On the 12th day of christmas

my SS sent to me a packet of yummy mint aero bubbles! And yesterday a lovely shopping list pad made by House Mouse. I think House Mouse is just sooo cute.

Today I have been down to the job centre to sign on for Job Seekers Allowance. The people were very nice but even in the nice new building with every reason for me to be there it still felt intimidating. As a professional teacher I am 'allowed' to only look for teaching jobs in the next 13 weeks. After that I may have to look for other jobs. Since a term is 13 weeks and jobs come up termly, not weekly I thought this a bit unfair but its one of the things you have to agree to. And I also have to make at least 3 applications a week. I tried explaining to him that in the time I have been looking (since last may) there have only been about 7 or 8 jobs that I could have applied for so how am I going to find 3 per week? He said they expect you to cold call. I explained that Head Teachers expect a certain etique to be followed and cold calling is not part of that. In fact with some Heads cold calling could actually put them off giving you any kind of job. While he agreed with me, and even looked on his computer to discover there are zero teaching jobs in the whole of Kent, he still insisted I have to sent three applications off. So I have no idea how I get round that one. I guess I will have to find out when I go to sign on in a weeks time. *sigh*

Anyway back to scrapping. Well I would have done some last night but for some reason we suddenly lost all our terrestrial telly channels. After I had pulled the tv forward, checked all the wires, unscrewed and rescrewed all the connectors, it became apparent that the Dover mask was playing up. So when Martin came home I asked him to push the telly back in to place. Thats when we lost all our sky channels! So another 90 mins playing about to discover it seems to be the video recorder - it may have lost its tuning and all the channels go through it. So bypass that and ...its 11.25 and way too late to do any of my christmas journal.

On the 10th day of Christmas

My SS sent me a bag full of foxes glacier mints. I loved all those adverts with the fox and the polar bear, took me back to a lot of christmasses past when I opened the parcel.

I should have been sorting out a lesson plan for the interview I have on Wednesday, instead I got up early and did a page of my journal and then did another this afternoon. Hubby has had to work all day today and Laura was at her other half's so I have been on my own all day. I made some toffee popcorn and settled down to watch films, they were re-running Oliver with Mark Leister so got to have a good old sing song too!

Right, no idea what page number this one is. I took some photos of the cards I made and then shoved them all in the envelopes. I never thought to check if the photos were ok, they weren't, they were all blurred, which is why the LO has them all hidden behind bits of greenery.

Only 4 LO's behind now.

Perfect Christmas page

I think in redoing some pages I have got the days mixed up but never mind Perfect Chrismas!!! And sorry the scan has come out a little dark so the shiny micro beads on the christmas ornament dont show up (after I spent ages glueing them all on)

The exclamation marks are because each tag tells of little! incidents that nearly stopped our christmas from being perfect, from the time hubby stuck the chisel through his thumb trying to whittle the trunk of the christmas tree thin enough to go into the stand, the time Martin bought home a tree so pathetic I sit and cried and he had to go out and buy a second one, to the time my SIL accidently managed to lock herself in the toilet just as we dished up a family dinner to 14. Lots of Kay & Co papers that I was too busy stroking to use last year. MM pewter christmas charms, Heidi rub ons and SEI stickers.

Another page

The Count down door opens to reveal photo of our Santa's workshop advent that has been coming out every year since DD1 was born 25 years ago. I've never seen another advent like it, you dont open doors but each day slot a little cardboard figure into the workshop scene until Santa arrives on christmas eve. The girls love it so much I have had to scan in and make a second one for DD1 to take to her own home and have instructions to make a third for DD2 when she moves out next year!

Journaling also tells how I have to buy Cadbury advent calendars for the girls, my husband AND the girl's boyfriends. As well as which we also have a felt tree with little felt objects to hang on it which I made for school but because we break up before christmas eve I never made the last 5 objects.

On the ninth day of Christmas..

my SS sent me some special shrink plastic which I luuuurve and cant wait to use!! And now I am off to get ready for my crop. Hope to have some pages to upload later.

Christmas shopping page

Loads if stuff on this one, journaling to tell how Mum and I always had a day out christmas shopping together, hidden behind photo is this years christmas lists from everyone and some more journaling about how we always make a list and pass it round for each person to cross off what they are going to buy, and then journaling down the side explaining the photo. Kelly wanted a 'mum and daughter shopping day but wanted to hit Bluewater AND Lakeside in one day. This is the result!!!!
Discovered 8x8 fits through the printer - trouble is it doesnt always print in a straight line. However the actual photo IS straight but its got a bit distorted by all the journaling underneath.

On the 7th and 8th day of christmas

lots of things happened!



My SS sent me some lovely glass beads, and today a packet of toffee poppets. We used to get poppets on the way home from school, either in the train station shop or more often from the plateform chocie machine, Ahh happy yummy memories.

I also got a phone call from a school I applied for ages ago inviting me to an interview next week. I have now got to sort out a maths lesson for 30 reception children.

And I decided that the format of my christmas journal simply wasnt working. I am used to scrapping 12x12 - square, so the rectangle just wouldnt do it for me. So I have taken the drastic step of restarting. I am much happier with the results, I know that if I hadnt done this I would have given up. Of course it does now mean I am several pages behind but I think it is worth the bother. Plus I also found some Basic Grey Blitzen left from last year which gives me a bit more scope.

Finally, page 2 of journal

I have actually started every page but every page needs a little tweek to get it finished. I hope to get them all done and up to date tonight. This is the one for 2nd December

Journalling reads "I love those old fashioned Christmas cards with Victorian snow scenes, skaters with their hands encased in muffs, carol singers in front of bay windows snow piling up in the corners, cottages in snowy fields. In reality I hate the cold silent stuff though, and much prefer my Christmas to be rainy, dark, murky so I can enjoy curling up indoors, drawing the curtains to feel cosy and listening to the drips hitting the conservatory roof, watching the sparkle of the Christmas lights, lighting aromic candles or building a roaring fire in the grate. I love walking along wet pavements twinkling fairy lights reflecting in the puddles and decorations gleaming and distorted by raindrops on windows."

On the 5th and 6th day of christmas...

my SS is still sending me wonderful gifts. Yesterday I was facinated by this thing - a folding ruler. OK so little things please little minds but at least my SS realised that LOL
Today she sent me some microbeads, seasonal red and white ones mixed in a bag and some lovely heart shaped buttons. I love all things heart shaped. DD even had to buy me an engagement ring with the diamond set in a heart shape setting.

On the fourth day of Christmas .....

my Secret Santa was so genourous and sent me a bottle of Body Shop Mango Bath and Shower Gel.

I can't believe I am being so spoilt and how did she know I just love Body Shop stuff? In fact Thursday is late night shopping in Canterbury and the Body Shop there are having a 25% off event for 'Love your Body' members. My yearly membership runs out next month but it has been so worth it. I have saved sooo much so if you adore BS goodies I highly recommend investing the £5. I have had that back 10 times over at least.

On the third day of Christmas ...

my SS sent to me..
some Tim Holtz pastel words Doo-dads, I am one lucky girl.

I also managed, finally, to get my christmas banner to work. Credits to Martha Bartho and www.digitalscrapbookplace.com for the holly elements.

Today I took my mum and my youngest daughter Laura to the Christmas Craft Fair. Mum and I have been for the last four years, the first time it was packed and there were tons of lovely hand made stuff from knitted baby clothes, lathe-turned wooded tree decs to Christmas cards but we have seen a decline in the number of people going and the kind of work being exhibited. I was surprised Laura even wanted to come as its not really her bag, especially as is customary, it was blowing a terrible gale, chucking it down with rain and was fairly early (for her) on a Sunday morning. As it turned out she was the only one to buy anything, there were some lovely things but priced out of our bracket for the presents we have still to buy. Anyway Laura bought a hand embroidered baby bib for a friend who is due a little addition real soon, and a really good quality hand knitted scarf for her boyfriend's mum.We got plenty of inspiration for things we could make ourselved too, so despite the weather a successful visit.

We were also going to go to our local town Victorian Street Market but by the afternoon Laura was feeling unwell with a rotten cold, mum had gone home to the warm and even though it had stopped raining I had reports that the road had not been shut and very little was happening. Maybe it had been cancelled due to the adverse weather, but I stayed in and did some more work on day 2 of my Christmas Journal.

Watch this space, I need to do a little more work on it before I share, but I really am having fun with this project.

On the second day of Christmas ....

my Padders Secret Santa sent to me....

A yummy mini box of After Eight mints. I LOVE chocolate!

On the first day of Christmas...

my Padders Secret scnta sent to me...

Some lovely Barn Red SEI alpha stickers

Blogger?

I don't know what has happened but yesterday my Stat counter dissappeared, then this morning my slide show. When I looked on my template half the code had dissappeared so I have had to start again from scratch. At the moment I am still having trouble getting the banner up so sorry back to plain old me until I get it sorted.

Christmas Journal

All over the world scrappers are posting their first page of their Christmas Journal following an online class being run by Shimelle Lain. Sadly being out of work and having to watch the pennies I couldnt afford to sign up for this class (although I would have dearly liked to). but I still wanted to join in the fun and make myself a Christmas journal. So I am going my own way, doing my own thing and hope that the end result records the true spirit of Christmas 2006 for our family.

Anyway here is my first entry.

The journalling reads " Next Christmas is going to be so different. Kelly already lingin in her own home will be married to Ollie and Laura & Wayne will be living in the house they are building together, so this maybe the last teime we have our tradition Christmas. Already some of the traditions we built up as a family with the children have changed or been lost as the girls have got older. We have already decided that I will not be doing stockings for them this Christmas eve. So before everything changes or is lost I want to keep this journal to record Christmas 2006.

Today I did my first day of supply teaching. It was really hard work, although the children were lovely (although a little lively) and the plans left for my by the class teacher worked well and were easy to translate into my own style. But I had forgotten what a long day it can be, how you have to be aware and on your feet all the time. I am totally exhausted. It was really great to be back in the classroom doing what I know I am good at doing though.

Christmas excitment

Ok I know I keep going on about Christmas, but I have to admit I am like a little kid when it comes to this time of year. In fact according to my family I am WORSE than a child, every year getting up way way before the children were ever awake to get them to look in their stockings. I guess I was lucky, my parents always made it so special, even though often we were living hand to mouth there was always a huge pile of pressies under the tree, special treats in the way of food and drink and a brilliant brilliant family atmosphere. I want to remember, record those memories and my scrapping speed is not a match for the speed that my memory is failing so this blog seems a great place to record until I can get the stories and photos on a LO.
So my christmas as a kid? Well as I said, we never had much money, people were paid weekly in cash in those days (hard to beleive now in the land of plastic credit cards and easy debt) but often my parents got to the day before payday and we were living on eggs alone. I have a big extended family, my dad is one of seven and they have all married and had children so alot of cousins. Then living in Kent September was spent out in the hop fields earning some extra dosh which meant (for us kids) we met and aquired lots of extra 'aunts' who would give us christmas presents too. I don't really know how my mum managed to afford presents for all those she had to buy for but she did. I can remember helping her wrap and tick off the very long list, checking several times that no one had been missed.
There were always ways to save a few pennies though. Maybe thats where my love of papercrafts started? When dad came home with our packet each of pre-gummed paper strips to make the paper chains? When mum went out looking for the perfect tree twig to paint white and use to hold little ornaments made from silver paper? My Grandad worked for Bowaters, the paper mill and would get some of that white core silver and gold card to make into decorations. Then there were the traditional snowflakes cut from sheets of paper, the silver paper bells made by fashioning the paper over your finger, pine cones sprayed with silver paint, tags cut from last year's christmas cards. It seems that for days our table would be covered with glue, paper, card (much like mine now I suppose LOL)

Cybercrops

Two, yes TWO cybercrops on each of the forums I belong to this weekend. And I managed all of .....two classes.

I used to love cybercrops, well I say that, I only ever got involved in the UKS one and I really enjoyed it at the beginning. When I first joined it was ALL about scrapping and with a smaller community it had a terrific feel. Layouts were encouraged from the stash you all ready owned and classes focussed on technique rather than style. Simple challenges were dotted throughout the weekend and I would dash about trying to do EVERYTHING!!

But now its just too big, too busy and too .... Oh I dont know ... arty? for me. Scrapbooking doesnt seem t o be the main reason for the whole chebang anymore. Firstly nearly all the LO's need you to buy a kit. OK they SAY you dont, but this time round you really did need some of the stuff in the kits to do the classes. Which wouldnt be so bad if the kits didnt sell out within minutes ... and I do mean literally minutes, apparently this year there were people sitting at their computers repeatedly hitting refresh just to be in on the word go when the kits when up for sale! Which is a bit unfair on those for which Real Life must come first.


I think that is what puts me off the UKS cybercrops nowdays, the unfairness of the whole thing. I'm not knocking the organisors, far from it, it's just got too big to even think that it would cater for everyone involved, but it certainly disadvantages you if... you work or can only get to the computer for short periods of time at set times, you dont have money to buy every item needed, or you are not into altered art, or decorating clipboards.

And the pace is unbelievable now, again disadvantaged if your pc is not near your scrapping area because with so many challenges invovling whole LO's and so many classes there is just no way...!

On the other hand the one day cybercrop on the pad was just my pace, with just enough good quality classes, using things you can find in your everyday stash or if not, clear instructions or templates on how to make them or adapt stuff. A good mix of challenges and quizes and none of it reliant on either visiting sponsor's shops or buying stuff you can ill afford just near christmas.

Of course having said all that I was out for most of yesterday and then when I got in felt so rough with a winter cold coming that I didnt actually do anymore than download the classes, peruse the respective galleries and retire to bed. But what I do want to say is, whether the pace or classes or whatever were to my taste or not, a big thank you to all those ladies who work so hard to organise such events for us all.

Christmas in a box

Friday, since it was hubby's day off and he had to venture into the loft for the curtain rail anyway, I got him to get the christmas decorations down. This has become known as "Christmas in a box" by the girls and usually caused great excitment when hauled out for its annual airing. Mind you somewhere along the line two tatty cardboard boxes containing all of the tree and hanging decs has grown to 5 large plastic lided containers and two smaller plastic storage boxes. Where did it all come from??????

Well lets see...one is full of 'christmas teddies and stockings', so that one is easy because each year, traditionally, Santa bought the girls a new christmas teddy and although Kelly has moved out and taken her share of them, Laura's are still here. And the stockings? We started off with two red fur fabric ones that Martin's mum made for the girls when they were small, complete with their names on cut out of black felt, but gradually the collection has grown as presents of sweets, or just as decorations sent from my Sister-in-Law in America.

Of course I also had to supply the decorations for the classroom at school. We were given £10 eac year but most of that went on the children's christmas party prizes so I consider any decs I bought for the school to me mine. Lets face it a decent artificial tree cost me £30, and during my time there I have had to buy two of them! So that accounts for another three boxes.

I used to put real ivy, holly and large chunks off the laylandi trees on the bannister and over the fire mantle, but the cat (a new addition four years ago) found that rather tasty and kept eating it so now there is a box full of artifical garlands. Its not the same, I miss my greenery, the smell, the hoovering up of dead leaves, but there you go...

A box lablelled 'lights'. Mmmm well..I love lights. That's the whole magic of of Christmas for me, enjoying all the sparkly fairy lights against a dark winter night's sky. On my route home most evenings there is a house with a single reindeer light up on the flat roof of the garage. No over-kill just one single reindeer lit with white lights and it looks fantastic, set against the black backdrop. My lights on the other hand .... well hubby isnt really into the "untangling, sorting through the lights to find the one that has blown, hang them up by climbing up a ladder" thing. But I still manage to drap quite a few little twinkling bulbs about the house. I love the ones peeping through the garlands on the mantle and down the banister. I'm not so keen on the lanterns we have round the porch door though as you can guarrantee that at least once I will have to walk down the road looking for the plastic holders that have blown away in the wind.

Christmas preparations

I have been busy getting in the mood and getting ready for Christmas.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS !!

and have been making cards, wrapping my advent swap pressies, buying advent calendars for the kids (even though they are 21and 25 years old) and sorting out pressie lists. I've also filled my ipod with christmas music and have started blasting it out in every room in the house plus the car. A different cd in every player!! Currently its Bing Crosby on the pc, Motown in the lounge, Christmas classics in the kitchen/diner and Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the car (which frightens a few old ladies when played at full pelt down the high street LOL). I am so jealous of my eldest DD who is now working in London so last night after work she took her boy friend to Oxford Street to see the lights, window displays and to play in Hamleys.

We discovered Hamleys when my eldest Kelly was really young. Hubby was working in town then so when she was about 3 years old we agreed to meet him at Oxford Street Circus underground when he had finished for the day and take her to the toy shop and see Santa. Gosh we were all so excited! My mum and I had made a day outing of it, taking Kelly up earlier in the day, on the train, to see where Daddy worked, where everyone made a huge fuss of her. A visit to Hyde Park and feeding the ducks, and then the underground to Oxford Street. We knew the toys were only minutes walk away but NO we had to wait for daddy first. So we waited,... and waited.... and ...yes you get the picture. Kelly was so patient but also so eager to get to the promised wonderland, and to make matters worse it was chucking it down with rain. That cold driving sleety stuff you get in December. Well eventually after over an hour and with only minutes left until Hamley's shut I decided to wander down to the actual underground station to see if the trains had been held up or something, only to find hubby had been standing down there, in the dry and the warm, the WHOLE time!!!! We made Hamleys with only 10 minutes to go before closing time. I could have killed that day, poor Kelly. If only we had had mobile phones in those days.

Anyway to get more in the mood I have decided to show some of the cards I have been making. I never batch make, because I get so bored so easily so every one is a unique design (all be it some are copies from those seen on the net).

Sugar mice

My friend Clare asked a good question today - has anyone seen any sugar mice for sale IRL. You can get them on line but not in real bricks and mortar shops anymore, or if you are lucky enough to find them they seem to be minus their little string tails (Health and Safety I expect).
I remember them so fondly, there were one of the things Santa ALWAYS left in my stocking, along with the nuts and the satsuma, the bottle of bubbles and the balloon.
I tried so hard to make my two girls Christmases as special and as magical as my childhood ones had always been, but sugar mice eluded me. My mum and I had a tradition of picking a town we wouldnt normally shop in to have a day out and do all our christmas shopping. Dad would have the girls and we would take the train to Bromely or Croydon or where-ever, with our lists in hand and come back laden with goodies. And I would always have a weathered eye open for a glimpse of a little pink body with a chocolate coloured nose, and that string. I only got lucky three times, when I discovered the Fudge shop (now no longer there) in Canterbury made them. But now alas it seems that they really have become a thing of the past.
Yet why?
OK so maybe dentists wouldnt approve of all that sugar but hey? Its only once a year.
Going by the responses to Clare's question many others love them too and hate the demise of them.
So I had a little hunt on the net and found two recipes. One on the Bagpuss site http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/bagpuss/sugarmice.htm (because even Bagpuss loved sugar mice!!)

And this one;-

Sugar Mice Ingredients:
2 pounds of granulated sugar
3/4 pint water 3oz glucose (you can get this from Boots, or good cook shops)
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Nice clean white string
Red food colouring if wished

Method: Put the sugar and water into a pan, and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.
Add glucose, and boil until 240 degrees fahrenheit/105 centigrade (setting point, again).
Take from heat, and allow to cool until it starts to thicken.
When cool enough to handle, work in the colouring, if you are using it, and knead it. Shape into mice-shapes - or little grubby sausages, if you're under 2 years old.
Make the ears seperately, and press them on.
Take a tiny bit of fondant, work in the cocoa powder and make eyes. Stick the tails into the fondant.
Makes 16 mice (or hedgehogs, or dinosaurs, or grubby things with ears and tails).

Curtesy of http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/recipes/preserves/295588/