base card and it wasn't straight. Looked awful too. Not to worry, Lindsay to the rescue who suggested a thin strip of the base card over the edge of the wonky paper which I could then stamp with the dots. Turned out just perfect in the end.
#3.

Now what could I do wrong with this card? Hehe got ya, nothing, 'cos I got this one right. This card was a little cracker to make and I love it - getting it right helped - as it uses up all those little strips of paper you get after trimming bigger bits. You just cut them to size, stick a brad through the middle of them and fan them out. This is a super card and I'll be using this tip again too.
#4.

Yes folk, we grew some carnations, or is it a peony? Whatever flower it is, it's gorgeous. We had squares of tissue paper (lots) which we then folded - concertina. We then tied a piece of ribbon round the middle to hold it in place. After that, we bent the strip in half and cut the ends to look like the top of one of Tim's tags. Holding the bit with the ribbon, we then proceeded to fold down each layer ending up with a bunch of magnificent flowers. What beautiful embellishments for parcels.
Fantastic morning. THANK YOU AMY.
After a lunch break the room was set up for Lindsay's workshop.
Card #1.

This is just a beautiful card. I still have to fasten a pearl drop to the end of the fragment. So many techniques to this A5 card, each one easy but so complicated looking. We used distress stains, acrylic dabber, distress inks, perfect pearls mists, Tim's new crowded attic paper plus a fragment. I concentrated really hard with this card, wanting to make a masterpiece. We had to stick the 'stained' paper to the front of the base card and trim it to size. I did it perfectly. Then we stuck the matted piece to the main card - Oh ***^+""**, mine was upside down. I could have cried. I had turned my card whilst cutting the paper to size and not checked it was the right way round for the next step. Lindsay to the rescue. She gave me another A5 card and suggested I cut the front off the one I had done and stick it to the new card. It didn't matter that the words were upside down. Now I look at it again, some words are sideways anyway. Phew!
Card #2.

This card brought whoops of joy from me because I had seen this one on Lindsay's blog and was mesmerized by it. The background is made with alcohol inks so you know that each one you make will be different. I love them. We stamped the fantastic tree, grasses and birds with Archival black and matted it all with black and white card onto an 8" card - my absolute favourite size. Now you will be looking at this masterpiece and thinking - the girl did good there - but actually, I had stamped my tree in mid air!!! der! David to the rescue - just by his presence - and I covered the base of the trunk with the grasses. Oh dear, what a shambles.
#3.

Now this being the last card of the day just had to go well. I'm pleased to say that my gremlins finally left me at this point and the whole card went without a hitch. We got to use one of the new Martha Stewart all over the page punches - butterfly. Again, lots of techniques but I managed them.
THANK YOU LINDSAY.
I now have a set of gorgeous cards, each with techniques new to me, all of which I shall use over and over. As for the gremlin, he's had a good kicking and been told not to bother me again. Thing is, I can't do craft in a rush, I need to take my own time, plus I'm a night person and it takes me all day to wake up. Well those are my excuses, actually, I was doing it deliberately  to test Lindsay's skills at confirming that any crafting mistake can be turned around into a crafting technique!! Like that excuse better.