Project 12

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

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

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.....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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*

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

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!!

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!

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

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