L.T. Marshall's Blog, page 20
November 1, 2019
Free Book 1 from The Carrero Series
Free book 1 - the start of this epic series and a roller coaster of emotions that are so very addictive!! Get your Kindle copy today!!
💛The Carrero Effect - The Promotion💛 Contemporary romance by L.T.Marshall
A story detailing the effects of childhood abuse and the souls ability to heal when the right person shows you the way.
Start with The Carrero Effect - The Promotion book 1 of the 9 book series (so far.....)
my link text
And...after you've finished, you can get inside the heads of Jake and Arrick' Carrero with The Carrero Bonus Books (fan requested chapters)
Carrero Bonus Books:
my link text
#clubcarrero #TheCarreroEffect #JakeandEmma #startaseries
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The Carrero Effect - The Promotion; Jake & Emma
Free Book 1 – The Carrero Effect
We have gone all the way back to the beginning.
Free book 1 – the start of this epic series and a roller coaster of emotions that are so very addictive!!
Get your Kindle copy today!!
October 31, 2019
Life Update, Nanowrimo and UV resin video
Morning all. It’s a frosty crisp morning for Halloween and I have so much to do today to invite those costumed little kids to my door tonight.
I have a front door to decorate to act as a beacon, welcoming the hoardes, a house to spot clean and kids to tend to in terms of school, home, dinner and dressed up. We are not braving the elements tonight to go trick or treating, so instead will be merrily handing out the sweets to all who come by. We have put extra special effort into our little gift boxes of candy.
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Halloween also signals a very important month in the lives of writers and budding writers everywhere. Today is the last day to prep yourself for Nanowrimo!!!
What is NanoWrimo? I hear you say – it’s a 20 year old tradition!
” National Novel Writing Month is an annual Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript between November 1 and November 30. Well-known authors write “pep-talks” to keep them motivated throughout the process. “
Writers huddling on social media to egg one another on, creative juices flowing and the pressure to get yourself a rough draft of a novel written in 1 month. It’s a great experience for newcomers to the writing world and can generate such a buzz.
Personally I don’t really commit to it, as I write my novels in under a month anyway and see this as more of a social endeavour. Last year I started my book mid month and didn’t meet the deadline but it was all in good fun. I enjoy seeing everyone get excited, share progress and generally feel accomplished at having the will power to meet the goal. And of course, nano gives you little rewards at the end if you succeed.
You can add friends on the Nano website, download packs to help your progress and generally make new writer friends online who are all taking part. It’s a pretty great event.
If you want to add me – feel free https://www.nanowrimo.org/participants/l-t-marshall
I have a book ready to roll and may or may not stick to it this month. We shall see. It’s meant to be fun so no pressure is applied over this side of the camp. LOL. If I make it then Yay, if I don’t ….. there is always next year!
Okay, so to my update.
Life has been incredibly difficult the past 18 months or so, with kids, health, family. Finally I am glad to say we are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and our road is taking a bend away from stress. It’s not completely all happy rainbows and candy floss yet but my outlook is way more positive.
My 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with autism, after a long hard battle and currently still being assessed for ADHD. We have spent a lot of time this year going to meetings, appointments and a class to better help her with her immense struggles with school she is having right now. I feel like we are finally reaching a turning point.
I am back to crafting, video making and more importantly, writing. Which is a sign that mentally I myself am doing better. I have been exhausted, run down, recurrently sick for months but finally….feeling I am improving. I was mentally exhausted.
I have been getting my ducks in a row and predict 2020 is going to be a far better year for me.
With this little book on my writing desk. And a giveaway in progress , which you can find out about here – https://www.facebook.com/LTMarshallCarrero/posts/2572364489508439
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Now to the video and all the supply links.
This week I went for themed and UV resin, combining the season, the books, the crafts….Halloween bookmarks.
Supplies –
UV resin
Blue tape
Halloween bezels
Fine glitter
Chunky Glitter
Nail varnish
Jewellery supplies starter kit
Beads
Metal charms
Triskele charms
Book marks
Resin bows
Googly eyes
Glass crystals
Chain
Silicon cup and stirrer
October 28, 2019
Free Halloween Panther Cat Knitting pattern
We have another freebie pattern for you all. I knitted this wee fellow on my 14 hour car trip to Birmingham a couple of weeks ago and figured now was the perfect time to share.
Enjoy!!! Don’t forget to show us your Halloween decor too, I love seeing what you have all come up with.
This year I created a wreath for my door which took me a few hours but looks lovely!!
We are carving pumpkins tomorrow and looking forward to that little family night. Spooky movies, snacks and pumpkin carving. We have 4 to do so one each!!
I have also been gift packing our candy for the local trick or treaters.
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You can get the knitting pattern file right here.
Let me see when you have made it !!
halloween-cat-knitting-patternDownload
Win one of 10 Carrero Mags!!
I have a giveaway running for the next 30 days to win one of 10 Carrero Mags and a promo pack.
Just click this link to enter –
https://gleam.io/fb/spcbm
Terms and conditions apply.
October 21, 2019
Watch me Art Journal – Blustery Days
Just a quick video and mini vlog after my exhausting few days. I like to create art journal pages often and this is the process of a very simple one that should give beginners looking for inspiration.
In this journal I use mainly
Pastels and water
Sharpie pens
Arteza watercolour pens
Various pens for adding outlines
Black ink and a stamp
Don’t forget to join in the #OCFCreative Challenge – details can be found here
October 16, 2019
Upcycling Christmas cards into tags
I filmed this last week and decided to upload it before I forget about it. Reusing old Christmas card leftovers, childrens Christmas craft packs and old xmas tags to make a whole new range for this year. I really enjoy recycling what I can and often my kids buy new packs of cards for school friends every year and discard the left overs. Combining these with old left over or used tags can make great embellishments.
This year all my gifts shall be adorned with cute tags that add a personal touch.
The Facebook OCF challenge.
Use the hashtag #OCFCreativechallenge if you want to join in! You can also make any videos of the project and let us know. We will share them on the FB page!!
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I also mention my Unicorn journal in the video, which you can find out more about here CLICK ME!!. Available on amazon UK and USA
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Okay, back to our supplies. I have trawled some crafty sites to find similar items to what I used, but as the majority is recycled things from old craft kits and cards last year I do encourage you to start saving them every year and make this an annual craft in the run up to xmas.
Materials –
Christmas cards, old tags, wrapping paper, craft packs from the kids christmas boxes.
Childrens craft box
Mod podge dimensional magic
Foam tape
Double sided tape
Most of the embellishments come from craft packs but you can add gemstones, pearls, bows etc. Googly eyes, pom, poms. Just shop your stash and see what you have
Glitter paint (instead of nail varnish)
Jute string
I used wool to go with my jute , but you can use ribbon, other types of string or bakers twine.
Sharpie marker pack
Silver sharpie
Black outline pen
Tacky Glue
Flat back pearls
The video –
Happy crafting!!!
October 15, 2019
Plant Pot Decor Using Arteza Acrylic Paint
I feel like I have been sick for months, but the reality is that I got two bugs back to back and it’s probably been around a month that I have been poorly. Feel sorry for me! I went from a nasty sickness bug that had me in bed for 4 days straight, to a flu, achy , achy, achy, and then proceeded to infect everyone in my household with both. We sound like some kind of rough coughing choir and everyone has sore noses from continuous blowing. It’s neither pretty, nor fun!
Needless to say, the only thing I am good for when I am still recovering is arts and crafts. So, not all bad then. Sitting at my cosy desk on cold rainy days, wind and weather bashing around outside (school is on its October holiday too) and crafting away the day. Tis days like this I worship my slow cooker and its ability to feed us all without much effort from me. We have soup and stovies , tea and biscuits to get us by! I mean it’s not too shabby, despite the feeling like death and my head being the home of some drunk Irish dancers on hypermode.
My beloved was a gem, something he rarely is, and bought my daughter and I some early Xmas presents in the form of Arteza art supplies. Generally I think he saw it as a means to make us shut up and stop moaning about how near death we were. So what better time to trial one (well 2 if you count the wood) of these products with a quick and easy project to bring some happy and colour to my kitchen. I don’t think my brain could have coped with anything harder.
Voila – Plant pot decor. Easy to make, cute to boot and brightens up any non flowering plant. Perfect for miserable sods, loaded with flu and in need of some colour therapy. Oh and I also managed an Art journal page with our new supplies so have popped a pic below!
I also mentioned the free Autumn doll knitting pattern in the video , so click this to get to her!!!
You will need –
Arteza acrylic paints – we got the 60 pack
Arteza wooden slices , although you can get these anywhere. Ebay, Hobbycraft, Amazon and vary in price.
We also have a little 15% off discount code for you too . Use fb15promo at checkout for a good saving . They also offer free shipping !!! Win win.
Elichem Mastercast 121 is the resin I use but any epoxy will do
Barbecue skewers for the ‘stick it in the pot’ part
Some Polyurethane varnish or Acrylic Varnish to seal. You can use this prior to painting instead of Gel medium if you like.
Black liner pen (I used a gel pen as I couldn’t find mine and it runs a little)
I also used a little Holo nail varnish for added sparkle. I find it easier than applying glitter and glue.
Kids craft Glitter paint in silver for the back of the piece.
The video (my review is in the video)-
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October 9, 2019
Autumn Apple Sponge Cake
It’s that time again. Another (leanne thinks she can cook) recipe!! Woohooo.
I think the praise from the lemon cake actually went to my head and now I am all Gordon Ramsay over here and strutting my stuff like I know what end of a cake prong to use.
So without much ado and chatter, here’s another creation from my kitchen
Weather is cold, wet and windy here right now so serve this warm with custard and enjoy the cosy feeling it gives.
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Ingredients
2 eggs
200g sugar
200g semi melted butter
2 tbsp milk
200g flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tbsp ground almonds (optional)
2 tsps almond essence
5 peeled, chopped apples ( I sued up the fruit that was turning and were just gala apples)
2 tbsp syrup for drizzling over the fruit.
Method
Beat your 2 eggs in a bowl and combine the sugar.
Add the essence, butter and milk and whisk well.
Add flour, ground almond and baking powder, stir in until well combined.
Peel slice and dice your apples and fill the bottom of a casserole dish. Once in there, drizzle your syrup across them all for a little extra sweetness. You can substitute this for honey if you prefer.
Pour the batter over the whole thing, level out and put in an oven at gas mark 4. Top shelf for around 35-45 minutes, until golden and risen and passes the cake test. This may differ, depending on the depth of your dish. It should be firm to the touch in the center with a slight spring.
Leave to cool for a while then serve warm with either cold custard or ice cream.
Enjoy xx
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October 5, 2019
Making a Unicorn Cloud Sun-Catching Hanger
I have been so poorly this past week and a half that it was a relief to finally be able to get out of bed and spend short bursts on something creative. I have no patience for lying i n bed and gorging on Netflix , even when too poorly to move so it was absolute torture.
It did give me an opportunity to watch all 10 episodes of the new Dark crystal series and I have to say that not only am I hooked, but I turned my children to the dark side with equal obsession. Now we have to eagerly await a season two #TeamDeet and get our Drk Crystal fix once more.
It took me a few days to make this hanger, as sitting at my desk for prolonged time was not happening and I am thrilled with how this turned out. I initially made it for someone in mind but now I am so in love with it,I may be selfish and hide it for myself. Don’t worry, if I do then I will make the person something just as pretty!!
The video below is pretty long but bear with it as I think the hanger is so cute and worth the time it took to make. Not at all difficult if you are a resin lover, but pretty effective as a gift. Even if it’s one for yourself, LOL.
Materials
Epoxy resin – Mastercast 121
Mica pigments
Glitter in white and a mixed glitter of your choice, also gold
Assorted nail art decoration- iridescent, transparent and shaped in pastel colours
White resin paste (white colourant)
Wooden shape (either MDF or plywood)
Eye screws
Chain in any colour
Assorted glass beads in rainbow colours
Pearl beads
Transparent small beads
Head-pins and Eye-pins in silver
Jewellery tools
Glue to secure the eye-screws
Sharpie marker in pink
Polyurethane varnish or glaze to mix up a paint
Pink Acrylic paint
Pearlescent paint in ‘red’ (which is a stronger baby pink)
Letter beads of your choice, spelling out the desired word
The Video
