Somebody stop me!

Last night I started on more JB challenges, even though the time is closed I am determined to try them all! So I started on the fasten it challenge. So I did an A4 gatefold card for Lisa and Dave's engagement......................9 cards later I finished!!! They are very simple but I really enjoyed doing them and now have all the cards for events leading upto chrimbo like mum's bday and Gail and Rob's anniversary!

I won't show all 9 cos they are pretty much the same. All have strips down the front, with eyelets and ribbon to close. Inside they have an insert of vellum with a rub on poem / saying underneath so it shows through a bit. Am quite happy with them, and even DH has one for his bday!

Here is G & R's anniversary which I am pleased with cos their wedding colours were red and black:

("All love is sweet, given or returned")

And this is mum's which I thought it looked a bit like a quilt!

Same insert inside, just with another flower rather than a smushy poem ;o)

And this is Lisa and Dave's engagement (WOO HOO!!!) Lisa doesn't do fancy so I kept it plain. (when I say doesn't do fancy the wedding is going to be in a field and we all have to wear wellies apparently lol!)

It's got 'together forever' down the front and inside under the vellum there is "to get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with'.

And then this is the Literacy and Numeracy challenge, my godson Max's bday card. I saw the poem and knew it was for Maxy!




'Listen to the mustn'ts child
Listen to the don'ts
Listen to the shouldn'ts
The Impossibles, the won'ts
Listen to the never haves.
Then listen close to me.....
Anything can happen child
Anything can be'

(Sounds a bit godmotherish to me!)

And then today I have sorted out all the 100's of boxes in the spare room and turned it into a guest room............................so need to lie down now!!

Some more JB Challenges

I think these are all I'm going to manage today - I need to find a way to get more crafty time ;o)

This is a sign for Alice, I am so pleased that she is having a first christmas it had to be for her!

Next is Bex's challenge to make 3 tags - I did 4 but the rules were to show 3 lol!

The last one is Lis's bloomin challenge, to use blooms on the card. This is for mum and dad.

The first of JB challenges

Well here is the first bit I have managed for JB's challenge weekend. I wanted to get them all done by midnight on Tuesday and I know exactly what I am going to do for each one, I just cannot get the time to do them - so they will be done, just not in time for the points.

Well here is my take on challenge 2 = Your challenge is to make a Christmas decoration to hang on the tree . Your decoration can be made however you like, as long as it hangs, and is small enough to go on the tree.

Is it catching?!

I love Sue so much, I call her my rainbow cos she always makes me smile and laugh - especially during the rain..........................but (and she knows this) she is a little anal retentive!

Her papers are filed to perfection, as are her stamps. You really don't want to see her ribbon drawer or die cut storage!

Well following my eyelet disaster the other night I decided I needed to do something about my ever growing collection of eyelets.

So I bought a really nice spice rack from my local charity shop and have spent the last hour.......................


.....................putting them in the spice jars, in colour collections. So each colour is in a different jar and I also have a 'fun' jar which is for the themed eyelets.


Please tell me I have not caught something from Sue - PLEASE!!

Once Upon a Time..........

Well this does not happen very often (if ever!) but I have made something that I really like and I am not going to self critique!!!

Here is my Once Upon a Time cj. I am getting a bit braver with cj's so have decided to do something a bit different! This time I am going to start off a story and as the cj goes around, each person fills in the next bit to the story. As well as the Buffy cj, I am doing two other cj's atm, one on UKS (10 people) with the wonderful Willow and co (all of which are incredibly talented), I am just coming to the end of the Anything Goes group, just waiting for mine to come home - very exciting! and one on CBC (5 people) hosted by Melly, which I have two from CBC already and I love so I was always going to join in again!

So I have done the same cj for both groups and the same beginning of the story - just to see how the story is different!

So here it is. Some pages I have not added an awful lot to as the paper is so gorgeous (DCWV Once Upon a Time .............as if I could use anything else lol!) but I am really happy with it.

(I turned the photo sepia so it blended in more with the papers - Ollie at Legoland last year!)

(The page opens up and the story is printed underneath, but you'll have to wait to see the story lol!).

Please note - no pink, tons of ribbons, buttons or big blooms anywhere - off to lie down now ;o))

An Xmas swot!

Well here we have a xmas card from Sue's template challenge. Sorry for the blurry scan but the snowflake is quite big and chunky.

(oh and Sue I do forgive you for making me do this card and making me drop about 300 tiny eyelets on my craft room floor!).

finshed at last!

This is the first time I have done a UKS cj and I don't think I realised how long they took! I knew it would be a year (cos 10 / 11 people sign up) and you think it won't feel like a year......................well it flippin does! And I signed up for two at the same time!


But now I have completed the last pages on both of them today (why was I last on both of them?!) so can get them in the post tomorrow. Have to say I have enjoyed them both, have definately made me raise the bar and I have learnt LOADS from them.



So you'll be pleased to know, no more duffy ;o) Of course I have signed up straightaway for another one but only one this time lol - A Magickal Mystery Tour, can't wait!



Oh and here is something I made yesterday.

I bin a craftin!

All this time my mojo has been hiding at the Just Bex and UK Beaders forums!!

So here are some cards (YES CARDS!!) for JB:

Paisley (new home for Lynda and Jorge)

Old and New - good ole K&Co v's Basic Grey (no contest really lol!) These have vellum over the top and I have glazed some of the paper underneath, but you can't see it on the scan.

And here's one for the Buttons challenge, although I am fighting the need to fix the bottom button!

And here's some bits of beadies:

woweee!

So how did he do? He was really good until his solo, where his hands were shaking so badly! Then he started singing and we all sat there for 3 minutes with all our mouths open, most of us filling up (including Tim who doesn't 'do' emotional!). His voice was bloody amazing! None of us were expecting his voice to be that good, including his family which were there too.

We all had such a good night and he really enjoyed it too (once he stopped shaking lol!). Apparently we are now on the books as the 'rent an audience' lol!

My Fair Lady

Oh I am soooooooooooooooo excited about tonight lol! David is my friend at work who manages our Training dept. He is in My Fair Lady and has not told anyone. Except what he doesn't know is that we all know about it and we have also ALL got tickets to go and see him tonight! We have got the first 3 rows and everyone has been so giddy about it!

David and I have quite a competitive relationship, really since I caught him cheating at a works quiz night - so this is going to make up for all the times he has beaten me and been sarcastic with me (which he tends to do all the time!).

I am going to enjoy this sooooo much!

(I am sitting next to Jen who has bought in her foamy finger from the Westlife concert - oh god he is going to hate us lol!)

Em made my baby cry

Ollie got a parcel today from Aunty Em, when he opened it there was a wrapped pressie and a card. So first of all he asked if it was his birthday! Then I told him sometimes people nice just send things and it doesn't have to be a birthday. So he happily opened the card, I read the message to him - which mage him cry!

THEN he opened the pressie. Not only did he have 3 big bags of sweets (which apparently are much cooler than what I buy him!) but also a tamagotichi football game that every time it comes on the tele he begs for one! So Em is officially the coolest person in the world (and apparently even better at making cards than me!).

Thank you Em - you made him very happy {hug}

You have to see this film - tis fab!

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/littlemisssunshine/

nah nah nah nah nah!

well I went back to school last night and we had to present our homework as a lesson, so of course the tutor paired me with the 'why are you on this course as you're not a real teacher' git. Well it turned out the homework he had done was completely crap and I had to do it all myself! He did say thank you to me when it was all over - so I guess being just a trainer ain't so bad ;o)

Today is our 9th wedding anniversay and I got a gorgeous bunch of flowers delivered to work - so he ain't so bad!!

Am worrying about a couple of friends who are sad, very proud of the other ones xxx

Sad baby

well my boy has finally accepted that Casper has gone, he spent the last two hours sobbing uncontrolobly (cannot spell that word!). He was mostly upset because he thought Casper had decided he didn't love him so he went to live with someone else.

Well, I did mention that Casper might be in heaven now, which caused more sobbing but I think it eventually helped because he said he was sad but he was ok cos he was somewhere good.

Did I do the right thing?

Sneaky peak

Here is a sneaky peak of my Friends cj................can't see anymore at the moment cos it may spoil the surprise lol!

New Day

So today is a new day!

Not much has really happened today, I did my homework (although I take offense that Sue questioned whether I did it while I was meant to be working! as if I would!), my big sister Carol sorted out my other issues and Em also threatened to kill them!

My garden is finished and it looks amazing. Will post piccies tomorrow. I did send my 5 year old out into the cold and rain to take some photos for me but quite frankly they were very poor quality...............you want a job doing and all that ;o)

Was just reading Steph's blog about her 'Mum' cj, which is gorgeous by the way! So am feeling all creative: so after a certain person's bedtime story (which will probably have something to do with a cat and a hat!!) I will be pottering..............and then I'll realise it is time for Hereos and have to leave it all for another day!

I have most of my cj layed out for my friends one but I only have one page of the BG papers that I'm going to use - grrrrrr, so may have to pop into a stampy shop tomorrow.

So, sorry for my strop yesterday but in my usual style have now got over it, realised those people don't matter and moved on - with a little help............................xxxx

Beautiful people cancel out ignorant ones!

Today 3 seperate occaisions have shown me how rude and ignorant people can be, you offer to do something in addition to your usual mad life and you are criticised for the amount of time it takes for you to do it, someone else thinks they have the right to question something you have created (and something that you are very proud of) and another person (who starts off the discussion as don't take this the wrong way - which generally means they are about to insult you!) questions something that you are working hard to achieve.

So to say today meant that I had had enough and was ready for ripping someone apart would be an understatement!

And then I opened a parcel from Sue, which contained a Student Survival Kit, there were lots of bits and pieces to get me through my studies. All of which made me cry! Especially the last bit cos I felt like a piece of s**t and Sue made me realise that I wasn't one!

So I packed my satchel (as DH calls it!) with my Em special notebook and pencil case and Sue's Survival Kit and skipped off to school.

Then I realised how much hard work this is going to take and at one point I had decided I was out of my league. The majority of the class are already teaching and lecturing so they were all giving examples etc. It then transpired that I wasn't employed as a lecturer and I worked within business and I wanted to be a teacher. So at this point one of my classmates pointed out that he thought this was a course for teacher qualifications not for just trainers. So the confidence dived big time...................then the tutor pointed out yes it was a course for teacher training and that I had got on the course on my own merit and she just wanted to point out that a) I was the highest educated person in the room, b) I had chosen to take this course whereas they were being forced to and c) I had more real life experience because I work in a senior management position and I am responsible for teaching thousands of people my specialist subject! So I am now the most hated person on the course and do you know what - I am going to prove to every one of those stuck up gits that I can do this course and teaching and training is the same thing!

And then I came out of the lesson and had 2 texts from Sue and Em both asking about the quality of the men on the course - I think Em questioned the 'fodder'! Funny they both focused on the snogability!

So I learnt alot today. One making a decision that I made last week to resign from something incredibly special to me was so the right thing to do (mainly due to the ignorance of a select few people), I am not going to put up with unecessary criticism from people who don't even know me and MOST IMPORTANTLY I have the best family and friends ever who I know will support me to the end and I will get this done!

I am about to join in with a special CJ and I am so looking forward to it because they are the best circle of friends EVER!

And my DH, parents and baby are so behind me - how can I not do it!

Back to school

Well this week (Tuesday) sees me going back to college to do a Post Grad Certificate in Education and I have to confess I got the wobbles last week. I was thinking I have taken on WAY too much, that I struggle to meet all my bits and pieces and there is no way I could add this on top of my already manic life!

And then I got a parcel from Em, she has made me a pencil case (complete with pencils, sharpener, ruler etc) and a altered notebook in true Em style ie ribbons EVERYWHERE! So now I am thinking I could actually do this...............and when I get the wobbles again I'll read the message inside my notebook xxx

I'll post some piccies soon.

Thank you Em - you really are wonderful x




On a side, someone at work mentioned a while ago about whether I watched 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition' and I have to admit it has always seemed quite cheesy to me but I thought well I'll give it go. Well I am loving it! Especially one last night, about one of the strongest, bravest and worthy women I have ever seen - so yes it is cheesy but it is fab and leaves you all warm and fluffy (and tired from the amount of sobbing lol!).

AND my dream garden is nearly finished! We got Colin back to rip out the last bit and redo it, so on Tuesday I will have (oopps sorry) WE will have a perfect finished garden - with a POND! Never had one before so am very excited! Plus the front will be finished, so we will look all finished.

Meds are going well, I can now take one lot at work without going all funny so that's progress! Just wish the weird and very realistic dreams would stop! They're not on the side effects list!

OK have to go, it's getting to reveal time on Extreme Makeover so need to get the tissues ready ;o)

Clearing the backlog!

I managed to get two of my UKS cj's finished, the first one is 'Pretty in Pink'. I did my Ipod, layered the photos onto some vellum, you lift the flaps up and I have written all the cd's that I have downloaded onto it. (except you can't see it very well on the scan!)

And this is a Buffy one, for the Dark Arts. I decided to do Fred and Illyria - quite chuffed with the last photo as I split the two down and made one face.......

So with them finished I can get going on a completely terrifying and scarey cj ;o)

just to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZYQ!!!

I am a patchwork quilt!!

OK - stay with me on this one!! Following on from Em's journal for her mum, I have been thinking about how I can do something similar. Thinking about mine, I decided not to dedicate this to my mum alone, and get other people to have some input. Then I was thinking about a quilt my mum was making and how there were lots of different sections of patchwork and when you put them all together, they make a quilt.

So this is the basis of my journal. All the special people in my life are the bits of patchwork - and when you put them together they make me, the quilt! Yeah I know - very out there but it sounded ok in my head!!

Here's the intro - might make the mush a bit clearer *blush*

I am a Patchwork Quilt!!

I believe that people are moulded by two things. One is their life experience, things that happen to them to make them react in their individual ways.

The other is the people who are in their lives. Now we all have lots of people in our lives that make our days brighter, ask how we are, make us worry etc but there is a group of people who make us the people who we truly are. Without these people, you would not feel whole.

These people are the individual pieces of patchwork, and when they are put together they make me, the quilt!

The purpose of this album is to find out about my pieces of patchwork. Who they are, what is their relationship to me, why are they so important to me. They have been provided with a number of questions, and their answers will make the overall quilt…….me!

This is my heirloom because this is who I truly am, due to the people who I love in my life.

And here is my book. It is a 7Gypsies one, and the flap at the end lifts as an envelope so all the answers from my patchwork people are stored on their individual pages......AJH is just an example (is DH) and the others are being completed over time. oh and the quilt of the front page is a piece of patchwork that I pinched from Mum's sewing room ;o)

sorry about the quality of scanning!

Gummy Bear!

We had a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night! I made him a little box a couple of weeks ago so we were all ready...................apart from when it came out and we only had little bits of change so we had to scrap together some money. So he got £3.50 for his first tooth and it'll be £1 for the others.

I'll show you a photo tomorrow xx

A rash promise!!

A while ago me, Em and Sue were chatting about Em's amazing journal (see below)

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GxBs9MSNNqNCmJAkX72FTtbI9sIt21HVAuGrZKK65zTxmHvN0K_xMLptDLVDEblpjoWIS24Jm-LvN4yddS9jB2ufBjmUe4D9WDZbOFQ0xopzgPDZapKWCAeE46ahYDtJVE1S-A/s400/2007_0712_160201.JPG

So we made a promise that if Sue made one, then I would make one!! Apparently she has finished it now (not that I have seen any evidence yet!) So went to Stamp Man today to get my journal.............so no excuses lol!

I may be some time ;o)

Can't wait to scrap these!

Here are some more piccies of Legoland, these are the ones that you get from the rides - worth every penny imho (plus I never paid rofl!)

The pills are starting to take effect now, I can tell my body is no longer craving the insulin but it is a very odd sensation!

And I have pretty much accepted that Casper isn't coming back *sob*. Lots of people have said that with cats apparently, they know when they are going to die and they go off and find somewhere to go to sleep. I really like this idea, mainly cos we are surrounded by gorgeous Yorkshire Dales and if he did go off then he went somewhere lovely to sleep. And even if this is rubbish it's still a nice idea!

Am back

from our jollies! Went to stay with my sister and bil, very good week.

Monday was Natural History Museum, Tuesday was Reading, Wednesday was Legoland, Thursday was Windsor and Friday was London Aquarium, Saturday was shopping in various places...........

So it was goooood to get home to relax!! Have lots of photos so the exploding box for chrimbo pressie is sorted lol. I didn't get to meet Steph unfortunately cos every minute was accounted for!!

Have plugged in and installed my Robo tonight, and quite chuffed cos I did it all by myself!

I have been feeling a bit down lately due to a couple of things but yesterday my mates cheered me up, which gave me enough confidence to start my horrendous 3 lots of medication today! (plus Em bullied me into it!). Have been suffering today but apparently (according to Dr Sue) if I read a side affect on the t'internet that does not necessarily mean I am going to get it!!! Although one of the medicines has a side affect of confusion - which I find very funny! (and when I do get this one can you remind me it is due to the pills and my name and address is ..................pmsl!)

Well here are a couple of piccies but the best ones are on DH's camera so I'll have to get those off him!

(can't wait to scrap the first photo - ain't that just begging for a sarcastic title!)

Hey!

Compared to last week, this one has been an odd one!




Great news on the safe arrival of Kya. Carol, is my friend at work (another craftie bonkers bird!) and her daughter gave birth to a beautiful miracle. Now I think every baby is a miracle, but this one more so! At 4 months Sam was told she had miscarried. She hadn't. At 7 months Sam was told the baby had died. She hadn't. At 8 months Sam was told she was going to be induced cos it was unlikely that the baby would survive........so the fact that Kya is here, healthy and beautiful is bloody amazing!!


So I made Carol this canvas:

Excuse the scan - camera is being charged!

Then I woke up to find my little man sat on the landing, surrounded in pages with drawings on. And this is what he was doing - warning, tissues needed!

"Cat missing. I love him. He is black and he is 12, phone mum"

So Casper is still not home.........it's been almost two weeks now. Not thinking about the inevitable but now when people are asking they have that kind of look that says 'oh dear'!

AND this week I have been diagnosed with a syndrome! (never had a syndrome before). Now I have been having lots of tests and lots of poking and prodding and finally this week we have a result! Only taken 18 months! It's not quite what I was expecting, plus I have two things wrong but they have finally found out what it is and I can go on medication. But the side affects are awesome - not that I got any sympathy from my so called friends! So this time next week, expect a phychotic wreck with lots of physical 'problems' - deep joy!! I am ok though, so don't be worrying ;o)

what a week!

Monday - dislocated my left hip OWWWWHHHH f******* OOOOOOwwwwwwwwwwhhhh!

Tuesday - another disaster to deal with (is it my imagination or are we getting more and more disasters since Brown became pm?!)

Wednesday - gave Lynne her going away surprise party and her scrapbook and video (and spent 10 minutes handing her tissues as she sobbed like a baby ;o) )

Thursday - sorted the 87 sets of Stamp Man ATC swaps (OMG 87!!!)

Friday - spent the day doing my garden and now I have my fancy smancy pergola - which I adore btw and will take a photo tomorrow, spent the afternoon planting all the plants I have been saving. I now have a wisteria climbing up it, I have always wanted a wisteria and now I have one - very happy! Also as I was mowing the lawn, stood funny on my leg which promptly popped my hip nicely back into place and now do not walk like I have had a little 'accident' and swearing with every single step lol!

Am sad this week though, have not seen my big squidgy cat since Sunday................not looking good ;o( Am hoping he will just wander back in at some point - hope so anyway!

Off to a work's family fun day tomorrow with Bex and the boys, can't wait!

Lynne's Scrapbook

Well, last week we all met round at Trudy's and we had a crop! My first time at a crop and it was ironic that it was with a group of friends who have never scrapbooked in their lives and we usually meet up for parties and meals! We are making a scrapbook for Lynne's leaving pressie and I have to say the girls did a really good job. I stepped back a bit and just let them go for whatever pages they wanted to do. It is really odd, and something I have never really noticed with the 'professional' scrappers, but the pages really do reflect personalities. for example, Trudy's is pink and fluffy, Lisa's is plonked on and full of fun, Lynda's evolves around sex and shoes!!! I got to do lots of filler pages too, which I loved doing too.


I had such a good time and I know Lynne is going to love it when we give it to her on Wednesday. I just have one dlo to to about work (where we all met 12 years ago!!).

Under the Sea!

Mum has done it again! This time it's a wall hanging for Ollie's bedroom, which is sea themed.

Love it!