Yizz's yawn

Meringue skirt, 1st Muslin

2012-01-20T21:56:00.005Z

So after all the alterations and redrawings of my Colette meringue skirt pattern, I finally got a start on my first ever muslin. This was a very new experience. Doing domestic science (sewing and cooking) at school way back in the late 60's no one ever told any of us that you could actually alter a pattern or garment for a better fit. How to make bias binding they did in spades, but alterations were never mentioned aside from in the pattern there was often a line saying 'alteration line, make adjustments here' and only usually refered to lengthening or shortening.

So if alterations didnt exist you can bet your bottom dollar that we were never told to make a mock up muslin before starting.

Anyway, I spent a bit of time on ebay looking for some cheap fabric to make a wearable muslin, after all if you are going to all the trouble of fitting and adjusting, you might as well end up with something for all your hard work. Eager now to get started, and looking at all the muslins being posted for the Sew-along I hunted around in my stash and found a bit of red polycotton that in a previous life was probably a sheet or a table cloth. OK not a wearable muslin but enough to get me started.

And another first for me, I actually sewed along the seam allowance line instead of the 3/8 inch mark I usually sew along (worried about fit again).

I did have a few problems. I had read on another blog that it was important to mark the front and the back as they are slightly different. With my tailors chalk I marked a big F on the front piece. I sewed my seam, I pressed my skirt with my steam iron, I looked for the big chalked F. It had gone, washed away by the steam. And not knowing front from back did cause difficulties when it came to the waist band.

Talking of waist bands, I had followed the tutorial for adding one to the letter, so how come when I came to sew it onto my skirt it was too short? I still havent fathomed it out, my only thought is that when you extend the dart back onto the waistband the dart widens out as it is extended and instead it should be drawn straight up. This still isnt right as you need to cut and join the band on the angle in order to get the curve. In the end I moved the cut bit back to add back a bit and recut out the band. It seemed to work.

With bated breath I tried it on.

It was TOO BIG!!!!!!!!

I carefully measured myself again. I looked at the size chart. Then I looked at the finished garment size. I puzzled.

I have now concluded its not the size chart in the back of the book I should be going by, but the finished garment size because there is obviously a great deal of ease in these Colette patterns (that sounds good but I have no idea what it means) and by cutting out a size 18 and NOT altering it, it might just be the correct size.

Oh and I havent altered the length as that seems to be ok.

Project Life - take 2

2012-01-19T21:01:00.010Z

I was gaily going along with my Project Life page but I wasnt very happy with my journalling cards. I had collected together a variety of bits that would work from all the digi stuff on my hard drive and going free on line but when I put them into photoshop and tried to match colours it just wasnt working for me.

I had intended using the K&Co 6x6 pads and then print out cards to go with the papers but I wasnt really happy with the results. I then remembered I had been saving some Websters Pages (6x6 and 12x12) for that extra special LO (as you do).

I am much happier with the end result, and when I looked in my diary I found I did have enough photos to cover all of week 1 (I thought I would have to do a whole month for each double LO but its not worked out like that, and I may be able to even do a title page for each month.

Mind this page has still taken me ages, but hopefully now I know what I want to achieve it will get faster as time goes by.

In other news:
I sent an email to another agency in the hope of being signed up and getting a bit of work

Martin ordered his new car on Tuesday. He has one of those deals where you pay off the finance for 3 years at the end of which you decide to pay off the rest in a lump sum, give the car back or carry on paying the same monthly amount and have a new car. He decided to upgrade to a 5 door pergeot in red to replace his 3 door blue model but nothing else has changed in the three years he has had his.

Sew-a-long

2012-01-13T08:03:00.003Z

I've never done a sew-a-long before, but in a determined effort to lean better sewing and fitting I am going to attempt all the five patterns in the Colette sewing handbook. I had altered my pattern and went out to buy material.

I had intended buying some cheap stuff to make a 'wearable' muslin (I think most of the stuff I have ever made myself have been wearable muslins really lol) but the only fabric I found that was even half suitable, they didnt have enough on the roll to complete the project. In the end I managed to get some beautiful chocolate coloured cordroy fabric with embroidery and hand sewn sequins on it. So now I have to make sure I get the fit right from an old sheet.

Anyway while waiting for the fabric to arrive I discovered that Sarah over on Rhinestones and Telephones is arranging a sew-a-long for all the items from the book, in order!

Today she posts about measuring and altering the pattern pieces and on a second check already I discover I may have been too heavy handed in my waist alteration, and also that I do need to do the hip alteration. I was also wondering about the length alteration but she has covered that too, so I will be back playing with my pattern bits before cutting out my muslin.

Project Life - my way. Work in progress

2012-01-10T09:44:00.008Z

I am steaming on with my plan to do Project Life without actually buying in any new resouces. I guess what I am realling doing is a sort of Project 12 with a PL twist.

I was led to the blog of one of the PL designers, one of the ideas she discussed was how she compoimented her PL kit by using 6x6 pads of co-ordinating papers as backgrounds. Wow, what a brilliant idea, because the previous evening I had played in photoshop to try and make all the digi elements I had collected together from various places into one cohesive kit with a single colour pallette. It hadnt really happened to me. I had two K and Co very old pads lurking in my stash, and strangely many of the sheets from Brenda Walter Juliana pad and Tim Coffey Poppy pad do actually work together rather well.

I am using a sheet of 12x12 core'dinations Great White CS to stick my individual elements onto because this allows me to use up the odd selection of 12x12 page protectors I already have and also gives me a bit more freedom and selection over placement within the page.

Luckily enough being a visual learner, I dont have to worry too much about keeping notes, as the photo usually is enough to bring back enough to journal about, plus I am back to keeping up my blog again. I think if I enjoy the January pages and think the system will work for me, I will print out a stash of journalling cards and cut up the pad to make filler cards but I want to see what the finished article is like before I do that, so at the moment progress is slow, but much quicker than a heap of LO's would be.

Mum's birthday

2012-01-09T11:06:00.004Z

Yesterday was my mum's birthday. A present for once was easy as she had decided money would be in order so that she could buy some new clothes.

We had intended to all go over to her's in the afternoon carrying our gifts and Laura was to order some fancy cupcakes for the occasion as a surprise added treat. She got another surprise though when Kelly and Ollie invited them up to Croydon for lunch, so we had to tell her of our plan and they then agreed to go to Laura's on their way back from Kelly and Ollie's instead.

I made this card for her, a scraplift from one of Bev's LOTV cards but using one of my own stamps. I was rather pleased with how well it turned out.

As it turned out although the cakes looked amazing, they were actually quite naff, Wayne and I couldnt eat ours at all, so next time we are getting Kelly to make them for us!!

In the evening I had been invited along to the leaving do of one of the girls who works for Martin. It was only to Weatherspoons but for once the food was really nice, so I got a steak supper and some pleasant company for a couple of hours. The only down side was that yet again the stupid Sky plus box refused to record for me, and I missed episode 2 of Sherlock. I dont watch much telly so when it does this is it really annoying as the programs I do want to watch are carefully selected. So this morning Martin gave Sky a bit of a rocket.

Sky is being a right pain at the moment, there is a BT Open line being picked up by my software, which is not not secure and even though I have blocked it, every time whoever is using it logs on, it cuts across my broadband width and kills my connection. I have to constantly repair my IP addy just to keep connected and it is driving me potty!!

Christmas dress

2012-01-07T10:11:00.008Z

Since I mentioned the dress I made for Christmas day in my post yesterday I thought I would put a photo of it on my blog.

I learnt to sew at school, my first sewing machine lesson when I was 7 - they dont do that any more which is a shame because I did actually learn a fair bit, even if I was nearly a whole term cutting out and redoing hand made bias binding! I used to make all the girlies clothes when they were small but have not made anything worthwhile since the '80's.

I discovered Casey's blog about a year ago, envied the way she looked and her wonderful sewing talent. From there I found the Colettiere blog, and lurked quite a while but never managed to get hold of any of the patterns. In fact I found I was actually more in tune with the patterns on Wearing History (look at the wonderful details on some of those clothes!) but want to hone my skills before paying out so much for the patterns.

I ordered my Colette sewing book in November but it took ages to come, and I had been admiring the Danielle dress on Burdastyle for quite some time.

I had bought some red crushed velvet from Hobbycraft way back when I first saw it but finally thought I would have a go for Christmas.

The Burdastyle pattern was a free download but only went up to a size 16 so I had to hunt the web to find out how to grade the pattern for a larger size. My only mistake was that I didnt bother with the most important step, measuring myself, taking the assumption that since I had been trying on dresses in the shops at size 20 then that must be the size I was.
In actual fact I think that I must be nearer a Burda style size 18 once the full bust adjustment has been made (this is the reason I have to buy larger sizes off the peg, as shop made dresses do not take into account thos larger busted ladies with narrow shoulders and small(er) bodies and the reason I want/need to start making my own clothes. I did manage to get the fba spot on though even if the rest of the dress is obviously too big, despite me taking in a full 2 inches on the side seams after the final fitting.

Meringue skirt

2012-01-06T17:02:00.000Z

With my birthday money I purchased a copy of The Colette sewing handbook. My intention is to get good at the basics including altering and fitting and then start buying a few 1940's/50's vintage dress patterns as the styles are far better suited to my body shape than todays fashions.

I have had a go at grading up two patterns I already had and had a small degree of success (my Christmas dress I graded up too big, and the other dress I have made needs me to sort out how to grade the bottom half to match the top when the measurements of my body dont match the pattern top and bottom. But at least I have started the learning curve.

The first pattern in the book is the meringue skirt. The patterns in the book go up to size 18 which measure 2 inches too small on the waist for me and 4 inches too wide on the hips, so while I am still searching for a suitable fabric I thought this afternoon I would have a bash at altering the pattern peices.

It turns out to be quite a monumental task. With the help of the book it would seem I have to

cut out and trace the pattern so that I can preserve the original pattern pieces that come with the book
use the slash and pivot method of altering to make the waist bigger (I have decided to leave the hips for now as it is an A line skirt and should take the difference, no idea if this is right but for now ...)
slash and lenghten pattern as I dont like just above knee length and want it a bit longer.
change the waist from a simple facing to a waist band which is a whole lot more of altering and redrawing a la tutorial on Colettes blog.
redraw the whole pattern out again as by now its probably going to have more cellotape than paper holding it all together

And thats before I even get near to a bit of fabric. Phew!

Its a steep learning curve and very labour intensive but hopefully worth the effort when I finally get a wardrobe full of clothes that I actually like and which fit.

366 - no go

2012-01-06T15:33:00.003Z

I'm still having no luck with Photo 366, I am beginning to think I must either have a total lack of imagination or perhaps its because I really dont want to be recording stuff that really has no meaning or connection for me.

The next prompts have been

Day 4 Pretty. I probably could have come up with something for this one except I didnt remember to check the prompt until the following day.

Day 5 excitement, well the most exciting thing that happened all day was the christmas tree which I had put outside ready for collection next week, blowing down the road in the gale. I had to go collect it, but it was certainly too cold and windy to stop to take a photo

Day 6 Frost. Well our temps on the SE coast didnt get below 3 degrees last night and with the sea wind speeds there was no hope of any frost. Some people baked cup cakes and took photos of the frosting but we are still wading through the Christmas cake and diets start next week. Someone did take a photo of their fridge freezer .. but I dont really want a photo of ours.

However I do have better hopes for Snap 2012, another photography challenge on UKScrappers. It is going to have weekly themes, this weeks being cold, so I have started with a photo of myself wearing my new Fedora ready to go out and brave the winter clime.

Project Life - my way

2012-01-05T17:37:00.004Z

This year the trend in scrapping seems to be towards Becky Higgin's Project Life. It seems everywhere you look people are getting ready to do some quick scrapping using journalling cards and background papers, cut to 6x4 sizes and then with the addition of photos, all put together like jigsaws, in 12x12 page protectors that have been divided up into 6x4 pockets.

Now I was a bit curious and went over to Becky's site to read the blog and watch the video's all about it. I really wasnt impressed and couldnt see the point in it all. It didnt seem to be much up from sticking your photos into a slip album and adding a couple of lines underneat to say when it they were taken and who of. I guess that since my family and friends rarely look at my scrapbook albums (and I have over 20 very full to bursting 12x12 albums plus some mini books) that the whole point of the game for me is not so much the telling of the stories, although the stories are there if anyone should care to look, but the actual pleasure I get from planning, cutting, sticking and seeing a page come together. I couldnt see that I would get anything out of doign Project Life.

Somehow though the hype catches you up. All over UKScrappers people are posting about where to get the kits, which page protectors to get, who did it last year and lots of other enthusiastic stuff. So I took another look, and I was rather taken by the pages done by Laura. I found myself looking online for divided page protectors, but with everyone else and their wife already ahead of me it wasnt an easy task.

Could I use the stack of 12x12 pp's and my sewing machine to make some divided pockets? I dont sew very well in a straight line at the best of times and on slippery plastic? The conclusion was ...no!

Then I had a brainwave!!

Why use divided page protectors at all? Why not just use the pp's as they were and simply divide the page itself up?

YES!!

It was a simple task with a pencil, a ruler and a set square to drawer 6 6x4 inch rectangles onto a sheet of white 12x12 card stock.

I especially liked the layouts Laura has done that when joined together they made up into a bigger layout, now it would be simple to do that because I was really working on a 12x12 anyway.

The next thing I did was to go through all the zillions of digi kits on my hard drive. Choosing one was really hard but I finally settled on Wild Sorbet by Micelle Coleman, alongside some wonderful Karma cards I also found on her blog My Second Mile, and coupled with some Jessica Sprague journal blocks that I had got free from one of her classes, I soon printed out my first few home made Project cards.

So now all I want is a few photos (still not managed to get enthusiastic about the Project 366 yet). Watch this space and lets see it it works!

366

2012-01-03T09:58:00.003Z

Once more UKscrappers are running their 365/6 photograph challenge, an attempt to get us all using our cameras more. Each day a prompt goes up on the blog site and we all have a go at interpreting it with an every day occurance photo.

I got bored with it last year but as I hadnt been using my camera much in the last 3 months - or blogging either, and want to get back to doing both, I thought I would give it another shot. So here we are, day 3 and already I have failed miserably!!

Day 1 prompt word was CELEBRATE with the question 'How are you celebrating New Year. The web site was abound with photos of champagne and fluted glasses, streamers, fireworks. I was totally stumped though because we simply didnt celebrate. For 2 reasons, firstly in the last three years any effort we have made has just fallen flat (last year's golf club event) but more importantly because Morrisons do not recognise bank holidays and because Martin had lost his banked day, he was in the middle of working a 7 day straight. By ten I was in bed reading and he was on the settee snoring, and on New Years Day he was back in the garage by 8.30 and I was playing home alone. Not only that I had some sort of virus that had left me feeling totally exhausted for 5 days. Urgo? No day 1 photo

Day 2 was the word NEW, interpret how you wish. Mmm, well I had had some new toys for Christmas and they were all lovely and what I wanted but nothing really stood out apart from my new PC game that refused to install on my laptop because of incompatible graphic card issues. The other things had been books and tools for scrapping and sewing, great pressies but nothing I really wanted to take a photo of. So Day 2, no photo.

On to Day 3, today. Today the prompt is UGLY - just when I was starting to feel more positive and ready to start the new year properly. I simply refuse to even think about ugly in my present mood. Hence Day 3... no photo!!!

Today I am under instructions from Wayne to take Laura out and make her spend some money on new clothes and boots. Its blowing a hoolie and the rain is lashing down and we have to wait for the Sky engineers but if I can get her as far as one shop I will ... watch this space!!!

Clearing the decks of news for new year's blogging

2012-01-01T09:40:00.016Z

Well the year has got off to the start I expected, early night last night as Martin had to get up for work today, broken by a 3 oclock Happy New Year text from one of my daughters which I am positive she sent well before midnight but which took 3 hours to get to me. Martin was gone by the time I woke up so now I am home alone until tea time.

I thought it would be a good chance to put down as much as I can remember about December since I seem to have got out of the habit of blogging. And since I cant remember when I did what it will probably be a bit of a disjointed post but hopefully it will let me get a heas start on properly blogging again in January.

WORK

I had an interview in a school in Ashford that wanted 1:1 KS2 teachers for 2 days a week and for 2 hours a day for £25 an hour. However yet again that I didnt have enough experience in KS2 SEN. In fact the only reason they interviewed me was because I had mentioned that the girls were dyslexic and assumed I would have experience there.

So with no work, it has left me with plenty of time to spend with Laura and little Finley, and for us to try and hunt out some Christmas spirit.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

CAROLS

At the start of the month we took mum to Canterbury Catherdral to join in Chaucer school's christmas concert, something Wayne and I have been doing for the last 4 years but in the past it has been to see Laura singing in the choir. This year Laura got to join in from the audience rather than the back of the Cathedral and we all got to sing together. It was shorter than normal and there were less people performing (most of the staff being out on maternity leave) but we still enjoyed it and despite the windy cold weather, walked back to the car with warm fuzzy christmassy feelings.

After that though it became a bit harder to find 'Christmas'. We visited several shopping centres but it did seem as if no one could be bothered with the tinsel and christmas songs this year. In most of the towns we were hard pushed to even tell it was December at all with the lack of effort the shops had put into displaying and most of our local high streets had only put half their lights and trees up. Undeterred we kept trying though.

FESTIVAL

Laura and I left Finley with Wayne and went to the Christmas Dicken's Festival, going on a Saturday instead of a Sunday this time round. We got confused by the signs and ended up at Rochester airport park and ride which was a bit scary as we ddnt know our way around from there. I am glad we did though because its a long time since I have seen the festival so well attended.

For some stupid reason the council had decided we must all walk on the left. Whoever came up with such an unworkable idea needed to be shot. We were totally gridlocked in the middle of the highstreet because you were not allowed to swing out to the right to get around the market stalls and there were so many people attempting to cross the crowds to get to the correct side of the street that in the end no one could move. On previous years we all managed to dodge and weave our way through, there was a great sense of camaradie as we all tried to avoid each other, but this year all that happened was that stuards raised everyones tempers and we all stood in frozen lines, moaning about the absurdity of it all. In the end Laura and I got pretty good at nipping down side streets but it did mean me missed many of the little shops and boutiques that make the day.,

We did get to see and hear the bell ringers though and really enjoyed the show as we sipped our mulled cider and spiced wine.

We finally managed to fight our way though the crowds to get to the German Christmas Market held in the grounds of the Castle - even here the council had interfered and made it one way in, one way out. The problem was the way out was down three sets of very steep steps, meaning parents with buggies, prams and pushchairs all had to carry them down, causing more conjestion. People had to queue back into the stalls just to get to the stairs. There was total chaos and no hope of actually seeing what was on the stalls. I felt sorry for Laura as it was her first time and it really was nothing like it had been like in previous years, all atmosphere lost and too crowded to actually see anything or join in.

She did seem to enjoy herself though, and the parade was good. I managed to fall over a wall in the dark as we all made our way to the Catherdral grounds to sing carols, and we did have to leave a bit early to avoid the crowds, not that it helped as we managed to get lost in the back streets in the dark and then had to wait ages for the bus for the P&R to get through the traffiarc.

I did have fun though and hope Laura will go again next year.

BLUEWATERS

Still seeking some christmas spirit, Laura decided we needed a trip to Bluewater to see their christmas display. In other years this has been absolutely magical, with all the lake lit up, huge reindeer all over the place and an ice-ring, winter wonderland and german market outside the main building. Yet again we were sorely disappointed, as they had moved the display into their new arena which takes up about a quarter of the space of the outside area. The theme was Christmas in New York and basically consisited of the ice-ring, a few christmas trees with fake snow at their bases, and a few stands charging exorbatant fees (£2 for one slide down the very small snow slide?????). No atmosphere, no christmas music, no german market or magical decorations. To make matters worse it was on the top floor and the lift was out of order. We walked to the next lift and walked back but we did see people with buggies attempting the stairs in a very dangerous mannor. As well as this let down, Bluewaters itself was not really decorated at all, I know there are regulations in just how much they can do because of fire risks but in the past there had been swags and garlands over the railings and stairs, but not this year. We left very disheartened.

CHURCH

We did finally find some Christmas spirit, we had been looking online at all the local churches to find a Christingle Service we could take Finley to, but they were either all late Christmas eve (the family were all going to Laura's for the evening) or simply weren't happening this year, but All Saints where I had got married, were holding Carol's around the Yew Tree on the Wednesday before Christmas. Laura and I went along and it was totally wonderful. At first I thought it was going to just be a few of us, but I glanced around when we started and was amazed to see people stretching right back from the church to the lych gate. We sang about 16 carols accompanied by Whitstable Brass Band, and then went into the new church hall for mince pies and mulled wine. We both really enjoyed it. I saw a couple of my old parents and one even recognised me and said hello back.

Two more tags

2011-12-06T07:11:00.006Z

I have to admit I really shouldnt be playing tags with Sir Tim as I have quite a few other projects that really aught to take priority (such as the bits for decorating the home made hamper I am making or the dress I am supposed to be making to wear on Christmas Day), but since I woke up at 5:30 am and couldnt get to sleep, I thought what the heck.

Since I can list the amount of Ranger products I have on the fingers of my hands (11 distress inks, no re-inkers, 2 distress stains, 5 alcohol ink colours, 7 distress stickle colours and a few nearly empty ordinary stickle colours) once again I was into improvisation on a grand scale.

Tag 2

This one was fairly easy. I simply used a sheet music background stamp (same one used on tag 1) and then rubbed white acrylic paint across it using a damp baby wipe. I t left a nice chalky effect and a similar texture to the one Tim created. I stamped the Hero Arts christmas sentiment (in Tea dye distress ink) across it first and heat embossed with clear embossing powder so that it was resistant to the paint.

The Holly was part of a larger Papermania stamp and at last, I had the right products to colour it in with!!

No canvas material so I cut the deer on my cricut out of some gold paper I had in my stock. It wouldnt take the ink even when I tried distress stain so its not got that lovely 3D colour effect Tim got, but he's still pretty neat.

Iwas tempted to cut a chunk off the artificial christmas tree for the wreath but settled on punching out a kerzillion small holly leaves and glueing them all in place.

I was being a bit lazy when it came to the trim a the bottom and decided to simply go with the bit of ribbon.

Tag 3

Sometimes not having all the resources actually makes these tags way simpler. No stamp or embossing folder like Sir T I simply used lots of Hero Arts sentiments, putting them all together on a large block and then inking each different colours.

A generous spray of glimmer mist gave a pretty good background

I hand cut the holly leaves (attacking them with both walnut stain and peeled paint distress stains) and the scroll, and used candy cane stickle for the berries (I didnt have any red alcohol inks, and although I could have used my promarkers to colour some gems I couldnt see the point when stickles do the job equally as well.)

Tim's tag time!!

2011-12-01T19:45:00.011Z

Woo its that time of year again already.

Sir Tim insists that his tags are not to sell goodies but to fire our creativity and imaginations. Well the stunning tag he has started us all on this morning certainly fired something as the only 'ingredient' I actually owned in the whole mess of things required to make it, was the new iced spruce distress ink!!

So here is my attempt, and how I made it.

I dont own any core co'ordination cardstock so I cut my tag by hand out of some blue bazill. The only snow embossing folder I own is Snow dots, so I spent quite a bit of time attempting to make an embossing folder by cutting snowflakes out of thick card with my little bug. Unfortunately my mats have seen better days and couldnt hold the card still enough to do the intricate designs so after an hour I had to resort to the snow dots embossing folder after all.

I still used the embossing tecnique that Tim highlights on his blog although I dont have a ranger pad and the embossing powder I used was white opaque Stamp 'n stuff. I couldnt sand the paper so juts rubbed some Stamping up rouge ink over the top, followed by the Iced spruce.

For the pine cones I used a free svg from Paper Scissors Ink for a 3d rolled rose. It seemed to work, despite being on my last glue gun stick and having to use a cocktail stick to poke it Reeves acylic paint (no paint daubbers) to add the snow effect and some star dust stickles (right product, wrong colour).

For the Noel, I hunted and hunted for a font I liked (another hour lost to the net) finally settling on Laurenscript. I welded the letters to a scroll I found lurking in my hard drive using SCUT 2. I cut two layers out of cardstock and another layer out of silver glitter paper (tip Tim, even easier than your tip for avoiding glitter).

For the banner I stamped an Artimio music background stamp onto some white copy paper, rubbed over with vintage photo distressing ink and cut out by eye. I spent another hour or so hunting through my hard drive and the net to find the right leaves to cut out, but apart from the larger ones, I ended up using a punch and a holly scroll svg.

These too were all dry painted with white acylic and then given a dusting of decorart glamour dust A couple of beads from my bead box (and I thought the tag needed a little red to lift it a bit, and voila!!

Not for the life of a star

2011-11-25T16:27:00.003Z

Hello Little Blog. Long time no see.

I have one huge heap of christmas cards waiting here to be photographed but every time I remember it needs doing, the light has gone but I will get them recorded on them eventually.

So still no supply work, not since the start of September so I have trundled along and signed on the dole (sorry JSA) in order to get my NI stamp paid and a little bit of money coming in to keep us from spending all our savings to survive.

It has meant that I have got to spend nearly every day with Finley. He is 4 months now and is becoming very aware, can role from front to back (and nearly the other way) and chatters away, is as happy as a sandboy provided we feed him on time and is sooooo cute.

Thats not just my opinion, it is official as he has been accepted to several baby modelling agencies including the top dog Elizabeth Smith. Laura hasnt actually registered him with any thinking it might just be a bit of fun, but yesterday she got a call for Finley to go do a casting for a shoot for Johnson and Johnson's baby wipes, even though she hadnt stumped up the hundred and so registration fee (a freebie to see if he likes it said the lady).

Which is why today saw Laura Finley and I travelling all the way to Clapham to go find out all about it. Laura drove and a heck of a drive through London traffic it was. Finley was adorable and slept all the way. We parked in Clapham Sainsbury and walked (following Laura's GPS LOL) to the casting studio. There we had to strip Finn down to his nappy and then Laura had to cuddle him in and at the same time get him to face the camera for his photo's, then we were asked if he would go to sleep in a bit so they could get some sleeping photos. Well of course he had just slept all the way up in the car and was clearly not in the mood for more sleeping. neither would he eat with all that was going on around him.

We were there for about 20 mins, and in that time a steady stream of babies of ages from around 2 months to 6 months were coming in, undressing, having 3 or 4 quick photos taken and then leaving.

Laura and I didnt say anything to each other until we were back outside but both of us had come to the same conclusion. All we wanted to do was get out of there and go someplace nice to simply play with Finley. It was too much like a fodder farm, although the people were friendly it seemed no thought for the babies comfort was really going on and it was just for the parents. We didnt enjoy it one bit.

So Laura decided the high life of a model is not for little Finn, we packed him back in the car, and drove to Croyden to see Auntie Kelly and Uncle Olli instead.

Life's little trials

2011-11-01T07:38:00.008Z

There seems to be zilch in the way of supply teaching and zilch in the way of jobs to apply for, so I have been attempting to run a 'save-on-the-spending campaign. Last month it seemed to work ok, but this week has been a bit of a 'mare as those little life's trails have come along to try us.

On Sunday Martin had tickets to watch Spurs play QPR, and drove up, as he has in the past, to park in his favourite secret parking spot near the ground. As he parked the car, he somehow managed to clip the tyre against the kerb. there was that horrid sound driver's know so well, of a tyre blowing out, and that was £55 down the drain for a new tyre.

Yesterday I did a small food shop (well not that small, it came to around £60 but I didnt seem to get many items) and as I unpacked the stuff and filled the freezer something clicked in my brain that all was not well. Things already in the freezer seemed a little soft. Had someone left the door open? I left it for a bit and waited to see if that was the case, but when I returned an hour later, things seemed to be even more drippy. The light was on in the fridge part so it wasnt the plug.

In a kind of stick your head in the sand moment, I decided it just hadnt had enough time to refreeze so I left it a bit longer .. and a bit longer... but at 9 o'clock, although the fan had consistantly been coming on and going off, it was obvious things were not going to improve. The food hadnt totally defrosted (aside from the icelollies which had dripped all down the drawers, but no ice was forming.

So I emptied what could be saved into bags and took it all down to put in my mum's chest freezer until Martin could sort it out. I came back with lots of freezer blocks from mum and put them round strategic items in the fridge, and went to bed. I had however left one small tomato on the shelf in the freezer and left the freezer on. This morning, strangely, that tommy is frozen solid.

I hope it had only put itself onto auto defrost as it is only about 15 months old and I really do not want the hassle.

On a less trying note, Mum is moving much better on her knee and seems to be improving, and Finley is still off all his meds, enjoying the bottle feeding (at regular 4 hour intervals) is smiling his way through life and even managed to sleep from 9 pm until 6 am for the first time last night.

More cards to share. All these are scraplifts of cards I have seen either on Thinking Inking (thankyou for sharing Debbie) or Jennie Maguire's blog.

Christmas cards 2011

2011-10-30T11:37:00.002Z

I forgot, in my ranting about job interviews yesterday, to update about my mummy. Sorry mum.

The hospital kept mum in for a day, and put her on strong antibiotics. Kelly had phoned the hospital for me when a misunderstanding meant that instead of Dad updating us on the situation, he had actually gone home to sort out his broken central heating and was waiting for us to phone him. Unfortunately he had forgotten to tell me that those were his plans, so when I still hadnt heard from him by tea time I rushed over to feed his dog, not knowing the dog, far from being shut in at home all day, had actually had lots of company and his tea already!!The hospital had thought mum might have food poisoning.

Anyway she was home and a bit brighter by Monday and was soon back in again for a small scheduled op on her knee. She is now hobbling about on walking sticks and not following docs orders to rest and recover but out buying sacks of potngatoes and stocking up on food.

Martin has been off this week and we have spent the time emptying everything out the attic,

sorting it into boxes,

labelling them

and now everthing is back up in the eaves and hopefully in future we will be able to find stuff more easily.

Amongst the stuff we 'rediscovered' was a pile of video's taken over a period from 1989 to around 2005. I dont have many photo's for scrapping from this era as we had discovered moviemaking! I was really excited to find it, we also dug out the old VCR, got it working, and had a wonderful afternoon of nostalgia. The quality is apalling but I only have one copy of this memory so must find someway of getting the footage converted to a computer file.

In between doing the attic and spending time with Laura and Finley, I have been making a start on this year's christmas cards. With the closing of B&M papermill shops, plain cheap white card stock is hard to find so I have actually bought card blanks for a change. I also had a peek at Kelly's copy of Papercrafts which gives a pretty good tutorial on using Serif to make hybrid cards in a way I hadnt thought off, and with a zillion digi kits sitting on my hard drive I have been having a go at combining the digi cards with all the stash I have accumilated over the last 3 or 4 years.

This first batch were made using Nitwit digital kits.

and this one uses a kit called DistinctivelyAuri

Love him!!

2011-10-29T11:16:00.008+01:00

It is obvious from his wonderful smile that our little Finley is a happy-go-lucky little chappie
and if it wasnt for the health problems he seems to have been having for the 14 weeks of his tiny life, that he would be a wonderful easy baby.

Instead, he refused to suckle at the breast when only a few hours old, and since has consistantly shown signs of suffering from silent acid reflux.

I have been giving Laura as much support as I possibly can although this could, in the main, only be moral plus a bit of tidying up, because she has bravely soldiered on breast feeding him even though he was not making the best job of it, and demanding feeds at 3 hour intervals both day and night. Instead of all the exciting things we were going to do once the baby was born (swimming, baby massage, mother and baby group, etc) we have spent our time walking streets attempting to calm Finley in the pram, or sitting in Doctor's waiting rooms.

Last week things finally came to a head though when our young man seemed to have all the symptoms of a cold combined with acid reflux and maybe a bit of teething thrown in. Poor Laura was feeding virtually every one and a half hours, 24/7. Things were definately not right, my little girl was at her wits end and we were all exhausted.

To add to the stress, last Saturday in the early hours, my mum was rushed to hospital with cronic stomach upset which left the whole family on tenderhooks waiting for news to say what was wrong with her and how she was bearing up.

So at this point Laura called a halt to breast feeding and changed little Finley onto formula.

The change has been instant and amazing.
Immediately he has become a text book baby, sleeping and eating as if he has read all the baby hand books, with only 2 night feeds, playing and then sleeping correctly in the day, and eating exactly the right amount of ounces for his age!! Laura has even taken the brave step of taking him off all his reflux medication. Touch wood, and four days in, we still have this miraclus change and a wonderful little man. He has even found his thumb and will self-sooth himself off to sleep if he is in the right position to get it into his mouth.

So hopefully (fingers crossed) I can get back to blog land, and my crafting room too.

Whilst I am here today a few more updates though.

The week before last I had an interview for a job with Kent CAT team as a teacher helping children with severe medical disabilities and other teachers to use technology to assess education. It was a job I am sure that with the right training I would have been brilliant at and really enjoyed. It had the added bonus of being part time so I would have still got to spend some time with my beloved grandson. I had taken advice on interview techniques (I really am getting quite low self esteem about this now), done heaps of research, worked out answers to most questions and really thought I was in with a good chance. The only disadvantages I had was lacking a bit, athough not totally, of specific knowledge (but then thats what training and personal development is for eh?) and I was first up on the list to be interviewed, but I took a deep breath and went for it.

The three ladies on the panel were lovely, I found I was well at ease, only one question threw me for a few seconds, and I even found I quite enjoyed the task they set me. So I was feeling quietly confident. Alas when the phone call came through it was to YET AGAIN (and I cant say how many times I have now heard this over the last four years) that I was a strong candidate, I had interviewed positively and well, but I lacked the specific knowledge they needed.

I wish they would tell me where I am going wrong. I am just so fed up with the lack of helpful feedback. I have the interview technique down pat, so how am I not selling myself. These responces are not a gread deal of use:-

"Not enough nursery experience" - err excuse me, I ran a mother and toddler group for a year, worked in playgroups for 5 years, as a QT in reception for 6 years, a liaison advisor to local pre-schools for 4 years, and a nursery nurse for 8 months added to which I bought up 2 of my own children. This is all on my CV, highlighted in my letter of application and expanded on at interview... what bit of experience did I not have???

"you have all the qualities, skills and experiences we need, you did a faultless demonstration lesson, you got on well with the other person in the job share but we have decided to take the other candidate" - why????

"you dont have the specific skills we requre" - then why the heck did you interveiw me in the first place?

With still no work (thats a whole term) from the agency I have no choice but to keep looking though.

Bandana's away

2011-10-19T12:37:00.001+01:00

Our Finley has not been a healthy happy chappie, and from birth has kept both Laura and I busy coping with his silent acid reflux. We spent yet another day at the health centre Monday signing up for his third batch of medication This has kept me away from blog land for quite a while, but I have still found time for a bit of crafting.

Yesterday I was appalled to discover the price of a baby bandana was £8, and was made from no more than enough material to cover a place mat!! So I came home and from an old towel, left over of a fat quarter, and a pattern downloaded from Tracy aka Mad Quilter in a matter of minutes I had run up a little bib.

Here is Finley modelling it, and despite also now having a viral cold he managed to smile as he did.

Crafting away

2011-09-18T08:36:00.031+01:00

I have been doing lots of bits and bobs of crafting but blogger has been refusing to let me share my goodies online. I am kicking bloggers backside, so lets see how far we get today.

The week before last my Uncle Charlie died suddenly (age 81) from a massive anurism, so I needed to go out and buy something suitable for the funeral wear. As I parked the car I noticed that the building which had housed PC World was now The Range. All thoughts of black dresses were abandoned as I rushed to the back of the warehouse to find the craft goodies. I was a tad dissapointed as there didnt seem to be a big selection and what was there was mostly christmas stuff, but I did get a First Edition 8x8 pad, Up, up and Away by Mindy Terasawa with a mind to making an 8x8 album for Finley's baby pictures which are beginning to stack up.

When I got home I ordered some free prints from a couple of online printing services, its a long time since I have had photos printed instead of getting them done myself and I was pleased with the results. I also scoured the net for some 8x8 sketches but there are not that many about. Pagemaps have a few, but not many, and thats about it, so if anyone has a secret part of the net where they know there are some hiding? Preferably with some examples too?

I decided I would back all the pages on white co-ordinations paper and make the pages double LO's to give some continuity to the book.

When I was at Debden some of the girls put up a bring and buy stall to share round some of the goodies they no longer wanted. One of the things I missed out on was a book 'Kick it up' by Greta Hammond and Angela Wigginton. It gives ideas on how to take ordinary looking LO's to the next level. I really liked the look of it, and when I got home I ordered a copy from Amazon not realising it had to be shipped from America. It eventually arrived a month and a bit later, but already it has been so worth it.

I started this LO at Debenham. It was done, but it didnt grab me.

I left it laying about but when the book came I went back to it and added.

I think adding the blue and yellow title and journalling makes the colours in the photo pop more. I also kicked this LO up a bit, it had been a bit bland so I added the white ric-rac and the title down the side of the page. I am really enjoying the book and its giving me lots of ideas but most of all its making me go back and take another look at LO's I would usually say were finished but perhaps feel a bit let down by.

Of course I am still making all my own embellishements. He was fun.
And the flower making was demonstrated to Kelly and I when we went to Ally Pally. We bought loads of twine, and so far this is the only one I have made LOL

Another LO recieving the kick it up treatment, adding the white ricrac and the side title after I had first called it finished.

I also finished another of the classes from ATDML's long ago cybercrop.

I dont usually do mini albums but I recently discovered a neat little trick in Picasa where you can use templates to collage lots of photos onto one page.

I used it to put all our Portugal holiday together and was doing really well playing with some past kits from Kate Hatfield, it was a lovely sunny day so I decided to take some bits outside to play with. I was keeping every page very similar so I was bulk making the journaling which made it quite easy to sit in the garden playing.

When I came in though I had managed somehow to loose a whole page. A completed page at that, and despite much repeated seaching of the garden it still hasnt turned up which means I now have to start that page again, which has kind of kerbed my enthusiasm in finishing it, but I am sure I will get round to it soon.

My baby girl is all growed up.

2011-09-08T07:58:00.027+01:00

Actually she has been all grown up for quite a while LOL but tomorrow she turns 30 and makes me feel very old. To celebrate, last saturday she hired the hall at our local community centre and had a 'bit of a do'.

Inspired by the geogeous milk bar on that talented lady Debbie's blog, I set about the decorations for her. In contrast to her pink and silver themed 21's party she went for a blue theme this time round.

Rather than a large birthday cake together we came up with the idea of a cupcake bar, and then spent two days baking umpteen cakes between the two of us.

(sorry the photos are a bit rubbish, my poor old Fuji didnt cope well with the dark hall vs the outside light and white table cloth).

It was little baby Finley's first party and he got lots of cuddles as he was passed around plenty of new 'aunties' desperate for a little hold and sniff of his babyness. He also got to have his first ever slow dance with his grandad.

I also didnt have my mega big memory card with me so all the later evening shots are on my dad's camera (yes we made him finally get it out the boot of the car) and I havent pinched them back off him yet.

In other news: I worked my last two days ever at the Children's Centre this week, budget cuts meaning they can no longer afford 6 teachers. I was rather sad in the way it was all handled as, although those of us on supply contracts had been promised a decent bit of notice, I didnt actually have more than a day, and had no chance to visit my nurseries and groups to say a proper goodbye, or to enjoy cakes and hugs with the lovely people I have been working with for over a year now. I am back to waiting for phone calls from the agency and hunting the web for jobs, *sigh*.

Anyway finally all that promised craft stuff !

We decorated the front bedroom and made a nursery!

We had the front bedroom replastered to smooth off the walls (and fill in all the hundreds of screw holes in the walls )which then painted in Almond White paint giving a lovely plain background. When I started out, we still didnt know the flavour of baby Laura was to have so I needed to find something fairly neutral but also something that wasnt too baby orientated as I still need the room as a guest room. A photo on the net and bedding from Dunelem supplied me with my theme of Owls.

I bought a duvet set for a single bed, which I cut down to make the cot quilt cover.

With careful cutting I was able to cover the frame of the picture I printed out and added embellishments to,

as well as make two cushion covers (including the applique owl).

The banner I started while on my weekend scrappy retreat at Debden

but I was able to add the name once Finley had been born.
Alongside the new cot, the mosquitto net, the new lamp, the repainted mirror and the pictures from the internet that I printed out and framed, I think the room looks pretty cool.

I've been flitting between my sewing machine, and my scrapbooking tables for the last couple of months. I spent quite a bit of time making a dress for the party. This is not a good image of it but you get the gist.

Its Simplicity 2362, a pattern I bought last year but which has sat waiting for me to find some reasonably priced suitable fabric for. C&A fabric shop finally had the kind of remnants I liked at a price I felt reasonable and I got this and two other peices. The pattern went together really easily and for once it fit in all the right places with no alterations. I had to shorten the skirt bit and add a small ruffle at the hem as the remnant wasnt quite long enough for the whole pattern piece to fit but I am really pleased with the result.

I have a whole raft of layouts and scrappy stuff to share but this post is getting very long so I will put those all up in a new post once I get blogger to accept a few more photos.

Catch up 3 Phones and flowers

2011-08-19T07:12:00.018+01:00

On Wednesday throughout the summer Martin plays in a golf competition which means that een if it is his day off we can never go out far. The wednesday of his holiday was no exception, but I was surprised when he said he wanted a trip into Canterbury.

Turns out he wanted to go into the 3G shop to find out if his phone contract was ready for an upgrade. It was, and not only that they could give him a discount on his contract if he took out a second hand set for me.

Now upgrading me has always been a problem because I have always been on PAYG and typically last August I put £10 on it, I still have £3 on it!! Yeah I admit, I am billy-nomates. But I really did want to join the smartphone set and it wasnt hard to pursuade me that £25 a month for 2 Samsung galaxy mini's with god alone knows how many free minutes, texts and internet access was worth it.

Of course with Martin being computer illiterate and my last upgrade being just after the start of the millenium, using them was always going to be a steep learning curve, but Laura came over and got us started, and we have been playing with our new toys eversince.

The carpets were put down on thursday, I cant get over how quick the guys were, two carpets down in under an hour and a half!

Kelly's fish tank had arrived and needed transporting to her house, but with the riots at the weekend (did I mention them, well its all over the web. The little row of shops a the end of Kelly's road was torched) Olli who is in charge of co-ordinating Sainsbury's emergency peoples was on nights making it difficult to pick a day to take it up. However he had quickly been changed back to days when they discovered how much they missed his brilliance on days and we were invited up for dinner on Friday.

Since Kelly didnt get home until 7 we decided to take in a visit to RHS Wisley for the day and then back track to Croydon afterwards. It had taken us the best part of the the morning to make all these decisions, and to pack a picnic (we remembered from Harlow Carr just how hard getting food and drink in their gardens was) and to get there.

It was so worth it though. As you walk in, you are greeted to a wonderfully preserved Tudor house (used as offices now) and a beautiful formal water feature with borders stuffed to the brim with summer flowers.

The place is huge, we picniced on the huge lawn, and then we wandered around all the various sections for 5 and a half hours and still only saw a portion of each part of the garden. There was a large proportion of mums pushing strollers visiting the gardens, and I have to say that considering the problems at the weekend with unruly children and teens terrorising the country, it restored our faith to see just how brilliantly well behaved every single child in the park was. The lake was full of ghost carp and huge golfish. I have seen big kio carp before but its the first time ever I have seen them actually attacking the ducks to get to the food.

The greenhouse was vast and housed a temperate zone, a dry zone and my favourites, a large variety of hibiscous.

Then there was the rockery garden, the rose garden that extended for as far as the eye coould see, the veggie garden (we whipped round that quick as it looked like rain) the alphine greenhouses ..... the list goes on and on.

Finally exhausted with our little leggies unable to walk anymore, we braved the M25 in rush hour back to Kelly's for our dinner.

She had decided on a takeaway dinner from the local harvester, and the good news was that Ollie was going to be home in time to join us. Our plans were foiled though when the Harvester staff informed us they were not doing take-outs as they didnt have any take-out boxes!! Poor Kez had to scrabble about in the fridge and make us a delish meal from nothing. Good ol' Kezzy!

And she was pleased with her fish tank, we were pleased with our day out!!

Catch up 2, A day trip to spend money.

2011-08-18T08:20:00.008+01:00

Brighton beach

I spent yesterday giving the hall and stairs a coat of paint. This is not an easy task for a 5ft nothing person, and there is still a small patch where the full drop on the staircase is that will need Martin's longer arms and legs to reach, but I am pleased with the results. I slightly lighter shade (almond white instead of peach white) makes it brighter and a darn sight more clean looking (it was last painted in 2005)

So back to my blogging catch up.

On the second week of Martin's holiday I had thought we could throw the list of jobs aside and go out for days, but before I knew it, I was booked to accompany Finley and Laura on their first visit to the Healthvisitor's clinic, we needed to stay in for a delivery of a fish tank (for Kelly's birthday present from Ollie) and we had another day to stay in when the carpets were to be fitted. Adding in the afternoon of golf that Martin regularly plays on Wednesday afternoons through the summer it didnt leave that much time for long days out. I had asked to go to Brighton though, because even though its only an hour and three quarters journey away I had never actually been. I lie, I had been once with Mum and Dad, but he had been unable to find a parking place so he had turned round and come home again.

Veiw of Brighton pier as we went to park

We didnt set out that early on the Monday morning so it was getting on for mid day by the time we arrived at the sea front. We think we might have made a mistake in our choice of parking because we didnt discover until we got into the multistory that they were charging £2.50 an hour and that the car park belonged to a hotel (which was probably why they were able to charge so much) but we were already in so would have had to pay the first hour even if we had driven straight out. It was close to the Pier and the Lanes though.

Its been a while since we had been out doing the day at the beach thing, you kind of take it for granted when the sea front is 3 mins walk from your front door, but we were stunned by the price of ice-creams (£1.85 for a cone) doughnuts (£12.50 for 12) and didnt even go there with the prices of candy floss, chips, and other beachy fare.

Entrance to the pier

The walk along the pier was lovely but soooo expensive if you wanted to eat or go on any rides. I dont know how families with children manage?

Martin watching the rides

Fish and chips eaten in the fish restaurant was £9.50 each so we walked back down the pier and crossed the road to Harry Ramsdens.

Fed up with the wind, we took our fish meal across to the little park and sat on the grass watching the dolphin water fountain and ate while fending off sea gulls. We enjoyed that, it was quite peaceful and gave us time to collect our thoughts and decide where to go next.

Dolphin waterfall, very refreshing if you get caught downwind in the spray.

We walked up to Brighton Palace, and then all round it because there is no gate in at the front.

In front of Brighton Palace

It has a really nice garden if you ignore the drunks hidden in the bushes, but there was nothing to tell us either the price of entering the Palace or what we were likely to see if we went in. We didnt bother with the inside and just enjoyed the architecture from the outside.

I had downloaded a tour of the Lanes at home but had left it in the car. It was a document produced by the Tourist Information so we went in there next to grab another copy. I was stunned when they charged us 50p for it, when it had been a free download. Mmm expensive paper and printing ink I suspect. Anyway we set off to follow the pathway that was supposed to show us the best of the places in the Lanes area.

I was expecting lots of second hand, antique and shabby chic crafty type shops. I was so disappointed. What we got, between all the coffee shops and cafes was shop after shop after shop of jewelery shops. I think we pasted only 1 crafty type shop and I also have to say I suspect the TI route took us away from the shops and concentrated more on the arcitecture of some pretty poorly designed buildings.

We had had enough. We concluded that we didnt really like Brighton much, it was expensive, the beach wasnt up to much and it wasnt even that interesting. We redeemed our car (£7.50 in fees by now), looked at the sorry state of our wallets, and headed off to take the long coast road route home.

As we were going along we managed to get behind an open top tour bus. Martin was amused by the advert on the back of it considering its destination, and thought hop on, hop off wasnt really a good choice of slogan.

I had never been to Beachyhead so we followed the bus as it took its detour. It was beautiful countryside and I really would have loved to go see the cliffs (even though the heights terrify me, but I am guessing that Sussex council must think they need to fleece every visitor for as much as they can because once again they charged a high toll just to park in a layby!!!

The detour took over an hour, and with the coast route being so long it took us nearly 4 hours to get home. We did have a good day out but have come to the conclusion it is no wonder most people go off to Spain and such for their holidays. This country is just far too expensive to enjoy.

3 weeks worth to catch up - part 1

2011-08-14T11:39:00.018+01:00

I have a long list of craft stuff I want to share, but I am going to do that in a seperate post as I need to dredge my memory first to get down all the things we have been up to in the last few weeks.

Aside from the big news of our Finley's arrival the other important thing that has happened is that my long term assignment as Children's centre teacher may have come to an end or at the very least my hours will be cut from 4 days to 2.5 days a week. Although I hated the travelling I did enjoy many aspects of the job and the people I worked with are amongst the best. I wont know until September if I still have hours but fingers crossed that I do.

Anyway summer holidays are in full swing now and jobs are not something I am thinking of until term starts. As usual with most teachers, the first week of my summer was spent doing all the house type stuff I have not been able to do while working. The house was unbelievably dirty so a solid week of washing down shelves, sorting out drawers, cutting down overgrown shrubs in the garden, ensued (as well as a couple of visits to see my grandson.)

For the past two weeks Martin has been on his annual summer leave too. We hadnt planned to go away this year as I wanted to stay close for Laura in her early weeks as a new mum, not that there has been any need as she is being a terrific mummy and is coping well.

So we decided on the spur of the moment because the weather was so lovely we starting with a BBQ for our new addition and parents, Of course this meant we had to rush out to find BBQ food and although we had fancied fish, neither Morrisons, Tesco or even Whitstable harbour had any sardines left, so it was back to the old staples of sausages, burgers and chicken.

Finley watches the bbq, one day this will be his job!

Not impressed he takes a while to settle (and a lot of cuddles into the bargin, result for nan!)

There was a whole long list of little jobs that Martin needed to do during his hols, and our first task was a trip to Ikea to buy a cot and other goodies to finish some of these jobs. Martin doesnt mind too much as he gets to have the cheapo Ikea breakfast. We spent a fair amount of money on a new cot and mattress for the nursery, cushions, lights and other bits and pieces. I wasnt impressed that the woman in the fabric department was getting an earbashing as we walked through. Turns out she had been letting the department run down and was not very well stocked up. This meant I could not get the fabric I needed to finish off the conservatory as I needed matching plain stuff to cover the cushions with.

We finished the day off in TGI Friday, stuffing ourselves silly with the two course meal deal. I munched my way through a whole huge rib much to Martin's surprise. We then came home and put the nursery together. Photo's to come when I do my crafting post.

Our next outing inbetween doing jobs on the list was to go out and order new carpets for both the lounge and our bedroom, as both of them were filthy and on the verge of falling to bits. Martin was given the job of measuring up while I searched on the interwebby for best places to go. Sure there was a reasonable choice of shops at Westward Cross for carpet buying, we arrived, only for us to discover Martin had made a mistake in writing down his measurements. I wasnt prepared to run the risk of getting the wrong size of carpet as this could be an expensive mistake. Not only that we could only find one of the shops listed on the www. so we soon returned home to do some remeasuring.

On our second attempt we stopped off to visit Laura and Finley, and to find out where they bought their carpets from. Really fed up with the whole adventure we decided to just look around Hernebay to see what was on offer there. On only our second shop we found just what we wanted, at a price we were willing to spend, and not only that fitting was free. A really lovely man served us, and pretty soon we were all set for new carpets to be laid the following Thursday.

Wayne and Finley

I was a bit concerned that now Wayne's paternaty leave had finished, Laura wasnt getting out and about so we offered to take her and little Finley out with us to buy restocks for my fish pond, the local seagull contingent having taken most of mine for their lunch boxes. Dad had recommended a place near Sandwich so off we set. I have to say Finn wasnt that fussed, sleeping through all the sights, which in a way was a good thing. This fish centre was so run down since the last time we had visited (admittedly when the girls were a lot younger) that I couldnt believe it was the same place. What had been a whole garden of beautifully stocked ponds to wander around and enjoy was now reduced to 3 ponds, one so overgrown you could only see a small part of it, and the other two so green and full of terrapins that it was acutally unpleasant to walk around them. We also saw some lemurs locked int a shed (Martin said they could get out round the other side but I wasnt convinced) and I am sure they really needed reporting for the conditions the animals were being kept. Not only that they didnt have any fish!

Glad to get away we instead drove into Sandwich, parked up the car and took Finley for his first cup of tea and sandwich in a cafe. He was so good, and even though it was feeding time, he didnt make too much of a fuss, and certainly didnt upset any of the other customers.

Finley enjoys his first cafe lunch.

We later sat in the park eating ice cream one handed as Laura finished feeding Finley.

Watching the world go by from the buggy (Sandwich park at 23 days old)

Finley firsts

2011-08-07T08:03:00.004+01:00

First cuddle with Aunty Kelly

First hand hold with nana. Tiny tiny fingers.

3 generations together.

Photos all taken in Finley's first week with us all.

Welcome baby Finley

2011-08-02T14:24:00.022+01:00

The most important catch up and news to go on my blog. The arrival of my very first grandson, and congratulations to Wayne and Laura.

WELCOME LITTLE BABY FINLEY -
15/7/2011
8pm
7lbs 3 oz

I had a phone call from Wayne at around half 4 on Thursday to say that Laura had gone into labour. Reading between the lines I kinda guessed she wanted me to be there so I hopped in the car down to Ramsgate, I stayed until gone 8 pm, and all the time Laura was having contractions every three minutes, so I was more than expecting a night time phone call to say the baby had been born.

No, we had an undisturbed nights sleep so at work the next morning I was a bit aggitated that I hadn't heard anything. Finally the nursery manager persuaded me to text Wayne and find out if there was any news. He immediately texted back to say they were only just taking her into the labour ward.

On tender hooks all morning, I drove the mum's at the toddler group crazy pacing round with my mobile in hand, and when a text came through just before 12am a collective breath was held as they all waited to find out what she had had, and how the new mum was. Out of luck, it was only a progress report and she was still in labour

Obviously it was going to be a long haul. Another update from from Wayne around 4 oclock, still not ready to arrive yet.

Finally at 8.10 pm Friday night, the text we had all been waiting for, after around 32 hours labour Laura had finally given birth to a little boy.

I knew visiting wasnt until 4 oclock on the Saturday and I knew Laura had no intentions of staying in, so I held my patience to meet the little lad sometime in the afternoon. Yet again circumstances dictated different. A conversation with Wayne and it seemed our new youngster was being a tad fussy as a feeder and until he had had a full meal the hospital were not discharging him, so instead another phone call and I was off to Ramesgate again to finally meet the new addition to the family. As I parked up I realised I was driving virtually on empty. Those who know me, know I dont do petrol so this was going to proove a bit of a problem, but I was too excited to worry about that.

Laura looked amazing for someone who had just been through such a long labour, but having established that she was fine it was time for a hug with the babe. She was trying to feed him, but although he latched on fine, he just refused to suck. Mmmm, I remember a similar problem with a small one of mine!!!

Laura and Finley both looking amazing after their ordeal.

Eventually with the use of some expressed milk, some formula and both a cup and a bottle plus a student nurse, we managed to top up the child's reserves, and then Laura was desperate to go home. Finally, first feed

The hospital on the other hand had other ideas, they said they couldn't stop her from discharging but they were not happy that he hadnt established feeding and wanted her to stay over for the night. Yet the hospital staff were run off their feet (more from lack of staff rather than lots of mummies and babies) and calling for a nurse could take over half an hour for a response. None of us could see how staying in was going to be of any practical use, and it was only stressing both Laura and the baby. Eventually we did leave but not without an emergency run to Tesco to buy formula (and petrol), a whole heck of waiting about, a bit of form filling and a promise from me to stay over the night with Wayne and Laura as moral support.

The waiting to go home had been broken up in the afternoon by a visit from Wayne's mum and dad, and since it was so late when we finally got out the hospital (half 11!!) Grandad Martin met his grandson at home, having been dragged out of bed to come over LOL

Grandad Martin getting his first hold

Welcome to the family little baby George

Being a Steward

2011-07-31T14:05:00.003+01:00

This is a photo of Martin decked out in his gear as a Steward at this years Open Golf Tournament held at Royal St George Sandwich.

Sandwich is only a few miles away from us so I guess we kinda take it for granted. It was really interesting to see all the signs going up and all the extra traffic coming down to watch. I had to go to Fowlmeads Park (which is quite nearby) , for work, several days before the start of the golf, and while there we bumped into 3 van loads of policemen. They had been drafted in from Maidstone, as they were cyclists and motorbike traffic police.

Anyway back to Martin. All the local gold clubs were asked to supply volunteers to act as stewards, to direct and control the crowds. Martin immediately booked one of his weeks annual leave and put his name down for the whole week.

Lucky him, he was picked for most days - although the guy organising the men wasnt very good at organisation and forgot that they would all need cover for comfort breaks, meaning Mart got another extra day's work half way through. They were all given a jacket, a hat, a couple of 'quiet' paddles, £10 a day lunch vouchers, and a ticket that got them in for the whole week. They also had lots of freebies while there - a 15 min golf lesson with a pro - free goes in the golf simulators - the chance to stand out in the wind and rain ......

He was under strict instructions to come home with photos of the players too, but he failed miserably and in fact the only photos I do have were taken by someone else on their mobile phone.

Blog post catch up 2

2011-07-28T18:23:00.005+01:00

Debden with the girlies

On the weekend of 8th - 10th July Kelly and I joined a lovely lovely bunch of ladies for a crafting, eating, drinking and laughing weekend in Debden. It is arranged amongst a group of us friends who met up on UKscrappers way back in 2003, who later moved to our own forum and who now get together once a year irl. I went 3 years ago and was very very nervous but I didnt need to be as the girls are such kind and welcoming people and all up for a good laugh.

It was Kelly's first time away with us though, as she has only recently joined our little group, although she has known these same ladies for several years on UKS too. She met up with me at Lakeside (where I had been for a few hours window shopping) and then she braved the M25 and my bad navigating to get us there.

Once settled in, fed and watered, we walked into the room set aside for our scrapping to be greated by this table of treats curtesy of the geogeous and talented Debbie.

We had a terrific weekend, one laugh that went on the whole weekend was taking the rise out of poor Ann who had recently celebrated a significant birthday, so we finished on Sunday afternoon by sharing the remains of a cupcake and singing happy birthday.

I didnt take many photos as I was too busy scrapping and having fun, but thanks ladies, and I am so looking forward to next year.

Oh Gosh, so much to blog about.

2011-07-20T18:50:00.007+01:00

I have been so busy having fun that I havent really had chance to blog about all the things I have been up to lately. And now I have a few mins to writie it all up I am not sure I can recall all of it but I will have a good try. Gonna do it in several posts.

Post 1

Laura's birday July 3rd (or is it?)

At the start of July it was Laura's 26th birthday and to celebrate, for a change we all went over to her place for a bbq. And for another change the weather was really hot and sunny. Of course poor Laura was heavily pregnant
so it wasnt that pleasant for her, but the rest of us sat in the back garden and got throughly sun tanned (or burnt in Wayne's case) and enjoyed the food and company.

Now here's a thing, and I admit to being a very bad bad mummy. I got the days mixed up..not the dates, I do know the date of my own daughter's birthday. I just happened to have it in my head that the 3rd was not the sunday we were all blowing out candles but was the Monday, so I didnt take her a card or a present. In fact it took me quite a while to understand why everyone was giving her hugs and saying happy birthday when I was convinced there was still a day to go. Boy did I feel pretty low when I finally cottoned on. Luckily Laura found it funny and we all had a laugh over my stupidity. And it purlonged the birthday celebrations for 1 more day too.

Anyway I have promised to take her out after the baby is born to buy her some clothes for herself

Crops v fathers day.

2011-06-19T14:06:00.010+01:00

This weekend, over at ATDML there is a cybercrop going on with 12 brilliant brilliant classes and a few challenges with prizes thrown in. Now from my selfish point of view I think this is very bad timing as I am desperate to get out the paper and glue and scrap away for hours. Instead though since the weekend clashes with Father's Day I spent yesterday shopping, cleaning and baking in order to have the kids and their spouses over for an afternoon/evening of bubbles and pizza.

I did have a great time with the family though, we had build your own pizza which in my tiny kitchen is always cause for either a laugh or lots of bad tempers. Yesterday we went for the laugh (although I think towards the 'getting very hungry' stage a few tempers were getting a tad stretched, especially when we run out of pizza base mix and had to send out for more!).

So this morning, after I had once again cleared the kitchen, and been out to buy and deliver my own Father's day gift, I finally got to play in the craft room.

The first class on Friday caused me all sorts of problems to start off with, I found the perfect photos but in the poor light of my craft room couldnt really see the papers I was choosing and it wasnt until Sat. morning that I discovered they didnt match each other at all. I couldnt get either knife/ruler or my woodware cutter to cut a straight line for love nor money.

Eventually I finished it off this morning and am more than pleased with it despite the problems with it. A great class and one I would use again for multiple photos.

Supplies Fancy pants Key Lime paper, Bazille, thickers, papermania holographic butterflies, free magazine stickers,

Photos from when Kelly and I went to London for a free studio photo shoot.

The first challenge was a tag inspired layout or card, which was great since I needed to make cards for both my dad and my Father-in-law. This is a little bit of a cheat as the tag comes from a tag swap I did way back in 2003 when I first joined UKS. Unfortunely it doesnt have the name of whoever made it on it for me to credit and I cant find the notes I made at the time. It certainly inspired this card though.

The second card followed the sketch challenge the girls put up, and after going through lots of scraps I finally found these papers and also rediscovered why I hate rub-ons.

Just to finish off for the moment, one more song for the 30 day challenge. This is Day 25, a song that makes you laugh. I first heard this when my uncle in Australia came over for a visit and dragged my dad round shops looking for it on vynl. He finally tracked down a copy and played it on my parents radiogramme which shows how long ago it was. It works so wonderfully with the irish accent and I can listen to it time and time again and still end up with tears running down my face from laughing so hard. Enjoy.

Murphy's bricks (The Barrel Song)

Still on the list

2011-06-15T20:15:00.007+01:00

Another song from the challenge.

Day 10 A song that makes you fall asleep.

Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple 1975

Ooookkkay. I can hear you all saying, how can you possibly fall asleep to that one???

Well obviously I cant but here is the story

When I was about 14/15 I was pursuaded by my 'mates' to partner a guy who was a friend, to his brother's birthday party as he didnt have a date. I was only doing him a favour as I only saw him as a mate but he obviously took it to mean so much more because the next thing I knew I was being dragged round to his house to meet his parents and his brother!! And worse still led up to his room to listen to music.... oooops! Well his idea of music was Led Zepp and Deep Purple albums as background to an afternoon of snogging - not on your life, so the only way I could think to get out of it was, at the earliest opportunity, to fane sleep until finally (several albums later) he woke me up and took me home!

And you all thought the 60's/70's were the time of free love!!!!

Well another day off and again Martin and I started in on The List The trouble is we keep finding other things that also need doing - is that the way of lists?

Anyway he mowed the lawn while I attacked the bindweed, then he needed to go and buy a smaller sander as ours was too big to get into the spaces in the small bedroom where the window sill had been replaced and plastered in. In the meantime I decided that the area where I store all the plant pots and gardening paraphanila needed clearing up so I could get to pick the raspberries. In doing that I unburried the little wooden wheelbarrow planter that Ollie and Kelly had given me as reward for being Mother of the Bride at their wedding (instead of the usual bunch of flowers). It needed a bit of work so I started to punish it with a hammer and some nails, Martin soon came home and put a stop to that, and ended up replacing all the screws that held it together.

None of these jobs were on The List

Neither was taking the bed down and putting it in the attic (done after sanding down the wall lso that there will be room for a cot), or tidying my craft room, or .... Oh well at least stuff got done, even if it wasnt the ones we had intended doing today.

I have settled for an owl theme in the spare bedroom and as well as buying some Owl bedding I started to make an owl mobile. Laura dropped in and did a bit of quality control on it, we came to the conclusion that it was too small (despite me following the pattern to the letter), that I really cant do blanket stitch for toffee, and it doesnt match the bedding so could I make different ones?

Mm back to the drawing board.

On Safari

2011-06-12T20:05:00.020+01:00

Today Dad, Mum and I were out visiting gardens again as we joined the Broomfield and Herne Garden Safari. The weather hadnt really improved much from last week, and this time the gardens were way more spread out so it involved a great deal of jumping in and out of the car, and attempting to find parking places as all those that had turned up for it followed each other round the circit of gardens.

The folk showing their gardens had obviously put lots and lots of hard work into the event, but the gardens themselves were not as spectacular or as full of inivative ideas as those the week before, but it was still a great way to go round and nose at how others live, and to meet and chat with some lovely people.

One or two gardens did stand out though, both mum and dad were particularly taken with the garden totally crammed with plants with only a small narrow pathway around and through it.

At every turn there was another ornament or wind charm to keep things interesting and where tropical plants were neighboured next to english roses.

My favourite was the one where we finally collapsed for a cup of tea and cake, not just because of the refreshments and rest but because it was full of all my favourite cottage garden flowers.

I wasnt too sure about the beautiful olde cottage

with this in the back garden.

But I am pretty sure tthis one was dad's best find of the day, the garden that surrounded a working farmhouse, complete with pigs (they had to be teased out with apples just for dad as they had actually just gone to bed for the afternoon). There were chickens, ducks, sheep, and horses the other side of the garden fence too, and a huge veggie growing area.

Another surprise was this garden, I wonder if Kelly remembers? I am told to mention bread and marmite???

The rules

2011-06-10T21:16:00.007+01:00

I didnt fancy doing these in order so I thought I would post all 30 challenges here and highlight as I go. And I am going for two together today.

day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play

I had, eversince I was real small, wanted to play the guitar, but several things stopped me, not least being that mum and dad didnt have money for lessons let alone an instrument. Plus I had no idea where you even started finding out where to get lessons from. When I was 17, I walked into the classroom one lunchtime and one of the girls had bought in her guitar and was doing an extremely good job of playing this!

Layla by Derek and the Dominoes 1970

Of course even more determinded to get my own guitar after that, my first full time job pay packet went on buying one. I still didnt know where to go to get lessons so with the help of a self teaching book I managed to pick out both the chords and the tune to that classic that everyone first learns to play!!

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals 1964

I have to admit thats as far as I ever got in learning it, and it then found its way to the attic where many years later the neck managed to fall off. Mind I dont think I would ever have managed to be as good as the master Mr Eric Clapton!

30 Day song challenge The rules:;

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Listen to the music

2011-06-09T20:17:00.009+01:00

I just discovered the 30 day song challenge on FB - ok I am probably a bit behind the times, but what the heck, its still great fun.

Day 01: Favourite song - well thats a no-brainer, its just got to be Summer Breeze by The Isley bros. 1974

This version has Ernie doing the most amazing guitar solo ever!!!!

I remember when it was first released (yes I am that old) Our 'local' was The Neptune, a pub right on the actual beach at Whitstable and I can clearly remember sitting on the beach, drinking a pint in the blistering sun (its always summer in your memories isnt it?) and listening to it on the radio (no ipods in those days, I dont think even Sony Walkmans were around then). Then some of the guys thought it would be a laugh to go swimming fully clothed. Of course there is always one, and Findus (nick name) lost his specs in the sea. He had to wait until the tide went out to find them but since low tide was around half ten that night, it was too dark so he had to come back just after dawn to look. He did find them, but it gave us all a laugh.

A few years back I introduced music into my reception class, we had music to tidy up to, music to work to, music to sit still ready for quiet/listening time to. I would try to theme the peices of music I chose to use, so obviously for the summer term the children were exposed to this song. I only had the full 7 min long player version but only played the beginning, just enough time to sit down and show they were ready for story time. That is unless their behaviour that day had not been quite up to scratch. They knew they had upset me if I made them listen to the whole song, beginning to end (without talking because it was Miss's favourite song which was not to be spoilt by talking children) Usually by the end of it we were all alot calmer. The children soon got to know and love the song (often they would beg me NOT to turn it off!) and other staff members walking through my class room would find it really amusing to see 30 reception age children singing 'Makes me feel fine, Blowing through the Jasmine of my Mind'.

They just really do not make songs like this anymore :(

Our list

2011-06-08T18:55:00.002+01:00

Today both Martin and I had our days off together for a change, so as we lay in bed deciding what we were going to do today, I made a verbal list of all the things that needed doing. Martin said he had forgotten what they all were by the time I had finished reeling them off, so while he made a cuppa I typed up a long long list of things to do in the house, the garden, and at the shops. I pinned it up in the kitchen and told him to prioritise it!

Our starting point was Compare the Market dot com, as his car insurance was due - only days after mine which is real bad planning. Getting a quote involved looking to see if Martin's points for speeding had come off yet which meant we had to carefully take the bits of tatty paper making up his driving licence out of his wallet and lay them out on the table. The points had come off so I decided it really was time to change paper for photo id license!!

It wasnt on the list but its really easy to do on line now they can use your passport photo and signature plus its lots cheaper than I had been led to believe, so that job came smartly after the insurance quote while on the laptop.

A cup of tea later and we hit the garden, Martin to weed the patio, me to sort out the greenhouse (the packet of cress I had dropped on the floor had now sproated all over the place and needed weeding, plus everything has grown so quickly I needed to get everything tied up to the canes). Despite the lack of rain this year my garden is probably growing the best it every has done, and I have bumper crops of everything on the go. Mind I do have an ongoing war with snails to fight and I'm not sure you is winning, but I reckon we will be eating salad twice a day from now until the end of August. We had home grown cress and rocket in our lunch today.

We ploughed through the list - finishing the filling of holes in the little bedroom, putting the curtains back up from their annual wash, Martin finally replaced the makeshift log in the hole in the wall with a proper brick, he took the old high chair to the tip and we sized up the old cot sides to see if they could be used as a fence around the pond (they can).

Mart reckons we got about 25% of the list done which considering the length of it, and that a lot of it involves hitting up Ikea again, or carpet stores, or other shops, was a good days work.

Gardens

2011-06-06T17:00:00.010+01:00

Woohoo, blogging 2 days in a row, will I manage to keep it up though?

On Sunday Martin had to work straight after his golf so I persuaded Mum and Dad that they did want to go to St Nicolas at Wade where the residents were opening their gardens in order to raise money for their church. The weather was a bit miserable so Dad wasnt all that keen but Mum was eager to get out of the house as a falling out with the next door neighbour was causing a bit of tension.

There were 18 open gardens in the village, we managed to miss both parking areas despite following the signs to the letter so pulled up in front of garden 16. There was a one off payment of £3 to visit all of the gardens and we thought it was a real bargin since the first one we walked round was so beautiful.
The guy who owned the place was really friendly, and after we had tramped all over his plot, admired his bridge and 'moat' (really a long narrow pond, fully stocked and with a proper plank bridge across the middle) told us the best way to see the rest of the gardens was to walk the short circular route around the nearer ones and then move the car to the other end of the village to see the rest.

Despite being grey and overcast it wasnt cold so we left our coats in the car and walked to the next garden. This one was much smaller but the lady was obviously a plantsperson and knowledgably chatted to us, giving me the names of the plants I had recently admired in Yalding garden (Allium Christophii).

The next garden was close and although it didnt have much in the way of planting, had some impressive trees used imaginatively to create breaks in the lawn area. We spent a great deal of time in the stunning garden of the lady in the ex council house. It had been a labour of love for three years but had an unbelievable amount of flowers in it, and most of them in bloom too.

So a great start and although it had by now started to spit with rain, we were having a great time, so started off for the last two gardens on this part of the circit. Of course they were way further than it appeared they were on the map, so after quite a slog to get to them we were rather dissappointed that the next garden had little more than gravel with a small flower border around it, and most of the garden given over to a shed where an elderly lady was to all intent and purpose holding a garage sale.

The next garden totally made up for it though. These last two gardens were those of semi-detached chalet houses, and the contrast between what was extensively identical plots was amazing. Where one had been virtually barren, the second was stuffed full of both flowers and vegs, a riot of cottage gardenness. It was also a bit like a maze in the way the garden had been broken up into a series of little gardens by large plants and hedges. But the biggest surprise came at the end of the garden where an old gun armoury had been converted into an underground eating area.

We still had to find our way back to the car. From the map it looked like we were just half way round so we had the choice of going back the way we had come or continuing round. We decided to continue round, and set off. No sooner had we done so then the rain started to come down a bit more in ernest, it also turned out to be a tad further than we thought, in fact for two old age pensioners and their totally unfit daughter it was quite a trek.

By the time we finally got back to the car we were rather damp, very cold as the wind had got up, and in need of a comfort break.
The church advertised facilities so we moved the car up the village, and went into the church. Once we were warm and more comfortable we treated ourselves to a cuppa before planning our route to see some more gardens.

It would seem that we had seen the best of the bunch though, as some of the next 4 gardens were either not gardens at all (one was a front room emptied of furniture but hung with a few local artists paintings mostly of a Picasso nature, and art by the local Y2 school children), or were little more than a large bit of parkland type garden set to grass,
a few hedges and an unfenced swimming pool.

It was now raining very hard,

we were cold, and wet despite getting our coats out the car for the second half of our tour, so we decided mum would sit in the car while dad and I took in one last garden, and then we would call it a day.

The final garden we visited was huge and wrapped round an extremly large and expensive looking house - the front drive was bigger than my house and garden put together. There wasnt actually much to see in the garden as a portion was set aside with tables for cream teas (we were accosted three times asking us if we wanted one) and the rest of the huge area contained a full sized tennis court, a swimming pool (fenced this time) 3 trampolines, a climbing frame and a table tennis table. Dad and I had a bit of a game in the pouring rain, but neither of us was much good, so we called it a day and went home to the warm and dry.

It was a shame about the weather but we still had a laugh, enjoyed most of the gardens and had a really good day. Thank you residents of St Nicks!

Out of the habit

2011-06-05T08:40:00.010+01:00

I seem to have got out of the habit of blogging, but I want to put that right, so here is a very long catch up post!

Lets work backwards!

Yesterday was one of those perfect days. Despite a wind, it was hot and sunny. Kelly, and Ollie recently returned from an unsuccessful 4 days in Ireland with her in-laws and a more successful 2 days camping in the New Forest with Helen, Alan and kids, had persuaded us to go up and give them a hand putting their new shed up. Since it was one ofi Martin's rare Saturdays off we weren't that keen but Kelly is good at getting her dad to agree to stuff and so we were all ready to set off to help. We were more than happy when she phoned to say they had overlayed, hadnt had time to do the prep work, and now there wasnt enough time to do the job before the start of the England footie game (which they all wanted to watch and which had been the carrot to get her dad helping!).

So instead we used the morning to do a few other little jobs before going up to Croydon for the football and a BBQ.

In the event we ended up going to visit my mum and dad to collect the 30 year old high chair and cot out of their attic. It used to be mine for my two girlies, and since I dont recall giving it to them I can only believe their complicated tale of how it got to be in their attic. Never the less, I intended to clean it up to use for the new addition who is now only 6 weeks away from joining the family properly. Laura went for her 34 week scan on Friday, everything is progressing ok and baby is all the right measurements and right places. Everyone is getting excited as we all start gathering equipment and baby stuff together.

In fact as we arrived back home, it was to find Laura and Wayne's car on our driveway, they had come to collect the crib and other bits that had been being stored in our spare room. She wasnt impressed much with my cot and insists she is going to look on ebay for a cheap cot to put in our 'nursery' but I still reckon with a lick of paint, new hardware, mattress and bedding, it will be stunning. I am off to do the 'drinks can' test on the strutts later today to see.

It was gloriously hot and sunny in Kelly and Ol's back garden, the lads tackled a couple of jobs involving drilling and Kelly and I had a go at the flower bed. The neighbour had just had a new fence put up, and most of the flowers had been trampled by the contractors, the rest totally unsuitable for the narrow flowerbed and smallish garden so we pulled most of it out ready to start from scratch. I wasnt much help since the day before I had managed to stitch through my own finger trying to 'sew-in-the-ditch' of my quilt though.

Martin managed to break the prongs off the fork, digging rubble out of the flower bed!

We then watched the footie and finished with a scrummy BBQ meal (huge steaks, home made kebabs, prawns and sausages followed with home grown strawberries and icecream) and I arrived home full, and happy having seen all the members of my family in one day.

We have done well for meals too this week, on a whim I asked Martin when he got home from work on Friday if he fancied going out for tea with Laura and Wayne (who have also both had the week off). I had meant a quick eat in somewhere like the Harvester, but in the end (after a few false tries) we ended up in the Red Lion at Herne and had a huge two course scrummy home cooked meal, great company and rolled home just after 10!!!

Martin had been off on Thursday, and I was eager to try out my 2 for 1 garden entry ticket I had got from Gardener's World mag. I wrote down 3 gardens I thought were worth the trip, but then gave the book to Martin and let him choose. Amazingly he came up with two of the three I had written down, so we set out to Yalding.

Most of the drive is motorway but the other side of Maidstone you are in the heart of the Kentish countryside with some pretty amazing houses (a few of which were up for sale and I would have happily bought with a couple of large lottery wins!)

Yalding is divided up into lots of little garden plots to dipict gardens through the ages from the Medieval Apocathery to modern day organic, and was a lovely place to visit.

The gardening is mostly done by volunteers and there is also a small cafe doing amazing and cheap food. We werent hungry enough to eat but we had a huge pot of tea for the small price of £1.80, drinking while watching other people tuck into huge scones or home made pasties.

Me, sporting my new hair cut, and trying to train Martin to take a half decent photo - this is the fourth attempt to get me in the shot!

It was still only mid day so we decided to give the second garden a go, the 2for1 ticket having saved us a small fortune. Merle Place Gardens are tucked even further back in the countryside, but we were safe in the hands of Mrs SatNav. That is until we found Merle Place Road blocked by road works and according to the workman, the gardens were just the other side with a very long wait. Much to Mrs SatNav's disgust we turned around and despite her insistance in trying to steer us back to the blocked road we managed to find another way in.

Merle Gardens are the gardens of a private residence - well a huge manor type house really, and has

woodlands,

ponds

formal beds, as well as parkland, tennis courts and a swimming pool. The people from the house work the visitors but the children, home for school hols were having a terrific time in the pool - much to the envy of all the hot visitors. We had a delightful time wandering around and only left when tired leggies and hunger forced us to look for a country pub to enjoy a pint and a packet of crisps.

We hadnt had any lunch but there was meat waiting in our fridge to be cooked so I was happy to settle for a packet of crisps to tide me over. We pulled up at a likely looking pub, then as we got out something prompted me to say to Martin 'I bet they dont have any crisps'. He fooied the idea, saying all pubs have crisps. He ordered our drinks then requested the crisps - 'We doont do bar snacks' said the barmaid. Too late to leave as we had our pints, we sat in the garden sorrowfully. Martin did nip down the road into the village to look for a shop but he only found an estate agent so mornfully we finished our drinks and set off home. Still it didnt mare our day and we enjoyed our day out.

The beginning of the week off had seen me spring cleaning the house, washing curtains and such, plus getting the garden a bit straighter. Everything is growing at an amazing rate due to the unseasonal good weather. I think we are now into our 11th week with no significant rain, and I am having to do lots of watering to keep everything alive. On Wednesday Ann came over for the day, we had a lovely time catching up on each other's news, only spoilt by the times I had to run up the garden and chase off the seagull that kept landing in my pond and attacking my fish.

I have lost over half the livestock most of it the gold fish from Laura's wedding. The weekend before last I borrowed dad's pump and while he supervised (mainly shouted at) me, I emptied the pond, cleaned it all up and put everything back straight. I was pleased to find I had 6 newtons and 2 frogs, so glad the frogs are finally coming back after the red leg virus attacked the colony 2 years ago. I had thought it to be the Heron eating the fish as Laura and Wayne, walking over here from their place because they had locked themselves out, had spotted one down by the Brook, but it now appears it is a seagull and I dont really know how to defend against it short of a BB gun!

So thats how my half term has gone, more stuff tomorrow (I promise)

Playing along with Scrapfactor UKS

2011-05-31T08:23:00.003+01:00

The layout I posted in my last post was chosen by ScrapDolly as the winner for week 6 of Play along with Scrapfactor!!!! Wow! Thank you Karen, and thank you to Suzanne (Fruitsuet) for giving me some of the inspiration for tying the photo frames together.

Here are a few more of my entries that didnt win. All are in the digi catagory to try and promote digi scrapping.

Challenge: To use just one photo

Challenge; To use a paper advert as inspiration

This weeks challenge was a sketch with lots of circles which I hated!

Play along with Scrapfactor

2011-05-19T20:04:00.001+01:00

My UKS Play along with Scrapfactor entry for week 6. HoneyBeeDesigns kits.

Updates

2011-04-27T19:27:00.012+01:00

I thought taking the lappie away with me might mean this got done on time, but instead the updates have been sitting in the editing posts box waiting for me to download the camera, oh well!!!

The last day of our few days away, and after another stuffed to the brim breakie we sat in the car listening to the travel reports. The M1 section in to London had been shut for 4 days due to a fire under one of the arches, and with 2 big footie matches and the London Marathon it didnt look like the journey back was going to be easy.

Kelly and Ol had invited us for dinner but it wasnt until 6 so to avoid both the traffic and arriving way too early we decided to go to Woborn. We were dithering over the Abbey or the Park right up until we got to the gate of the Park, but we knew in our hearts the animals were always going to win.

We had been to the Safari Park way back in the 70's and I have to say it hasnt really changed that much. There were far fewer animals to be sure, and way more cars but it was still fun. The first section drives you through the Savana type plain where there are rhino, zebra, deer and ostritch wandering around.

I wasnt sure how they managed to keep all the animals in their own sections but they all seemed to follow the stripy orange and black jeeps carrying the rangers about so I guess they were kinda trained to it.

I did get a tad cross with the idjitt two cars up who, despite all the signs, was feeding the ostritch through the window, causing it to attack the windows of all the following cars expecting more food.

And I got really annoyed with the bloke in the car in the bear enclosure who parked and stopped everyone from moving forward, and had a lovely view of the bear himself but by the time he finally moved on, the bear had moved off leaving me with little more than his backside to take photos of.

The monkeys were good and only one baby monkey took off with a car ariel and that was the bloke's own fault as we were all clearly told to take off our ariels before entering the park, so I had no sympathy for him.

You can drive round the park as many times as you want but it had taken so long that all we really wanted was a drink and a comfort break. The part of the park where you can get out and walk round, seeing some of the smaller petting animals is now looking very tired and old, despite only being opened for 3 days this season. I felt so sorry for the poor penguins who's enclosure had obviously seen better days.

The animals are well cared for, but I suspect economics have hit the park hard.

When we got back to the car, the family of Muslims in the three cars parked in front of us were having a huge domestic. It was so funny to see all the men folk cowering behind the cars as the women tore stripes out of each other. Eventually one of the other ladies told them all to get in their cars and shut up, and then she looked across at me and mouthed an apology!!

In the end traffic was light and we had a good run down to the kids where we spent a couple of hours chatting and then a lovely meal before heading off for home.

Here is my entry for week 1 of play along with UKS scrapfactor. I didnt get picked as a winner but I did get some lovely comments, not least one on Smackblog (and it wasnt a smack!!!!)

Peg bag

2011-04-22T09:09:00.004+01:00

I finally finished my peg bag. It was inspired by one I saw in a shop for £14!

Its the first time I have tried machine applique and it was lots of fun. I hand drew the little clothes and chalked all the rest straight onto the fabric to machine sew. I dont have an embrodery machine but the button hole stitch turned out to be just about right!

The pattern was free of the net and the material was from a bundle of fat quarters half price in the hobbycraft sale. Aside from the applique bits I only used 1 fat quater for the bag and half of another to make the bias binding. The lining was an old bit of sofa cushion material.

Knebworth without the music

2011-04-19T18:39:00.007+01:00

We were both looking forward to the English Food Festival at Knebworth house, and although we turned up before the crowds, and were unindated with foodie samples, we were too stuffed full of breakie to try all the mouthwatering freebies, so we headed to the gardens to look round first.

The gardens were beautiful even though they weren't in full bloom yet.

I loved all the characters carved from old tree trunks.

The dinosaur garden was interesting too. However, my wrecked kneee, and now a sore foot (a large lump had decided to develop just below the ankle) put us off walking round the house so, slightly peckish by now we hobbled back to the food tents.

Suddenly, as if from no-where, hoards of people toting young children in buggies and dogs on leads seemed to appear. The tents were jammed packed, and the food samples dissapeared very quickly. I was run over twice by people pushing buggies (on my hurtie foot both times) and then when we sat on the grass for a coffee (the seats were all full from the coach loads of people that had now arrived) a woman in a wheelchair run straight over the same foot!!!!

So fed up with it all, we went back to the hotel. Martin took himself over to the driving range and I read my book until tea time when we took another outing, this time to the local Toby to have our roastie dinner before falling into bed.

I entered the uks Scrap factor contest before we left home, not because I wanted to win or anything, I hoped and prayed I wouldnt actually get into the full rounds, but Scrapdolly sounded so desperate to get enough people to enter, I decided to booster up the numbers. Here are some of my audition entries.

This was the hardest, a LO without a photo. In the end I found an old LO that I liked and redoing it from scratch because I never remember to save as a photoshop file, I replaced the photo with a quote.

I dont do LO's about me usually, and this is the only 'bump' picture I ever had taken. It was all pre-Demi More so 'bumps' were more for hidding than being proud of.

Just to prove I can do journaling when I try

Oxford or Cambridge

2011-04-16T09:19:00.010+01:00

Another not so great start to the day when Martin, attempting to shower in the shower-above-the-bath (I have to say our hotel is lovely but the bathrooms really let it down) slipped over and hurt his arm and leg. Still my inventory was not to be tampered with, and after a very hearty full english, we set off for ... Morrisons!!

Yes despite there being a perfectly good 24 hour Tesco garage a stone's throw from the hotel, Martin had insisted I find out via the net where the nearest Morrison petrol station was so we could tank!!

After that it was on to Cambridge. We decided to use the Park and Ride, but were astonished at the price. Unlike Canterbury where they charge per car and up to 4 passengers, here they charged per person and whats more they charged more if you paid on the bus rather than use the ticket machine, and to add insult to injury the machine didnt give out change.

Unlike our visit to Oxford, where we had a long list of places we wanted to go see, Cambridge didnt seem to have any focal points so we grabbed a free map from off a stand in the shopping centre and just wandered around,....... and then wandered some more .... and then wondered just what there was to see.

Oxford teams with little shops, huge interesting architecture, narrow alleys, and best of all, a bustling atmosphere. Cambridge just felt tired, was all bitty with no main shopping centre or high street, was a mix of mainly newish (60's and 70's) type buildings with the odd older type historic building thrown in.

Of course there are the punts down the river Cam and we spent a few entertaining moments watching a guy who was totally pants at punting attempting to take his wife up the river. This wasn't easy as she was at the front of the boat with one oar rowing in totally the opposite direction to him!

According to the guide map there are more than enough museums, so we tried the first one we found open. It wasnt very intereactive, in fact all we could see on shelf after shelf were stones and bones!

So we had a coffee in the park and listened to a busker playing some pretty cool blues numbers, and then decided to head back to the hotel. Of course only we could get sidetracked by a spot of shopping. As we searched for the Park and Ride bus stop we passed a shop selling suit cases. Ours gave up the ghost last year and we had used my scrapping tote for this holiday but that was only meant as a 1 off, so thats how we ended up dragging two large empty cases round most of Cambridge before finally finding the bus back to our car!

Back at the hotel we decided we would try out the free leisure facilities but it seemed that you had to have booked a spot early in the morning if you wanted to go swimming between 4 oclock and 7, so we lazed in our room for the rest of the afternoon before heading off across the road for a swim. Then we has a drink in the bar before off to bed as an early start was needed for our day at Knebworth in the morning.

Day at the races

2011-04-14T21:33:00.002+01:00

We are off on our hols again, all be it a short break. A couple of nights in a Spa hotel in Bedford, chosen because it wasnt too far to go on only a 4 day break and because having enjoyed the delights of Oxford a few years back we felt it only fair to do a tour of Cambridge to keep things even.

It wasnt an auspicious start this morning when, the weather turning to another cold snap, I checked to see if my coat was in the car. It was then I realised that whilst on a training course on Eco and natural activities for the Foundation Stage, in a little wooden hut in the wilds of the woods around Ashford, I must have left my coat there.

We were driving up to Newmarket, only about 30 miles from our hotel, to enjoy the first big meet of the flat racing season. With no coat, I had to wear my more scruffier looking sweat jacket, (we forgot how everyone usually boots and suits for the races) and even so I was frozen by the thrid race. We stuck it out to the 6th race ending 20p up on the afternoon, before calling it a day and heading off to Bedford, catching the rush hour on the way.

Tomorrow we are off to explore the city (and hopefully find me a very thick coat).

Allly Pally and the BSBSS

2011-04-10T12:24:00.010+01:00

Yesterday Kelly and I took ourselves off for a mother and daughter day at the Big Scrapbooking and Stamping Show at Alexandra Palace. I got to travel up on the high speed train which was fast and comfortable (and I wish they would update the rest of the rolling stock to this standard) as well as reasonably priced. I did have to park in a rather dodgy looking place in Faversham (but more on that later), as the road to the all new, all singing (and looking little different from the old) steps and subwalk to the station has now become 2 hour parking zone. A ploy I am sure to make you pay the extortionate prices in the station car park.

Anyway one starbuck latte on St Panc's station later, I had met with Kelly and we were on our way. Unlike all the other times we have been (and there have been many) it was a beautiful warm sunny day, we had our picnick and our money. We were looking forward to spending a little cash on some goodies and seeing lots of demos, so we could come home raring to go on our summer photos.

We were pleased to see they were stopping trollies from entering the hall, everyone had to leave them in the cloakroom. It was amazing the difference this made to walking round and getting in/out of the stands. Why they hadnt thought of this before I dont know, but for once there was little pushing and shoving, and most people moved aside quickly if you asked politely to be let through.

We overheard Barbara Grey of Clarity Stamps say she was demonstrating in the downstairs hall in half an hour. Now last time out both Kelly and I had bought one of the new speedball brayers, but had both had rubbish results with them, but we were both determined to get it right so were desperate for tips from the talented brayer lady herself. We rushed downstairs, and having sat through half a very boring template presentation by the create and craft lady (I'm sure she was fantastic but it wasnt our cup of tea and we hadnt really a clue what she was doing) we managed to grab two front row seats!

Barbara was brilliant. I highly recommend going to one of her demos if you can. I would love to do one of her workshops. As well as being ubber talented, she is a joy to listen to, and she gave us loads of ideas and tips, not just on how to use the brayer. And on returning home, I find I have more or less got the brayering sussed!!

I have to say that the rest of the show was somewhat of a dissapointment. There was stand after stand of Tim Holtz stuff. Although I bought 3 distress ink pads, and Kelly bought a distress stain, I really am fed up with the grunge look and after something a bit more uplifting and brighter. Not only that it seems that yesterday I was having senior moment after senior moment as I managed to grab a distress colour that I already had. An extremelly hard thing to do since I only own 6 colours!! Still it wasnt just me as Kelly picked out a shimmer stray colour we also owned (despite us only having 6 colours of those between us). My lovely friend Kate of Pickleberry Papercrafts has kindly offered to swap it for me though so not such a great disaster afterall.

Just after three we called it a day and left to come home. Again it was the high speed train (only marred by a group of young lads who, although well behaved, were rather noisy in their chatter, spoiling my concentration on my ebook. I was a tad worried about my car, but as I walked towards the corner of the road I had parked it in, I could see it was still there and looked sound enough on that side. It was only when I was close enough to draw round to the other side of it that I got a bit of a shock, as a large chicken, yes I did write chicken, was stood by the driver's door looking up at me. What's more she had two mates standing behind looking over her shoulder and making menacing chicken noises!!!!

It turned out that the three of them were escapees from the house across the road, and the owners had just that moment discovered them to be awol. All three were quickly rounded up and it was safe for me to drive home and play with my meagre haul. I bought:-

6 for £5 mister spray bottles
2 cosmic shimmer's (kelly bought 2 as well and we swapped our colours, filling the mister spray bottles
3 distress ink pads for £11 (bargin)
1 12x12 plastic storage box, these were 3 for £6 but Kez had the other two. We bought them to carry home the
£3 worth of Fancy Pants paper (double sided) at 20p a sheet
Lavinia stamps - 3 dancing fairies and the two sizes of hanging ivy.
10 reels of shiny thread for £10 which we are going to split

New/further attempts at using the brayer.

Wot I has been doing.

2011-03-30T09:20:00.007+01:00

This really boils down to not a lot.

I have been working 4 days a week for the Children's centre and with a 56 mile round trip a day this is kinda wiping me out so my day off is usually a half hearted attempt at some show of housework, and the rest of the day chilling between the telly and the computer with a little bit of pottering in the garden (a half hearted attempt at weeding) or some sewing. I have half a quilt made, the start of some applique for a peg bag, and a sewing machine cover that still needs a hem on it.

I have made 3 digital Layouts which I cant share as they are entries for the UKS Scrapfactor competition. I have no intentions of winnning, I only entered because Scrap Dolly seemed desperate to get some digi scrappers joining in, and its so long since I uploaded anything to UKS I have probably stuck them in the wrong gallery anyways. We shall see.

Today I have to go have two fillings, go to the opticians to get my 10 day old glasses straightened and if time nip in the hairdressers and get them to chop some off my hair. Mmm my hair. lLast weekend I had a go at dying in for myself, Laura usually does this for me but being in week 26 of growing her bump doesnt want to be near the chemicals. I got a couple of the new mouse type ones as Tesco had them on offer for a £5 each. One was close to my own colour (Light Brown on the label) and the other was called Hot Brown and on the labels showed beautiful rich golden brown shades. What I got was orange!! A dark but spicy orange with purple type highlights when the light shines wrong on it. Its very different and I am still not sure I go much on it, but so many people at work and at home have said it looks good, so I am sticking with it for a while and may get used to it.

I do just want to congratulate my Kelly though as she got her official results and has obtained a first in her accountancy degree. She is rightly very proud of herself and I am very proud of her!

Long time no blog post

2011-03-13T08:46:00.007Z

Things that have been happening in my life lately

Had my eyes tested, paid out over £580, and now have snazzy new glasses but more importantly can now see!
Manned up and went to the dentist, need two fillings, will have nice nashers but be too poor to eat as 'no hole' dentures come in at £280
Some unnamed git face scrapped the back of my car stripping the paint work down the metal. Car only 3 months old :(
Kelly came down and we had a lovely day crafting - I completed a double layout for one of the 2peas stamping challenges
RIP my mum's step brother Dave who passed away last week
Martin has had the week off to decorate. The front room now has new plaster, a new window ledge, a new light switch and is all freshly painted a soft Almond White colour. Just a few more bits and bobs to do to finish it off (photos will follow)
Quilt is slowly progressing but I need more fabric to ake the border.
The kids and Martin all went up to see Spurs v Milan. Martin, Wayne and Craig took nearly 4 hours to get there because a quarter mile stretch of road had been shut and they had to detour round the whole of London, but they arrived in time and enjoyed the match
We emptied, cleaned and refilled the hot tub
Seedlings in the greenhouse all died due to another cold snap.
We had all the radiators sorted, nice plumber man put new temp controlled valves on them all, replaced the shot rad in the lounge, sorted out the leak in the boiler and then flushed them all through (first time in 25 years!). We now have wonderfully warm rooms.

I think that about covers it.

Project 12

2011-02-27T12:50:00.002Z

I did this last year but only got as far as Febrary. Lets hope I get a bit further this year. I loved the first sketch though. Please excuse photo, how do you manage to photograph a double LO and get it straight??

DCWV Nana's Kitchen stack, Core denations Cream and Sugar, Free digi calendar off net, rest from stash.

Quick template

2011-02-27T09:02:00.003Z

Just a quick digi using a free template for the challenge over on 2peas.

I have used bits from digi kits all over my hard drive so please dont ask me to credit, but thank you to all the designers who helped me put this together.

Poor Kelly/stupid cars

2011-02-20T15:47:00.013Z

Yesterday Kelly and I were booked into an all-day crop at Pickleberry Crafts. Both Kate and Jane were away to Stitches and to hold hands with Sir Tim while those of us left at home got to play in the shop and workshop. Both Kelly and I were really looking forward to it, mainly because it has been so long since we have seen each other but also because Kelly and Ol have been decorating again and all her scrap stuff has been packed away again.

At 9.45, just as I was about to leave for Faversham, she texted me to say she was stuck on the M25 with a flat tyre. They were not members of the AA but Ollie was trying to get them to turn out. Dissappointed I continued to the crop expecting her to still turn up, all be it a bit late.

Poor Kelly, it was chucking it down with rain and due to Health and Safety stupidity she had to sit on the bank in freezing wet weather, waiting not for a repair guy but for the flat truck to remove her car from the motorway. Apparently it is now illegal to change a tyre on the hard shoulder. (New one on all of us!). Then she had to wait for the second AA man to turn up with the tyre changing equipment because H&S now state they can not use the equipment supplied with the car (even though it is likely to be the stuff specific to that car) because they havent had training. Strike minus 1 for common sense. Infact since the most likely cause of breakdowns on the motorway are going to be blow-outs, strike minus 2 for common sense since the flat back truck driver doesnt carry basic equipment.

Eventually at 12.20 pm Kelly phoned me to say she now had to go and buy a new tyre as the spare was not safe for speeds over 50mph or for great distances, so she would not bother coming to the crop as aside from being soaked and frozen, she was also very grumpy and fed up, and broke to boot since they had had to pay full AA membership (no using Sainsbury Staff discounts for damsels in distress) and a new tyre for the stupid foriegn car with alloy wheels.

On the bright side, I did manage to get 2 and a half layouts finished. In the end there was only one other lovely girl and the lady keeping shop for Kate at the crop so although we did chat, there werent too many distractions - well apart from all the eye candy in the shop that we had to go look at and feel every once in a while.

Creative Scrappers sketch no.142 pp October Afternoon, Websters pages decorative stripe, lace and trim from Pickleberry Papercrafts, Prima flowers, Liquid Pearls Lemon Yellow, thickers, studio g stamps, journaling spot free from Karen Grunberg

I would also like to enter this Layout for Desert Island Crafts Srap challenge #2 as I used only 1 pattern paper (it was double sided so I cut the border in the middle from the same paper, the colour red, and sparkle in the liquid pearls.

Creative Scrappers sketch no 143
More October Afternoon, Jenny Bolin Butterfly, Lace from Pickleberry Papercrafts, Cosmic Shimmer mist

Again I would also like to enter this for Desert Island Crafts Srap challenge #2 My three things being; Movie or Book Inspired, Button, sparkle (both on the butterfly and the shimmer mist).

Just after Kelly phoned Louise who was holding the fort went out for a quick fag, the phone went and the answer phone picked up so we could all hear the lady on the other end. She left us in fits of giggles as she told us she was from Sittingbourne, all her family had gone away to Scotland, she had to go out to buy dogfood and she just wanted to know if the shop was open. If it was shut could someone ring her and say so. If not she was coming over for a visit!

The lady in question arrived at ten to two, with her poor husband in tow, talked the hind legs off a donkey, told her other half in no uncertain terms to go sit in the car and read his paper, and finally (after the poor guy had dragged her out the shop twice) left at twenty to four!!!

Martin was on a late shift so when I got home I got to complete two of the layouts I had started and play with my new Woodware fingerguard trimmer. Then I watched another of my Lovefilm dvd's - our aim is to get through as many films as we can during the free trial period, and then was pleasantly surprised by late guests when Laura and Wayne turned up at just after 9.

A mixed start to my week off for half term.

Fading away.....

2011-02-13T10:50:00.009Z

Far from keeping up my blog this year it looks like it is slowly fading away .......

OK well lets get that put right with a really long and boring post!!

Firstly things I am not doing - I have given up with The Joy Of Love photos since none of my loved ones are ever about or willing to co-operate, but mainly because some of the suggestions simply were not things I wanted to take photos of (sorry KW).

Things I have done - I have read the class notes for the new free Big Picture class, Embrass perfection. Its all about how not to get hung up and slowed down in your scrap booking due to the need for perfection. Since this is not something I have ever worried about, knowing full well that no matter how hard I might try, nothing I ever stick down is ever going to end up straight, I am actually quite enjoying the fact that hopefully by the end of it, I will be the norm and not the acception! I love Karen's style and hopefully next week we will get some actual LO workshops too.

I have bought a new ATG gun (mine fell off the table and the hinges on the casing snapped) and spray painted it!! Not pink, like everyone else. I nearly did but then as I stood in B&Q about to pick up my purchase I suddenly thought why not choose the colour I want and not what is expected. Hence the lovely turquise!! There are a couple of places where the masking wasnt as good as it should have been and some of the glue from the masking tape still needs cleaning off properly but I am very pleased with the results. I may still add some personalised bling though.

I am now sharing my craft room with lots of up and coming veggie plants as the seeds I planted last week indoors to make a head start on the growing season germinated in a mater of mear days! I chose to ignore the bit that said keep them in the dark though and some of them are a bit leggy but I have shut the curtains now and hope they will be ok.

I have had a couple of trips to Hobbycraft to mop up what might be left in the sale. Yesterday I bought a decal for my lappie. Thanks to ebay Lappie is also happy with the new docking station and is no longer running as hot as it was when flat on the craft table. I am still waiting for a set of stickers to tart up the keys as the letters are all but gone now.

Things I have still to finish - I have now crocheted two sleeves and the bottom cable of my jacket. WOW a really big achievement for me. I am half way through making a Tilda Angel for the bathroom. I had to stop to go buy some felt to make the dressing gown but that is now cut out and half embroidered, watch this space. Things I am going to do - I have bought some more felt (well it was all on offer) to hopefully cover my new American Crafts albums. No idea how I am going to do it yet, so still in the planning stage. And finally things that are happening - Laura and Wayne have bought another plot to start their third self-build. So another round of painting and furniture moving to look forward to again.

On into February

2011-02-02T13:03:00.011Z

There hasnt really been much to blog about - one of the reasons I hate January and February so much. Although I am quite happy at home hibernating and can find plenty to do to fill the time, it really isnt exciting and these two months do tend to drag on. And there is very little of interest to put on a blog entry.

We have been to the Pantomime though, as we did last year we went to the little Playhouse theatre in Whitstable to see the usual crew, or so we thought. Wayne was so impressed last year that he even dragged his parents along. Sadly lots of the old (and I mean old) favourite actors had retired this year and the scrip writters had taken the opportunity with the new blood to attempt a more polished, more musical approach which, while the girls and boys delivered it wonderfully with some great singing and acting, just didnt really hit the right spots with the small local audience. In jokes about our town gave way to more topical political jokes, the Dame was given a Gok makeover into more modern '80's style clothes, the villians couldnt make up their minds if they were meant to be comical or not, and most of the songs came straight out of the more recent pop charts meaning that they were over the head of the majority of people in the auditorium since the demographic average age was probably in the 45-65 bracket.

Other than that and joining Lovefilm and renting a film a night (trying to see as many as we can on our free trial month) life has been jogging along with work and housework. I have a few projects on the go, but none are finished so I have nothing to share.I have started to crochet (with my new set of crochet hooks) a cardigan for the summer, so far I have finished two sleeves that may have to be redone as they seem a bit short to me, and the start of the body of the garment. I am attempting to sort all my finished Layouts into chronological order and have ordered my first D ring album to help with the task. I have bought a latch hook kit in the Hobbycraft sale and have done a few rows, I have at least 2 sewing projects on the go,l and am still searching for some fabric to make a quilt for our room.

As well as all that I have joined the Joy of Love challenge which is a photo challenge to take a photo a day of someone you love.

The day 1 task was DOING. I toook loads last night of the cat asleep on the bedroom floor last night but the light was dismall (oh the wonder of energy saving lightbulbs) and an orange cat on a beige carpet doesnt really work in a colourful world. So this is him doing his second fav thing, looking out the window and was taken today. Trouble is now I have upset all the settings on my camera and the light is a bit blown out.

Today's topic was HOW THEY LOOK. Actually this is a bit wrong as it is Martin watching the telly but when he does this usually he is asleep and snoring!! This has had a few tweaks in photoshop as I still need to get the camera settings set correctly.

Headache

2011-01-18T18:07:00.007Z

Having spent all day Sunday sewing under a very bright table lamp (since the light in my sewing machine had blown) it was hardly supprising that the migraine I had supported all of Saturday returned on Monday. Another day not only in bed sleeping but also throwing up too, so no crafty stuff at the beginning of the week. I have lots of stuff planned though, I want to make a few Tilda angels and ducks for the bathroom before starting on a quilt for the bedroom, and I have found a super pattern for a crochet cardi that I am trying to find reasonably priced yarn for, alongside a storage case for all my crochet hooks.
I have managed to finish the little book in a tin album I started with the kit Martin put in my stocking.

On Wednesday, with our share savers payout burning a hole in our bank account we spent the day at Bluewater's shopping centre intending to treat ourselves to something nice. Unfortunaltly we just couldnt think of anything we needed or really wanted with a burning desire. We wandered around a bit, had lunch in TGI Friday, wandered around a bit more, bought Martin a jumper, wandered, bought Mart another jumper (and only because the kids had accused him of wearing the same jumper the whole time) and then had all but given up when, in a desperate single bid to save the economy with the purchase of a new sewing machine bulb, we were nabbed by the guy demo'ing the nexpresso coffee making machines. Well yes of course we were hooked, but I have to say it is a great machine and we are enjoying full fat home made lattes left right and centre.
Then we took advantage, for the first time ever, of Orange Wednesday and went to see The King's Speech. We really enjoyed it and yes it definately is worth all the hype.

So that didnt work out so well

2011-01-09T14:29:00.007Z

I may have been determined when I posted last but things have a habit of turning out differently dont they?

The sewing machine issue kinda resolved itself. So fed up with surfing the net for a new machine, I finally told Martin to take the old one down and get it repaired, at least until I could get my mitts on a new one. While I was at work he decided he would have a look at it, and after he changed the fuse it decided to power up.

Now dont get me wrong and think 'silly little woman didnt think of that did she?' Err yes I did, I had already changed the fuse and it hadnt worked. Obviously the fuse I changed it to must also have been dead, as I had tried it from an old plug, not knowing where Martin had stashed all the new fuses. Mind it still needs a new bulb, it was probably that blowing that blew the fuse.

Anyway whatever, at least I got some sewing done, and as my fabric had turned up from ebay I was able to make a couple of little 'boxes' for the bathroom following Tone Finnanger's pattern in Sew Pretty Homestyle.

I am quiet proud of them really as I had to combine two patterns to get the look I wanted and it took quite a bit of brain power to work it out.

They are to match the bathroom curtains which I am even more proud of as I had nothing more to go on than a picture off the web.

I had hoped to get some scrapping done too, and have all the photos printed out ready, but sadly a migraine laid me low yesterday, a proper one with tunnel vision and everything, so I spent most of the day asleep. Today Martin has gone with Ollie and Kelly to watch Tottenham v Charlton, which has allowed me the chance to sew away to my hearts content and maybe do a bit of scrapping later tonight.

Still determinded

2011-01-06T19:55:00.011Z

These are not new years resolutions because I don't do those - and I am so fed up of finding Craft challenges that all start with words to that effect, but that is a whole new different moan which I wont bore everyone with here!.

No I am just determined that I will keep updating my blog more often than I have been because if I don't the only one missing out of recording what I have been up to is me, because my memory is not all it used to be.

I am determined to keep up to date with my birthday cards. My mum's birthday is in a few days time, I hope she isnt looking as I want to put this one up for a couple of challenges which end today.

One of the Challenges was for Just Magnolia but I didnt realise they had to be uploaded by 8.00pm. Just as well really then because although its a lovely Tilda, my mum isnt into stamps with no mouths and I had to draw in a smile, so maybe it wouldnt have counted anyway.

The second challenge is for this weeks Sketch Saturday - a difficult sketch which kind of threw me until I thought that maybe it could look like an envelope and then it easily matched the stamp and the idea of lots of birthday cards in the post.

The final place I want to enter this card is for Stamp Something where this week the challenge was to use plenty of glitter, and this card certainly has plenty of that, the paper is from a DCWV 'with glitter' stack Nana's Kitchen but as if it wasnt enough to use background papers encrusted with bling I have also filled all the little triangles in the circular mat with blue pee-wee glitter, and the fronds on the flowers have a dusting of glimmer dust. I dont think it is picked up in the photo, as the evening light in my scraproom is really really bad - another moan I am not going into on here.

Other bits used - Penny Duncan Nestie svg file cut on cricut: roses made from a file from Dan and again cut on the cricut; ribbon I think is American crafts and the sentiment is Stamping Up!

I am determined to keep scrapping - and to that effect I have nearly finished the little book-in-a-tin kit that Martin bought me for Christmas

I am determined that I will keep on sewing - and I did start a new project. I bought some lovely fabric in the Hobbycraft sale, found the online pattern I had saved, and started to make my sewing machine a beautiful and pretty new cover. Only a third of the way through though my sewing machine (which is about 10 years old now, and in my mind very young for a sewing machine) gave up the ghost. No idea what is wrong with it, it just wont power up. Its not worth getting repaired, it only cost £99 all those years ago, and since the last service (shamefully about 5 years ago) cost me £30 I am guessing it will cost more to repair than its face value.

Bottom line, I determined to buy a shiny new machine. I was bought up with a Singer Treadle, and I know Singer machines are built to last. I was talked into buying a Janome but have never been all that happy with it, the guy in the shop told me Singer had been taken over by Janome but I know now he told me blatant lies. After a bit of research I discovered the Singer Confident range, affordable computerised embroidery machines and in my price range. I liked what I saw, and set out to buy one. Err ... who pinched all the sewing machine shops? Where the heck do you buy a Singer sewing machine nowadays? I don't really want to buy online without a test drive, but there are only about 10 shops in the whole of Kent with the authority to sell Singers now, and of the few holding stock only 2 have the one I want and neither of those are withing a 40 mile radius of where I live. In fact the nearest I can find is over 70 miles away!!

Still determined I ventured online, Coopers being the company I remembered as being good, until I discovered tell of the Trading Standards watching them closely for poor service. Oh dear! Then I found that they also have several web sites under different names. Loosing faith, I stopped there, flummoxed because how could I tell which web sites were good and which not? I have not given up though, I am not going to settle for a machine I don't like and I am going to keep on looking for the one I want. Watch this space as I have a ton of fabric on order from ebay, and I definitely am not hand sewing it all!!

Sad

2011-01-03T19:21:00.003Z

I hate January and February! I cant get into all these new starts and fresh beginnings, I dont do resolutions and really cant find much to look forward to in the next two months. I think its probably a bit of S.A.D. as I wont really be happy until March when I can get back out into my greenhouse and start planning for the new veggie patch.

And I have to go back to work tomorrow :(

Worst still, today I went out to Westward Cross and the Hobbycraft Sale where I bought 3 adventure games for the PC, a new book on crochet (Chicks with Sticks Crochet book, which seems really good) some fabric to make a cover for my sewing machine, and I ordered some more fabric to have a go at some of the projects in the book Santa bought me, Sew Pretty Homestyle bt Tone Finnanger. Now I have plenty to play with, including all the new scrappy stash I got for Christmas, and no time to play :( Boo Hoo!!

My baby Kelly will be feeling much the same as after a day clothes shopping in the sales with me, she went down with flu and has been in bed eversince. She starts her brand new job tomorrow and will be coughing over all her new comrades, so good luck Kez! And so sad you didnt get to play with all your new stash toys either while you were off.

To try and cheer myself up a bit, I am keeping an eye on a few challenges, the links are in the side bar. There doesnt seem to be that many about this year, but I will make another attempt at Project 12 this year (failed abismally last year) and want to have a go at the A-Z of photography.

The A-Z of photography is a follow up to the UKScrappers challenge, 52 Walks with my Camera (I did about 7 last year) but they are doing rather random words for each letter. I want my photos to reflect more on my family and family life so I have compiled my own list which is a bit more personal and am hoping that once a fortnight I will be able to take a photo or two to cover each letter.

Watch this space

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T09:16:00.004Z

I have been a little lax of late in keeping up my blog, but I am going to try really hard to do better this year. So to start off on the first morning of the first day of 2011 let me first wish everyone a

Happy New Year

Then I want to share some fantastic news that I have been sitting on for 8 long weeks and one of the reasons I havnt been blogging that much, scared I may let the cat out of the bag.

Martin and I are going to be grandparents !!!!

Laura and Wayne are expecting their first baby on July 11th!!!

They didnt want to tell the public until the scan and the first trimester was pasted, but yesterday the scan showed everything going well so its time to tell the world!!!

We saw the New Year in last night, in their company as the Golf Club abandoned their usual posh black-tie-charge-you-a-month's-morgage-repayment-for-ticket dinner and dance in the marquee for a more quieter and cheaper smart/casual buffet and dance in the clubhouse.

I say buffet because soon after the tickets went on sale, they changed it to rice, chilli or vegetarian curry with chips and nuggets for the kids. Then they discouraged all the kids from coming and took the nuggets off the menu, leaving me with little choice than cheese salad as I dont do spices.

Since the dance floor area took up so much space in the bar, they put all the chairs and tables in the snug and trophy room, meaning no one could see the dance floor so no one got up and danced. Still Wayne, who is looking for a new sport since giving up cricket, got to see inside the clubhouse, meet a few members and we all had a pleasant chat and quiet drink together.

Santa's gifts

2010-12-27T09:11:00.004Z

I shall wear midnight byTerry Pratchett- Martin
Crochet Hooks -Kelly and Ollie
Embossing kit - Kelly and Ollie
The Family Calendar - Laura and Wayne
2 kindle covers - Lara and wayne
Body shop stuff - laura and wayne
Sew Pretty homestyle Tone Ginnager - mum and dad
Slippers - Mum and dad
Stocking of craft goodies - Martin
Liquid Pearls - Martin

In the blink of an eye

2010-12-20T17:52:00.002Z

Friday Martin and I braved the snow - yes, although it had all thawed near us, Dover, Deal and Folkestone had had it fairly badly) - to go to my work's dinner and dance. It was held at the Pavilion at Folkestone. The roads were a bit hairy but we got there in plenty of time. We had rushed around as we had been told they were dishing up at 7:15. We didnt actually get served our first course until 8:20.

I had been looking forward to it, the people I work with are all so friendly and fun, but to be honest I was a tad disappointed. The food was rather bland and servings were not that plentyful, plus it still took until just before 10 to get all three courses. I had thought it would be just our party but our group was one of many and we were split over 5 tables. Although the music from the disco was a good mix of dance stuff, the floor was so tiny compared to the amount of tables that it was way to squishy to get onto and dance.

By 10.30 both Martin and I called it a day and came home.

With only two more presents to buy for Christmas, I headed into Canterbury to hit the shops. Heavy snowfall had been predicted but when I left home the skies were clear and temperatures didnt seem that low. I had just completed my final purchase when it started to snow lightly. I paused to stroke the real live reindeer outside BHS and take a few photos of them and santa, then I hotfooted it back to the car. Now I admit that I had left the car a fair walk from the town centre, it took me about 2o mins to get back to the car from the time the snow first started to fall, but by the time I put the key in the door there was at least 3" of snow on the roof. I have never seen snow come down so thick and fast. It wasnt a blizzard, it was still falling softly but the flakes were so large and there were just so many of them.

It took me about ten mins to actually get out of the car park ... everyone and his wife, plus kids, grandparents and jonnie foreigner must have been doing their last minute shopping for Christmas and they all decided to leave the city at the same time!!! Within half an hour of getting in my car and starting the engine, Canterbury was totally gridlocked. I got stuck in one jam trying to get up the hill behind the university, turned round and got stuck in another jam trying to get up the same hill on the road infront of the university. I was getting a bit panicky now as the roads were so deep with snow, the thought of trying to get up any hill out of the town was scaring me to death. Luckily just at that point Laura phoned, followed rapidly by Martin and they both persuaded me to go in the opposite direction to Morrison's where Martin was working, and to wait for him to take me home. It took me an hour to travel the short mile but that was nothing to the horror stories told over the kiosk counter the rest of the afternoon. I sat there for 8 hours as people told us of what was happening outside. Every route in and out of Canterbury had either an overturned bus or a jack-knifed lorry stuck on it, blocking escape.

At 11 pm we left my car in the car wash for safety and decided to attempt the A2. Nothing had been gritted and no snowplough had done any snowshifting, the roads were pretty scary but we managed it home in 40 mins. Apart from one really stupid articulate lorry passing us at 50mph on a snow covered road, there were no incidents and we were really happy to see our front door. I suspect our poor hungry cat was too!

Christmas is coming, a new car, a night out

2010-12-12T16:34:00.006Z

It just kept on coming down, that 'orrid but festive white stuff, and soon we were all snowed in - Kelly had over 12" and then some. I stayed off work Thursday and Friday as I had little hope of getting to Dover, and most of the schools and nurseries were shut anyway.

That was after we had been out on Wednesday and ordered a new Hyundai i10 for moir.

As I blogged earlier, I had not been happy with either the deal or the new style KA that Ford were offering, but the time had come to make the decision on whether to change cars or pay out to keep the KA on the road - it was a bit of a no brainer really as the KA needed an MOT, tax (at the hight rate) a full service, two new tyres, and the brake system sorting out as it was leaking brake fluid. Buying a new car knocked all of that on the head, and now puts me on the £30 a year tax level. We even save £2 a month on the finance deal!!

I picked it up this week, its all very wizzy and I love the 5 doors - these are standard, they dont do a 3 door model - and the aircon also comes standard (great in all this freezing weather).

So now I can concentrate on the job of getting ready for Christmas. Most of my pressies are on their way from Amazon (how ever did we manage before?), we did the bulk of the foodie shopping last wednesday, and I have spent the weekend putting up the decorations. We still have to buy a real tree - sorry, it just isnt Christmas without a real tree, and then apart from wrapping and cooking, all thats left is to write and send the Christmas cards. That job is the only bit of Christmas, and is not helped this year since I cant find the file on the pc holding my card list. Oh well.

Last night was a special treat as Jan and Trev managed to get time off from caring for Jo and to come out with us for the evening. They had arranged to collect us as half seven, but no mention of eating out, so Martin had just loaded the microwave, grill and halogen oven with the makings of egg, bacon, toms and chips, when I got a text from Jan asking if we wanted to eat out. Luckily the cooking hadnt actually started and it was easy to put it all back in the fridge.

Now I have this little dream of sitting in a lovely victorian county pub - the type with nooks and beams and tiny mullianed windows, by a huge inglenook log fire, by the light flickering from hundreds of candles glinting off sparkly baubles because the pub has been decorated to the hilt! Of course it never happpens, and this year was no exception. I even got to choose the pub, a lovely country type pub on the outskirts of Canterbury. We called in there last year whilst doing our Christmas shopping, and had a lush meal complete with mulled wine!

Sadly this year, like most other places, there seemed only the token decorations, a small tree by the door, a plastic santa stood beside it, and that was it. The log fire was there, and so were the mullion windows but that was it. Mind the meal made up for it, the waiter was very funny and the company made up for it. But the dream is still waiting to be fullfilled.

White out

2010-12-01T08:35:00.007Z

Another of the cards completed at the workshop with Jennie. A wooden Tim Holtz angel was coverind in a 3D medium (cant recall what it is called but will look it up) and then stamped on. When it dried a metallic wax was used to colour it. The angel sits in an envelope which has been stamped, distressed and embellished

Seems the year is closing as it started, surprisingly early the country is yet again covered in a blanket of cold white snow - yes my pet hate. I have just been back-reading my blog to see when we suffered from the last downfall, and it was January, although up north I think a few people had their fair share just after christmas. It seems this year we have had more snow than sun.

Councils do seem to have done a much better job of keeping the country running though, and many of the roads were gritted or salted and I saw snow ploughs out in force. Driving all the way to Dover was still horrendous though, more due to overcareful drivers crawling along perfectly drivable, ploughed and gritted roads at a top max speed of 15 mph. This in fact far from keeping us all safer made driving much more hazardous, as those piling up behind had to suddenly brake and then continue to apply brakes to stop from sliding into these fools. I learnt to drive in the snow so know that slow speeds can be even more dangerous than driving with care, attention and the knowledge of what to do to avoid skids and slides.

Still a 50 min journey along major roads still took nearly 2 hours and meant I finally arrived at work 10 mins after my parent workshop should have started. As luck(?) would have it, many of those booked on the course were ill and unable to attend, but it was still great fun, and I got paid good money to chat with some great people, craft away merrily while sharing stories (the whole point of the workshop) munch mince pies and drink hot chocolate.

I was glad we went up to see Kelly and Ollie on Saturday before the snow settled. Apparently they have had over 9 inches since we left after having a lovely lunch and watching the footie with them. Kelly is celebrating getting a new job with way more prospects while Ollie was just happy to NOT be decorating the bathroom especially since the plumber is having so many probles over it (see Kelly's blog) but what has been done so far looked good, and I love her new bathroom tiles.

Laura and Wayne also managed to call in to ours before the snow arrived, Laura is looking very tired which is to be expected as the autumn term revs up for christmas - who'd be a teacher eh? Its a good job both Laura and I get so excited about the season, and we chatted happily about our plans, and our christmas lists.

I am still slowly making christmas cards, I am trying to come up with some ideas for cards that are light weight but still show off some degree of handmade care to send to my relies in far flung countries. I have discovered something I like on The clipart fairy's blog but am still playing with it. In the meantime here are a few more other cards I have made.

playing with my new music stamp for the background, a cuttlebug embossing folder, some more masking to make the holy and a really old Hero arts stamp for the sentiment. All coloured by sponging with Distress Inks.

Another old stamp, not sure of the make but think it might also be HA, this time used metalic paints to colour in, masked off to stamp the swirls behind.

A christmas card or two

2010-11-24T19:31:00.003Z

These are from the class I went to a few weeks back. The first used a masking technique and then acrylic paint on stamps to make the background lovely and textured

This was embossing on metal tape and then using alcohol inks and stazon to get the paint effect

More of the embossing on metal technique

sniff sputter * cough* groan

2010-11-23T19:02:00.003Z

Yep, its winter cold time again! One of the dangers of working with small children is that I always seem to get a really bad cold around this time of year. This one seems to be worse than most, having laid me low since last Thursday and resulting in 2 days off work.

So I apologise if I have missed any birthdays, forgot to send any gifts or RAKs out or just not done any of the many things I should have done. Including keeping my blog up to date.

A quick list of things that blog land has missed:-

We have half decorated the bathroom. New taps, industrial cleaner on anything with limescale on it, regrouted and resealed, all new fittings, lots of painting, and new flooring. It is starting to look really great with only a final push when I am fit again to get it looking fab.

I did my first parent workshop for Surestart. It went really well and I had a reasonably good turn out. Its great to get the first one under my belt and I am now looking forward to my Christmas Story Sack one.

We went to see Harry Potter final book part 1 and apart from feeling like death warmed up, I really enjoyed it. Martin was working late so couldnt come, I will be forced into going a second time.

Sady the lady that worked in the garage with Martin passed away at the beginning of last week. It was really sad, she had suffered from a brain tumour but was responding to treatment so it came as a shock to hear of her death. Martin has to go to the funeral to represent Morrisons - he would have gone anyway though as she was a really lovely lady, and we feel for her family. RIP

As soon as I can find the lead to my camera I will upload my latest batch of christmas cards, not that I have made any since the workshop but it would be nice to share.

Off for more lemsip xx

Birthday week

2010-11-07T16:41:00.003Z

Its been a great week all round really. I was asked to work an extra day which now means I have money coming in for four days a week guaranteed until next March which is good news on the cash flow front, and has allowed me to have a tiny bit of a splash out. Maybe not so great for the housework or my energy levels but we shall see.

Its a good job there is a bit of spending money going as I have been to Kate's at Pickleberry Papercrafts twice in the past 8 days. Last week it was a free demo day which allowed me the chance to sit down with Jane and have a good old chin wag while she showed me tons of techniques to use with my zipemat (ok it was really to promote the Big Shot and sizzix stuff but since my zipe is still going strong, why throw out the baby with the bath water?) I ended up buying a couple of stamps with strong intentions to buy more on my next visit.

It is not like me to buy so much stash in one month and having already spent up at Ally Pally and then at The Range, I really should have stopped, but then we were back again this Saturday for a Christmas Cards with a Twist workshop run by the lovely Jenny. We got to play with lots of ranger products, learnt heaps and heaps, laughed lots and where present at the very moment Rosemary discovered she was to have a new addition to her family circle in the form of a small baby!! Congratulations my friend.

Jenny's teaching style is very unique and fast and furious but lots of fun. I only managed to get one card completely finished but bought home all the stuff to finish 5 others so it was a brilliant day and well worth the time and money. Of course it would have been rude not to at least browse in the shop and although I didnt spend that much still came out armed with more christmas stamps and a couple of new embossing folders.

Still my excuse is that it was my birthday on Friday. I had a fabulous day. The ladies I work for are all so lovely and friendly. When they found out it was my special day, they managed to pull a birthday card out of the bag at really short notice, and there were even danish pastries bought for a working breakfast. I made cake to share in the main office, and little rice crispie cakes for the three nurseries I was visiting on Friday. I had hoped to get back to the office to share the cake with the girls but I got held up, decided it was too late to return and so got a phone call half way home asking if it was ok to go ahead and eat the cake. How thoughtful?

Mostly the family gave me money so I can go on a few more spending sprees - my wish list is getting quite long. But Martin treated me to a new Kindle and I have been all weekend downloading free books onto it.

I have also cut out and nearly finished a skirt with material for two more to do, we are starting decorating the bathroom tomorrow, and I also have plans for a patchwork quilt for the spare room. With Christmas just over the horizon I am not going to be short of something to keep me occupied on my one day off a week now.

Photos of cards made at workshop to follow, photos of fireworks after my birthday tea with the kids on Kelly's blog.

More!!

2010-10-29T17:15:00.008+01:00

Christmas cards that is.

I discovered while on my marathon non-clothes buying trip that half the Docklands outlet centre has been ripped out (including the food hall and I was desperate for a drink) to be replaced by The Range, so I had a little cheer up in the craft section since I couldnt buy anything else. I loved this stamp when it was on the shelf, its a Papermania one, but I was dissappointed that it wasnt as clear when stamped as it was in the picture. Still a nice santa though and I love the paper from the Noel paper stack by Dovecraft so I decided to use it to make a card for the colour challenge on The Ribbon Girl's blog which is to use the colours red and green.

Jenny Mcguire has started (4 weeks ago) a free course of stamping techniques for christmas cards on the 2 Peas site, with a small comp each week for anyone uploading their own card using the techniques. This is a really really bad photo as it is over exposed and the blue is much darker and softer than this shows. The background is a SU! stamp but enhanced with a few more snow drops which have been embossed with white. No idea what the snowman stamp is, but he too has been coloured using embossing powders.

A free digi image from Jennifer, two SU! stamps for the background and lots of distress inking for this one.

This weeks technique is all about paint so dug out my acylics to make the backgound tiles, then some art institute glue and glitter to pop the snowflakes. The background paper, sentiment and bird are all from some free papers in a really really old copy of Creative Cardmaking mag.

Half term wearing me out!

2010-10-27T17:36:00.002+01:00

This week is half term, and it started well when, on Friday we all took Dad out to celebrate his 80th birthday. Kelly, Ollie, Wayne, Laura, Martin and I took him and mum for a meal at the Rose in Bloom, a pub none of us had been in for years. We had scoured the 'net for menu's of local eating houses, and decided this one looked a likely menu for someone with no nashers (LOL) and were lucky enough to strike gold. It was a delish meal although service was a little slow, hampered only by the fact that after a hard week at work all of us were falling asleep at the table.

It wasn't Dad's birthday until Sunday but Laura and Wayne were flying off to Turkey for the week so it was the only day we could all get together. I was left to take his presents over the next day, Kelly, Ollie and Martin and I had bought him a garden bench and cushion between us. I think he is quite pleased with it, but it is packed in a box and he is going to have to put it together himself.

Half term is meant to be a time to rest and recharge your batteries. Unfortunately it also co-insides with the time for buying a winter wardrobe. Years of buying cheap clothes has left me with literally nothing that fits, isn't full of holes, or covered in glue/paint from teaching small ones, so the miserable job of going out to replace everything started on Sunday. I had already half heartedly been to all my usual haunts and had not found much (one top and two pairs of trousers was not getting me through the week) so Kelly recommended I try Sainsbury. Our nearest branch selling clothes is over 25 miles away but undaunted off I set. 3 hours later, having spent much time looking in Sainsbury, BHS, and a few smaller outlets, I returned with one skirt and top. Not good.

Yesterday I travelled to Medway, another 60 mile round trip. I left home at half nine and got back in the door at half six. In that time I had walked several times up and down the high street, the pentagon shopping center and the docks outlet centre. I came home with not much more than three tops and 2 skirts.

I returned home in a rant. What was it with clothes designers? We had gone through the late 60's and then the 80's wearing stirrup pants, and leggings. On both occasions, after the fad had died a death, designers and fashionisters all said they are the worst and most unflattering garments ever and what could possess women to wear them? Well I can answer that one. If there simply isn't anything else to buy what choice is there? I KNOW leggings and a baggie unshapely top is not a good look o n a very short, overweight middle aged woman. Heck its not even a good look on a tall skinny youngster, but no-where, and believe me I have looked, I even ventured into M&S, a place I hate, but no-where was selling anything but!!!

Give Primark their due, I had found a few items I actually liked and thought might suit me, trouble was either all the fat people must have got there before me or Primark were only expecting extremly starved skinny people to shop in their store. I have never seen so many size 8's and 10's in a store. Every style had at least 10 size 8's available. If you were really lucky there were some size 14's (sorry tough if you are a 12 as there were none of those in the whole of a very large shop) and if you were luckier still there might be 1 of a style in a 16, 18 or 20 (never all three sizes).

So today, still with not enough clothes to make up more than three full outfits, I tried again in Canterbury, but this time I was going to concentrate on buying patterns and fabric to make some stuff for myself. Trouble was my poor legs, having been on a constant clothes shopping marathon for three days were having none of it. Not that the fabric shop had much in the way of fabric, it being full of halloween costume making stuff or christmas fabric, so after 2 hours and managing to buy 2 pairs of jeans that were not jeggins I had to give up and come home.

So please fashion designers could you just take a second to think next time you believe leggings to be a fantastic fashion idea. And clothes manufactures could you please leave a small part of your factory workers making normal clothes for normal people and shop keepers, could you please hide some of the large size clothes out the back for us fatties not so fast on their feet to buy? 'Cos I am pretty sure I am not going to be the only vertically challenged, overweight, over 50 year old walking round naked this winter!!

Birthday card for a man

2010-10-23T14:22:00.007+01:00

I am just loving the LOTV stamps atm. This is the card I have made for my dad who is 80 years young tomorrow .. hope he is not peeking LOL.

Its kind of appropriate as his name is Edward but he has always been 'Ted' so this is 'Ted in his shed' which is where he spends much of his days anyway.

I cut the 'nestie' shapes on my cricut using downloads from Penny Duncan's blog, then used promarkers to colour in the LOTV stamp - I think I am getting the hang of using them a bit now.

The vines are cut on the cricut and then combined with some fern leaves cut from a woodware punch. I sprayed the whole lot with silver glimmer mist but didnt think that was enough bling, so covered them with gold glamour dust while they were still wet. It says on the dust's instructions that its ideal for doing this, but not much of the glitter stayed on when the leaves were dried.

American Arts ribbon, number stickers from a very very old Kay and Co alphabet sheet, sentiment Kirsten font, tag cut on cricut.

Happy birthday dad! xx

Colour change

2010-10-17T14:59:00.006+01:00

Chance to win

2010-10-11T12:19:00.003+01:00

some fantastic blog candy. Click here for the chance to win .

A few more cards

2010-10-02T13:52:00.012+01:00

I have been so busy making cards that I havent had the time to take photos and upload them. Please excuse the quality of the pics, the light in my new craft room is appauling and will have to be sorted out as soon as I have fixed my Billy Bookcase.

Yes the poor thing isnt really made for books. At least that is the conclusion I have come to, since within only a week of putting all my children's picture books and teaching books on it, the sides bowed and the shelves collapsed. Martin has fixed it with some screws and I have lightened its load so it no longer looks quite so elegant but at least it is able to do its job.

Determined to get this brayer lark sussed I have continued to try. I am getting better but far from perfect. These were all done with stamscape stamps. I started buying these stamps the very first time I visited Ally Pally back in the days, but could never get the hang of brayering onto glossy paper. I never even thought of using ordinary cardstock until I saw the demos this year Duh!

And finally a half decent one using the Babara Gray stamp and following her demo at Ally Pally (still cant get the snow flakes to work with the embossing pen like she did though). Home made ala Sir Tim roses covered in glamour dust.

This year the rage is Lili of the Valley stamps and who am I to buck a trend. Bev Rochester has been my inspiration and lots of the ideas on these have been scraplifted from her (thanks Bev, you are my card making hero).

And finally for this blog entry, this is a digi stamp image from Just Inklined. I dug out my cuttlebug embossing folders and made a heap more of those Tim Holtz stamps. Oh and a mention for Penny Duncan who has a wonderful collection of shaplies svg files (much like nesties) with some brilliant tuts which have helped me get to grips with matting my images.

Inspired by ...

2010-09-30T17:07:00.003+01:00

A few of the cards I have made inspired mainly by the Lili of the Valley card stall at Ally Pally.

Ally Pally

2010-09-29T15:24:00.012+01:00

Today I am suffering from a poorly back so I have spent most of the day (aside from the hour spent at Laura's because the bt engineer was there) in my craft room. My new craft room, as most of the stuff has now been moved into the larger back room giving me much more space to create a mess in..

I have mainly been experiementing with new goodies bought at this autumn's Big Stamp and Scrapbook show at Ally Pally on Sunday. Now that Kelly has finished her degree she can now once again join me in our shared scrapping/crafting enthusiasum so we went together, where we spent far too much money but had a terrific day.

Lots of people have complained about the crowds and rude people getting in the way, but we saw none of that. After driving to Gillingham because of engineering works, I met Kelly at Victoria from where we tubed, trained and bussed over to the Palace, arriving just after doors opening time. Even stopping for a cake (thankyou Kez, yummy!) and cup of tea we were still ahead of the crowds, and started our methodic work around the exhibition hall from the back on the left, working from left to right and back again down the room. We had lists of things we wanted clutched in our hands but failing to find most of what was on them, and stopping to watch demo's of techniques on our way, we soon had a whole trench of additional things on our wish lists.

Being out the loop for at least 4 years, Kelly was amazed at all the new products available now, and needed to watch all the demonstrations to see what she had been missing over the time of her studys. We broke for our picnic lunch and then returned to start at the front and make our way back to the middle of the hall. Still we did not meet many crowded parts of the hall, only in the last hour did we find we were often bottlenecked into stalls.

Finally tired yet happy we came away with lots of new goodies. We both loved the glimmer mists and were overjoyed to find a man selling empty spray bottles 6 for £5. We bought 2 shades of the mists each and before going home Kelly decanted some from each bottle into our spray bottles so that we could share colours. Kelly being Kelly managed to spill it all over her fingers though.

We spent a good bit of time, and money on the stall selling masks, especially when the lady demonstrated that they could be used for dry embossing as well. (Of course now Kelly's next must have is a cuttlebug, while it is yet another reason for me not to give up on my zip-e-mate)

My first attempts at using the glimmers wasnt that wonderful as it managed to bleed under the mask, but it does give a brilliant effect all the same.

Our fav stall was the Clarity stamps where the wonderful Barbara Gray was giving demonstrations. Having watched her every time she is there, I finally gave in and bought a brayer, some ink and a stamp. I still need to get the hang of using the brayer, and am pretty sure some of this talented lady's videos are going on my christmas list.

I loved all the cards on the Lili of the Valley stamps and took heaps of photos of their example cards so that I can scraplift them. I have been having fun sorting out my Promarkers into cd cases and putting them into a metal chest my mate bought me a few years back.

Time for a move

2010-09-19T18:17:00.003+01:00

I have decided that the reason I have little mojo is not really because I keep getting distracted by Bejeweled Blitz on FaceBook, oh no, not at all, it is because the scrapping room is way too small. I took over the smaller of the three bedrooms when Kelly moved out to Uni but before Laura left home. It seemed ideal when Loz was still using the bigger room. But 2 years down the road after Laura moved out, I am wondering why I am still cramped in a tiny box room with 2 expidit units, a bookcase, a chest of three drawers and a dining room table (not to mention a computer chair, a large printer, a scanner, a large stanley box and a sewing machine). Actually put like that it seems amazing that I fit in there too.

So I decided it was time to move into the bigger spare bedroom and relegate the guests (who we never have anyway) to the box room. And whilst at it, it also seemed a good idea, what with the new job and all, to move all my books back down from the attic where they have been collecting dust since I gave up full time teaching.

Of course all this necessitated a trip to Ikea, and Martin was all too pleased (not) to take me to Lakeside after his game of golf yesterday on his day off. We did really well, not only did the larger Billy bookcase fit in my little KA but so did two extra bits of wood and four tressle legs destined to become greenhouse staging, some of those nifty little screw top jars, some stoppered bottle to fill with home made lemonade and a few more kilner jars for a bit of christmas preserve making.

Today Martin was all too pleased (not) to get all the boxes of books down out the attic for me. I have filled the Billy Bookcase already, managed to throw three boxes of tatty books away, and still have another three boxes left. But its ok, as I have plans for where they will fit ..........

Then next weekend I am off to Ally Pally to the stamp show to buy some stash to fill up my bigger room!

Paper and glue?

2010-09-14T21:34:00.003+01:00

Here's a strange thing. I have scrapped!

Yes, thats right, a whole Layout.

I know hard to believe isnt it?

And not only that I am blogging about it too. Whatever next?

Its for the latest Scrapping the Music challenge and the sketch is from Creative Scrappers 120

The photos were taken during the summer on one of the rare sunny - nay, hot days we had back in July. We went for a picnik with mum, dad and Laura, at Mote Park. Now as a child we spent many a 'happy' picnik in a car park, as we would intend going to visit some wonderful house/mannor/castle/monument, but once we arrived, often the entry price was more than my dad would entertain so we would have our picnik in the car park, then come home again.

This has left me a tad fussy about where we lay our picnik clothe, and despite dad's protestations, and moaning about having to carry all the gear, I instisted we walk a bit further away than 10 yards from the car, choosing a picturisk place overlooking the lake. Ok so it was up a bit of a gentle slope, which was difficult for dad with his angina, but Laura soon took care of that by giving him a helping push.

The photos were ideal for this weeks usic challenge, which is Pink's 'Get this Party started'. A bit of artistic licence in the wording, but they work so very well. All the papers and embellishments are from DCWV Nana's Kitchen stack (mmmm lots of lovely glitter), and some thickers thrown in.

Catch up before returning

2010-09-01T06:50:00.004+01:00

I would like to do a catch up on my blog............ except there is very little to catch up on.

The weather this August has been grey, miserable and even cold (we had to resort to jumpers and hot water bottles at one point). We have been out a couple of times, but mainly drove round and came home again because it was so miserable. Martin has been back at work, Wayne was off so I didnt get to see much of Laura while they were out doing stuff (although they did take me for a nice pub lunch at the Red Lion) and Kelly/Ollie had their weekends booked fully (camping, Spurs matches) and couldnt come down.

One important thing did happen though, and that is that Kelly passed her final exams for her degree and is now a fully fledged accountant. Well done that girl :D

This weekend combined bank holiday, the Old Etonian's cricket match and our 30th wedding anniversary. After last year's drunken escapades Martin was eager to repeat the exercise but I was dog/house sitting for mum and dad who were away in Norfolk for a few days, so had to get home for the dog. Forced inside the club house by the biting wind and not able to drink I was sober enough to actually see just how rude and ill mannered the visiting team really was. I hadnt noticed before as this was the first time I had stayed inside and not sat outside watching the game. They completely took over the club house, forcing Laura and I (physically) out of our seats, later moving the table we had put our drinks on (without asking us, and nearly spilling our drinksin to the bargin) and just being totally ignorant and unsociable to the people of the club they were visting. I was quite glad in the end to be able to leave, dropping the kids and Martin off at the curry house while I went home for a measly toasted cheese sandwich with the hound.

Our wedding anniversay passed without much fuss, Ollie and Kelly came for lunch as Ollie had to go visit his sick grandmother in hospital, Kelly and I tried out the hot tub but I had put too much chlorine in, so we soon had to get out. Kelly and Laura later came over for cake and a cuppa, and that was that.

I havent done much in the way of paper crafting, nothing to share anyway. I have been continuing my learning journey into dress making. I have been sewing clothes since I was at school, making much of the kids clothes when they were small, and many items for myself through the '80's when I was able to get cheap fabric from the local market. Yet it is only in the last month that I have discovered most commercial patterns are made for a size B bust (and I am far from a size B!!). No wonder the pattern I made up last year didnt fit me. But I have also now discovered something called Full Bust Adjustment, a means of altering the pattern so it fits. I dont have a body form so getting it right is still a bit trial and error but I have nearly finished a top which I think is going to be a lot nearer to my shape than the model on the pattern packet. Watch this space.

I am also starting SOFA, a health and fitness regieme being run by the lovely girls on the Pad but also a FB group so anyone can join in. I am hoping to loose weight, get fit and generally pamper myself. Again watch this space . . . . . .

The Ribbon Girl

2010-08-16T07:46:00.003+01:00

The lovely lovely Andrea has started up an online co. selling beautiful ribbons and trimmings. Today if you hop over to the shop's blog, as well as some lovely eyecandy and inspiration, there is the chance to win a huge stash of ribbons and lace. Flick your eyes over to the side to click on The Ribbon Girl. It will take you right where you need to go.

Poor lonely blog

2010-08-14T11:20:00.017+01:00

This blog has been very neglected of late. With it being summer hols (not that I am so sure the weather is aware of the fact) we have been rather busy.There has been lots to note on here, but there hasnt been time to write it all up.

So what have we been doing? Having some fun, working hard, spending time with the girls, and getting wet.

Whitstable Oyster Festival started off the summer break, and although Martin was on a late shift, I still wanted to go hear some of the live music at the Brewery Bar.

Laura and Wayne said they would be going too and I could come with them. The event started at 7 o'clock but at 8 o'clock I finally got a text telling me to meet the kids at the Cricket club. By the time transport from there into Whitstable was arranged, it was getting on for 10, and we still hadnt arrived at The Brewery but at the Pearsons Arms. I came to the conclusion this lot were never going to get to the Bands and texted Martin to come down for a drink after work, and then we would go home.

But by 11 we found we had paid our entry free and were all dancing away to the last few songs of the last Band, who were very good and it was a shame it had taken so long to get there as I would have enjoyed the whole act I am sure. I didnt realise there was also going to be a disco and what a brilliant one it was, playing loads of '70's club classics. The place was packed, the atmosphere terrific and we ended up having a really good evening. We finished off the night by jumping in the hot tub enjoying a soak by fairy lights when we got in at two in the morning.

Martin was then on holiday for two weeks, he had wanted to go away again but I pointed out that if he didnt spend some time doing some sort of maintenance on the house, we wouldnt have a home to come back to, so provided with a long list of jobs to do by me, he set to and chopped down all the trees and bushes at the back of the garden, erected my greenhouse, laid turfs and paving slabs and relocated the fruit bed.

He also power hosed off the patio, refilled the gaps with sand, phoned up some workmen to come give quotes for some building work needing doing and managed to sqeeze in a few rounds of golf into the bargin. This left us free to do a few fun things too.

We went to Mote Park with my mum and dad and Laura for a picnic (lovely),

went to Penshurst place and gardens for a day out (dissapointing as the gardens were in dire need of some tlc and a gardener or two and the part of the house we were allowed into was small and boring)

and spent an afternoon being tourists on Tankerton slopes with our deckchairs and books until it got too cold,

had lunch at The Red Lion in Stodmarch (shared by a few chickens and a couple of roosters as well as a cat eating a bird he had caught not 5 foot from our own lunch).

We also met Kelly and Ollie in London for a show. We had noticed when we went up to see The Calendar Girls that it was possible to buy many tickets half price or less if you bought from the little ticket booths in Leicester square so we thought we would give it a try. We asked the kids if we could stay at their place since we wouldnt have to worry about leaving the theatre in time for the last Ramsgate train. When they heard what we were doing they said they would like to come along too.

Of couse with four of us, all with different tastes, finding a show we would all be happy to see could have been a problem, but we gave Ollie first pick and he chose Chicargo which we all agreed we wouldnt mind seeing. It was a bit of a wait until the show started but that meant we had time for TGI Friday as well as a little shoe shopping for Ollie and Kez. The show was very different from anything I had seen before but we all enjoyed it.

In the morning, Martin drove home as he was playing golf but I went back into town with Kelly were she had 'won' a photo shoot complete with makeover at The Starlite Studios just off Carnaby Street. Laura was her first choice of companion but she had got her dates mixed so I was given the opportunity of filling in. We were treated like royalty, given a full make-up and hair makeover and then spent over an hour having our photos taken. The results were fab although a tad expensive. We had been adamant that we were not going to pay for any pics but ended up getting four, which when totalled between the two of us, and taking into account the cost of a hair do and make up ended up quite a reasonable price, and we had a lovely mummy and Kelly morning into the bargin. Thanks for taking me Kelly :)

This week I got to spend some more time at Kelly's place, this time supervising a couple of builders hanging new doors in their house while they were at work. I was treated to a scrummy meal at The Harrow for my troubles and when I travelled back the next morning a complete soaking (down to the skin) waiting for the bus connection in the pouring rain.

I have also been quite busy in my craft room, not papercrafting though but making a couple of dresses. I would desperately love a maxi dress but am practising on shorter ones to start off with. The blue one I made without a pattern, taking advise from the web just to make a tube shape and then sheer it at the top with lines of elastic sewing.

The second is from a burda pattern The Cate dress which I am very chuffed with as I had to alter it upwards 3 sizes to get the fit but which actually works!

Cherries and Utilities

2010-08-06T17:44:00.005+01:00

I am having a renewed enjoyment in digi scrapping at the moment. I wanted to see just how many different layouts I could make with the Summer Beach kit from Owl Tree Studios. I admit, only a few of the embellishments from the kit fitted, so I turned to Kate Hatfield's lovely doodly stuff to complete it.

Laura and Wayne came over for a BBQ three weeks ago and bought the young Australian couple who have been staying with them for the past year along too. Our cherry tree had finally decided to produce a decent crop of cherries (probably knew it was for the chop as it was heavily ill and blocking light for the new conservatory).

There were quite a few Martin hadn't been able to reach but quick as a flash Gemma asked if she could climb the tree to collect them. Getting up was a doodle, a small boost from Wayne, but getting her down prooved a bit more of a problem.

I think the lads were tempted, but no, she didnt end up in the hot tub!

This last fortnight has been Martin's annual two weeks off, which is news for another day, but one of his many tasks while off was to sort out the utility bill. Our service provider sends a 6 monthly review which this time was also our yearly review. The gas was fine, but the electricity had jumped from 9kwh per day to 21 kwh. What!!!!!

We phoned them up. After a long conversation they said they couldnt do anything until we had talked to the consumption advisory service.

Another long conversation and it turns out that despite it being way over the average for high consumption it is about right for what we are running.

Ooooo kay. Next stop then is moneysupermarket to see if we can get it cheaper, because our provider wants to put the bill up another £70 a month, putting our utilities way over and above what we pay in morgage. Surely not right.

But what is that we spy... our own provider is going to provide our utilities at a saving of £411 a year on what we are already paying them? All we have to do is change tarrif? Surely not?

So back on the phone to our utility co. Yes thats right, and if you had changed last year you would have saved £250. Well why didnt you say so???????

Then they couldnt work out how much our monthly payments should be on the new tarrif, so ok leave it as it is and give us a call in a couple of months to see if it needs re-adjusting.

All this took us 2.5 hours of our holiday time. Just to be where we were anyway. So that was 2.5 hours of our lives we will never get back.

Next review we are going to make sure we ask if there is a cheaper tarrif available just incase they come up with some new ones.

Hey look!!!

2010-08-04T16:14:00.003+01:00

I did some scrapping. OK its digi scrapping and took me all of 15 mins (and 10 of those were hunting down some extra 'bellis to finish it off) but hey!!

Most of the elements and papers are from a free kit from a new site - Owl Tree Studio, the Beach kit is still available and was given away to launch the site. Its a photo of Kelly on the 'Black Beach' in Lanzarote earlier this year.

At the moment we are enjoying our summer holiday but I will be back to blog about all our escapades pretty soon.

2010-07-22T07:20:00.005+01:00

I really should have finished writing up our holiday in Lanzarote by now, but blogger's temprementality over putting up my photos, coupled with the new job taking up time, and the very hot muggy weather has kinda delayed things. Luckily I havn't any crafty stuff done that needs urgently sharing (same reasons as above have zapped my mojo) and tbh not much has been happening in my life other than (see above).

So, the last bit (finally).

After the workers had finished digging holes all over the villa and we had had a bit of a chill out (and all the other other excitment that was going on) we drove into Porta de Camon for a game of crazy golf. There were very few other people in there as it was the dead time before dinner when everyone from the beach was off getting showered and changed for an evening out, so it was really relaxing, and although it wasnt a terrific course in the terms of crazy golf, we all had a good time.

Kelly had promised me a stroll along the prom, pretending to be a tourist, browsing the cheesy tourist shops and choosing from the many bars and cafes for our evening meal. It didnt turn out like that though. The road to the seafront was shut for repairs so we ad to take the long way round to the 'old town and harbour' which was apparently the better part of the town to visit. When we got there, lots of 'improvements' had been made and the harbour and any sea views had been blocked by huge concrete cubes piled up presumably for sea defence. The kiddies park was devoid of all its swings and toys, and become a concrete expanse of boring nothingness.

There was no shops (tourist or other kind) and of the half a dozen or so cafes/restaurants, half of them had their waiters our, bombarding passers by with menus, something we all hate and, being contray made us choose one of the other eaterys even though the view across the bay was obscured.

Our meal was lovely although service was a little slow as all the waiters (in all cafes that night I assume) were watching the Spain v Portugal match. Our waiters had obviously been told they could only wear their team tee-shirs if Spain scored, as when the shout went out for the goal, all the staff vanished, only to return with large grins and Spain strip.

Our final day and at last the sun came out with a vengence, so it was a full day by the pool, finishing off the last of our books, and the last of the food and booze. We could go home with a tan and our heads held high since back home we knew there was a heat wave going on.

Yizz's yawn

Meringue skirt, 1st Muslin

Project Life - take 2

Sew-a-long

Project Life - my way. Work in progress

Mum's birthday

Christmas dress

Meringue skirt

366 - no go

Project Life - my way

366

Clearing the decks of news for new year's blogging

Two more tags

Tim's tag time!!

Not for the life of a star

Life's little trials

Christmas cards 2011

Love him!!

Bandana's away

Crafting away

My baby girl is all growed up.

Catch up 3 Phones and flowers

Catch up 2, A day trip to spend money.

3 weeks worth to catch up - part 1

Finley firsts

Welcome baby Finley

Being a Steward

Blog post catch up 2

Oh Gosh, so much to blog about.

Crops v fathers day.

Still on the list

On Safari

The rules

Listen to the music

Our list

Gardens

Out of the habit

Playing along with Scrapfactor UKS

Play along with Scrapfactor

Updates

Peg bag

Knebworth without the music

Oxford or Cambridge

Day at the races

Allly Pally and the BSBSS

Wot I has been doing.

Long time no blog post

Project 12

Quick template

Poor Kelly/stupid cars

Fading away.....

On into February

Headache

So that didnt work out so well

Still determinded

Sad

Happy New Year

Santa's gifts

In the blink of an eye

Christmas is coming, a new car, a night out

White out

A christmas card or two

*sniff* *sputter* * cough* *groan*

Birthday week

More!!

Half term wearing me out!

Birthday card for a man

Colour change

Chance to win

A few more cards

Inspired by ...

Ally Pally

Time for a move

Paper and glue?

Catch up before returning

The Ribbon Girl

Poor lonely blog

Cherries and Utilities

Hey look!!!

sniff sputter * cough* groan