Bye bye

My nutty friend.
I will you so much- more than you will ever know.
You show 'em how it is done in the big crop up in the sky- goodness knows you always did everything in true 'Jan style'
Love you- god bless -x-

smells like christmas?

oh yes indeedy! Went to Swindon for the day yesterday with the aim of buying Christmas presents...well I bought lots of things for me but not a lot else! No pressies! I did indulge in a couple of eggnog lattes, Mum had gingerbread as per cacky pic taken on my phone, and in the first shop they over-indulged me and gave me an extra freebie- masses of whipped cream atop my already calorie laden giganticus latte! Oh yummers indeed!


Great day with Mum though, biggest bargain? Four bras in next for a whopping tenner (yes for all 4 of them!)








This pic is for Amy- yes this is your daughter on the shelves of Borders! I got a couple of weird looks when I took this pic- but if they had been brash enough to look closer they would see that the person taking the photo is the very same person in that little pic at the top of the page! Surely that is allowed!





Couple of random pics!






This is Lola- aint she gorgeous? She really is a beautiful pup- and I love her! She belongs to my God-daughters Willow and Caitlin, and the rest of the household.





Random pic of Amelia from last week, nowt like a chocolate coated baby! YUM!








My ATF layout for this week, theme was habits. Simba is truly defined by being a creature of habit. Everything involves some level of habit with him.
Used- bazzill, anna griffin papers (I am down to my last couple of inches of these papers, and I need more, they were a purchase many moons ago from a sale at hockles with Kirsty and Jen!) lots of misc brads, buttons and poundland velvet alphas :)
I am using my layouts to build a sort of portfolio of Simba, and the album is looking great so far, I love having a record of stuff like this :D

ATF are having a break now over Christmas, but will add some projects to keep you pet lovers going over the festive period, so keep checking the blog, or sub to bloglines.com to find out automatically when we have uploaded.
If anyone has any ideas for future themes we are working on the list for next year now, so let us know. I will also be scouting for guest designers soon, so link me up to your layouts, we like to use everyone, known, unknown, published, not published, on design teams or not, everyone is welcome :) We already have a couple of people lined up, but want more and more! So please, please show us your stuff!

freeeeeaaky!

ok, I just had a chain mail sent to me from a friend. Now, usually I don't bother even reading them, but for some reason I did and OMG! Here is the relevant part to me (will add my own notes to it in red lol!):
AQUARIUS - Does It In The Water

Trustworthy. Attractive. Great kisser. One of a kind, loves being in
long-term relationships true. Can be clumbsy at times but tries hard very true. Will take on any project also very true. Proud of themselves in whatever they do. Messy, and unorganized has the person who wrote this been sneaking into my house?. Procrastinators uh-huh. Great lovers, when their not sleeping this made me laugh out loud- last sunday morning mart and I had a humdinger of a row cos he woke me up thinking he was gonna get some loving!. Extreme thinkers yup. Loves their pets usually more then their familiy more than my family? They ARE my famly!. Can be VERY irritating to others when they try to explain or tell a story too true. Unpredictable yup. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out this is sooooo true- I avoid confrontation if I possibly can- however if you seriously piss me off, it takes a lot for that to happen, but if you do you will never ever live it down!.



Here are the others if you wanna read your own, plus that means I am forwarding it to everyone so I can't possibly get the bad luck PMSL!



ARIES - The Aggressive

Outgoing. Lovable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, and family is very important to an aries. Aries are known for being generous and giving. Addictive. Loud. Always has the need to be 'Right'. Aries will argue to prove their point for hours and hours. Aries are some of the most wonderful people in the world. 16 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



TAURUS - The Tramp

Aggressive. Loves being in long relationships. Likes to give a good fight.Fight for what they want. Can be annoying at times, but for the love of attention. Extremely outgoing. Loves to help people in times of need. Good kisser. Good personality. Stubborn. A caring person. They can be self centered and if they want something they will do anything to get it. They love to sleep and can be lazy. One of a kind. Not one to mess with. Are the most attractive people on earth! 15 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



GEMINI - The Twin

Nice. Love is one of a kind. Great listeners Very Good at confusing people... Lover not a fighter, but will still knock you out. Gemini's will not take any crap from anyone. Gemini's like to tell people what they should do and get offended easily. They are great at losing things and are forgetful. Gemini's can be very sarcastic and childish at times, and are very nosey.Trustworthy. Always happy. VERY Loud. Talkative. Outgoing VERY FORGIVING. Loves to make out. Has a beautiful smile. Generous. Strong. THE MOST IRRESISTIBLE. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



CANCER - The Beauty

MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high appeal. A Cancer's Love is one of a kind. Very romantic. Most caring person you will ever meet in your life. Entirely creative Person, most's are artists and insane respectfully speaking. They perfected sex and do it often. Extremely random. An Ultimate Freak. Extremely funny and is usually the life of the party. Most cancers will take you under their wing and into their hearts where you will remain forever. Cancers make love with a passion beyond compareSpontaneous. Not a Fighter, But will kick your ass good if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to! 12 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



LEO - The Lion

Great talker. Attractive and passionate. Laid back. Usually happy, but when unhappy tend to be grouchy and childish. A leo's problem becomes everyone's problem. Most Leos are very predictable and tend to be monotonous. Knows how to have fun. Is really good at almost anything. Great kisser. Very predictable. Outgoing. Down to earth. Addictive. Attractive. Loud. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Not one to mess with. Rare to find. Good when found. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



VIRGO - The One that Waits

Dominant in relationships. Someone loves them right now. Always wants the last word. Caring. Smart. Loud. Loyal. Easy to talk to. Everything you ever wanted. Easy to please. A pushover. Loves to gamble and take chances. Needs to have the last say in everything. They think they know everything and usually do. Respectful to others but you will quickly lose their respect if you do something untrustworthy towards them and never regain respect. The do not forgive and never forgetThe one and only. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



LIBRA - The Lame One

Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! However, not the kind of person you want to mess with... you might end up crying... Libras can cause as much havoc as they can prevent. faithful friends to the end. Can hold a grudge for years. Libras are someone you want on your side. Usually great at sports and are extreme sports fanatics. Kinda dumb at times. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



SCORPIO - The Addict

EXTREMELY adorable. Loves to joke. Very Good sense of humor. Will try almost anything once. Loves to be pampered. Energetic. Predictable. GREAT kisser. Always get what they want. Attractive. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Loves to party but at times to the extreme. Loves the smell and feel of money and is good at making it but just as good at spending it! Very protective over loved ones. HARD workers. Can be a good friend but if is disrespected by a friend, the friendship will end. Romantic. Caring. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



SAGITTARIUS - The Promiscuous One

Spontaneous. High appeal. Rare to find. Great when found. Loves being in long relationships. So much love to give. A loner most of the time. Loses patience easily and will not take crap. If in a bad mood stay FAR away. Gets offended easily and remembers the offense forever. Loves deeply but at times will not show it feels it is a sign of weakness. Has many fears but will not show it. VERY private person. Defends loved ones will all their abilities. Can be childish often. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing in bed..!!! Not the kind of person you want to mess with- you might end up crying. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



CAPRICORN - The Passionate Lover

Love to bust. Nice. Sassy. Intelligent. Sexy. Grouchy at times and annoying to some. Lazy and love to take it easy. But when they find a job or something they like to do they put their all into it. Proud, understanding and sweet.Irresistible. Loves being in long relationships. Great talker. Alwaysgets what he or she wants. Cool. Loves to win against other signs especially Gemini's in sports. Likes to cook but would rather go out to eat at good restaurants.Extremely fun. Loves to joke. Smart. 24 years of bad luck if you do not forward.



AQUARIUS - Does It In The Water

Trustworthy. Attractive. Great kisser. One of a kind, loves being inlong-term relationships. Can be clumbsy at times but tries hard. Will take on any project. Proud of themselves in whatever they do. Messy, and unorganized. Procrastinators. Great lovers, when their not sleeping. Extreme thinkers. Loves their pets usually more then their familiy. Can be VERY irritating to others when they try to explain or tell a story. Unpredictable. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out. 2 years of bad luck if you do not forward



PISCES - The Partner for Life

Caring and kind. Smart. Center of attention. Messy at times and irresponsible! Smart but lazy. High appeal. Has the last word. Good to find, hard to keep. Passionate, wonderful lovers. Fun to be around. Too trusting at times and gets hurt easily. Lover of animals. VERY caring, make wonderful nurses or doctors. They always try to do the right thing sometimes get the short end of the stick. They sometimes et used by others and hurt because of their trusting. Extremely weird but in a good way. Good Sense of Humor!!! Thoughtful. Always gets what he or she wants. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet. Good friend to other but need to be choosy on who they allow their friends to be. 5 years of bad luck if you do not forward.





Last weeks ATF awwww look at the babies! Here is mine-




So many changes in Simba in the 6 years I have had him as part of my life. (A very big part of my life!)
Bazzill, KI memories cs, can't remember what the paper was lol possibly autumn leaves, clear buttons backed with jo sonjas paint, dovecraft brads, stamps away journalling stamps (soooo love these) heidi swapp chipboard, paperchase stickers

Vicki- your custom card order is on it's way- should be with you Tuesday :)


I would at this point like to echo what Shirl has said on her blog. We are all facing a very sad loss, one person in particular, and my heart is breaking for her. This woman is one of the most remarkable women in the world, and still has her sense of humour- I don't know how she has the strength after everything she has been through. Love her lots -x-

AT LAST!

So the thing I couldn't talk about? At long flippin last! Amy's bloke popped the big question last night! And she said yes (but let him stew for an hour and a half first- that's my girl! LOL)
This has been going on for months- we all knew it was gonna happen, but when? So he bought loads of helium balloons, roses, candles etc, the ring had been delivered to my house aaaaaages ago, and at last he finally did it!
So, after lots of frantic phonecalls (the best was when he got sprung with a car full of balloons when Amy drove past him coming back from the school run!)he did it- *insert big sigh of relief*
CONGRATULATIONS!
Love you lots -x-

MIA

sorry! Well actually thats a porker- I'm not really sorry! mwwahahahahaaaa! Been really busy- nec was great, I am skint! It was fab seeing my stamps for sale (even if Paul was saying that they are going on ebay cos he can't shift them the swine! LOL but thanks so much for all my goodies) really exciting and strange, and I took pics of them hung up on the stand for my own amusement! This is a big thing for me!
Spent a fortch, came back laden with goodies (over a hundred rubber stamps- the shame lol!)!
Met up with the ninja one, was fab to see her again, until next time Ginger!
Really missed the card fairy stand not being there any more *sob*

Anyway- am waiting for some news on something I can't possibly talk about *looks shifty* and I WANNA KNOW NOW!

gona go sort out laundry ad crack on with card orders- ttfn!

tis halloween!

and boy oh boy have I been busy! It's just quietened down now, and we only just ran out of treat parcels!
ETA NOT SURE WHY THE WHOLE PICS AREN'T SHOWING- LOOKS FINE IN PREVIEW- WILL PLAY WITH IT LATER ON

Lots of pics and not many words tonight methinks! A lot of these are just so I can look back next year for reference!

The guests...(sorry for blur- darn kids were too hyped up to stand still lol)









Nibbles...



My witchy things in the kitchen



and in the dark...wooooooo


close up of vampire blood (so proud of my scientific moment)



mega close up of blood...oil, water, food colouring and salt- love how it went all gloopy!


close up of oozing grubs- cornflour gloop, food colouring, cut the tops off q-tips



hmmmm lid kept falling through one of the pumpkins, so I wedged spider rings in to keep it on!



In serious danger of collapsing, (I gutted it too thin- but it survived the night!)


Eye of the beholder...



Great night- kids were all polite and well mannered- had some real little cuties round, tiny pumpkin toddlers galore!

sheesh

it's been a really super hectic couple of weeks with lots of horrid things happening :(

I have been armed with my big shoulders for other people to use (that is what they are there for) and they have got very damp on more than one occasion lol!

Still- things are looking better- onwards and upwards eh?



So the preparations for halloween are underway, getting there slowly but tomorrow is gonna be manic- so much still left to do- 2 pumpkins to carve, witches kitchen jars to finish, decs to go up and so on...

managed to get the treat packages made up though, same as last year (so much easier to give each child a package rather than the shy ones taking one small treat and the greedy ones taking handfuls- this way they all get the same)

The lounge....



and the finished articles...





Last theme at ATF was pets and their owners...



supplies- papermill card, a fab gsd file that I cut on my robo but I am so sorry I cannot remember who made it- if you let me know I will edit with the correct credit to the creator, lots of angel kisses and primas, twinkly gems, and some craft robo letters that I layered up to give a bit of dimension and some brads



Had a flippin nightmare today- we inherited a pond from my brother the other week, so after shifting a couple of tonnes of soil we got it in, complete with plants and fish, it all went really well. The pump and filter system was all working great and the water was clearing nicely. So on Sunday we shifted another tonne or so of soil, and moved the pump and waterfall, all looking really nice, ready for the next stage in landscaping. So this morning I went to peg out the washing, and there is obviously a major leak somewhere, no idea where, but the water has dropped to almost half- in one day! So I have now spent the morning measuring and treating tap water (after carefully saving all the pond water and rain water so we didn't have to have any tap water in there at all), leaving it to get to the right temp, and am about to go and lug it all back down to the pond again. One is not amused! GRRR! Still Mart and I have had a lovely snuggly day *wub*



Will be back with the halloween updates as soon as I can!

ETA FOR KIRSTY: Last year we made up about 70 little packages like the ones above...we ran out and made up about another 30-40 and they all went too!

I've been tagged by the delicious Katy

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs

Ok here is mine...

1- I can bend my fingers backwards, and my toes too- in fact my toes bend so far I can lie them against the top of my foot (I know gross huh?!)

2- Like Katy, I am petrified of clowns *shudders*

3- I am fantastic at keeping secrets

4- I have 5 goddaughters and one godson

5- I am currently relearning how to play my fave tunes on the piano (I gave up lessons many years ago)

6- I work best under pressure (although I don't like it)

7- My kneecaps are in the wrong place (no they aren't on my shoulder lol they are shifted round at the wrong angle so my legs never look straight! There's no hope really is there lol!?)

I am gonna tag (sorrrrry!)

The mucky one

Jennie

Paula

Jo

Soo

Shirleen

Heather

And this weeks ATF layout on the theme of routine

The stamped panel is actually acetate, but because of its see-through-ness I had to pop a bit of card behind or all you would see is my green carpet!

Supplies: bazzill, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, random brads, basic grey gypsy paper, buttons (most of which were nabbed from my Nan's button tin), Rhonna Farrer stamps, sakura gel pen, teeny crystals. I also filled the 'holes' in the letters with ranger matte accents (hard to see on pic)

breast is best

Ok so I wasn't gonna upload this to my blog but ho hums now I am!




In aid of Breast cancer awareness month, the girls at it's a creative world have challenged us all to get our knockers out and scrap a page about them. Not one to miss out on a challenge, particularly when it is about a subject so close to me personally, I did it, and here is the layout








Supplies: Bazzill, crate paper, basic grey paper, anna griffin, stamps away and rhonna farrer stamps, karen foster brads, part of a necklace I ripped apart, bit of hand stitching and inkyness




I also thoroughly recommend you visit this site and if you can take part in their study into breast cancer and its causes, please do. I signed up when it was first launched, and if I remember rightly you don't have to give blood (I did and it was no big deal) but if you can all the better :) There are questionnaires to answer every so often, and hopefully they can make some headway into curing this awful disease.



Also, forgot to upload the last challenge from ATF





Supplies: bazzill, sei paper, Heidi swapp chipboard letters, Queen and co chipboard letters, American crafts thickers number, lots of random buttons and brads from my collection, and some chipboard brackets from poundland :)
Next challenge goes live tomorrow and the winner of our fab prize is being announced tonight

A public declaration of love

AMY I LOVE YOU!
For those who don't know- this is my truly spectacular bestest friend :D
If you don't have an Amy in your life, I strongly recommend you get one for yourself (cos you aint having mine!)
Today I received a most wonderful surprise. The doorbell rang, and there stood my Amy (with no children!), totally unexpected; armed with flowers and chocolates :)
Just cos!
Apparently she was thinking about how she tells everyone else how much she appreciates me, but doesn't tell me (she so does!).
So she had planned on buying me flowers on wednesday (which is girly wednesday when we always get together), but after a mammoth reading session on here today, and some tears lol, she decided it needed to be done right now.
So there you go! How lovely was that?!
It couldn't have come at a better time either, I have been noticing over the last couple of days that I think I am on a bit of a downer with my depression, lo and behold I suddenly feel so much better.
Amy you are a total angel- and I love you so much- I too, truly appreciate having you in my life, you are the only person who can decipher my blubbing fits when I ring you crying and really, nobody should be able to understand anything I say when I am in that much of a state. You always say the right thing at the right moment and make me feel better. You listen to my incessant random waffling, and somehow manage to make sense of that too!
I am a better person for having you in my life, not to mention the two precious god-daughters you have given me.
I know it is a two way street, but I need you to know how very much you are loved too. *sniff sniff* -x-



Onto other things- check out It's a Creative World , get your wabs out for the camera, and scrap them :D

new magnolia creation

with a golden retriever asleep on my feet, and not wanting to disturb him, I whipped up this little number yesterday (said dog is asleep on my feet again so thought I would blog too!). The light is so ridiculous today that I had to go in the garden to grab a pic, whilst praying the sudden gusts of wind wouldn't take my card away!

Supplies: magnolia stamp, papermill card (very much like bazzill *yum*), basic grey infusion paper, dovecraft brads, prima flowers, lots of punched and inked leaves, k&co letters to go, and a sparkly nailhead that was plundered from a belt!

The birthday present went down very well- the phrase *you know me too well* appeared lol- well yes!

flying visit...

Just a quickie while I have five mins (ooerr)
Thought I would share a few bits that I have been up to (other than painting and shifting furniture about the bedroom!)


Magnolia cards- yes I was bitten by the bug that is magnolia!

This one was isn't finished, I coloured this using various inks, mm cosmo papers, treehouse memories paper, more yet to be added!


This one was coloured with watercolour pencils, MM papers, papermania brad, mm brad, cuttlebug die, studio g stamp



Last weeks ATF layout- on the theme of nicknames- this wasn't how I intended it to turn out but I wrecked it too many times to mention! Discovered a cool technique though, the hearts are made from funky foam embossed with a cuttlebug- how cool is that?! It only happened as I had both items in my hands and *ding* a little lightbulb shone above my wee brain! Poundland velvet alphas, Imagination project paper, ribbon and stuff!


ANNNNND I made a man card! (this is fairly unheard of!) This is to go with the gift below...junkitz paper, cuttlebug embossing folder, sizzix star die, studio g stamp, and a smidge of doodling



Now do I buy the best birthday presents or what?! LOL! It's a friends birthday, and he is rather tricky to buy for (although appreciative of everything). He would ideally live off coke and junk food, so for one time only his wish is my command! There is soooo much crap on that tray it is almost unbelievable! There is chocolate-so much, curly wurlys, twirls, dairy milk in various forms, toblerone, double deckers, (he loves footie too hence the choccy footballs), coke, cookies, jammie dodgers (well you have to dontcha), jaffa cakes, haribo, flumps, flying saucers...
I'll report back when I have given it to the recipient!

9/11

In memory of those who lost their lives, their loved ones, to everyone touched by this terrible act, to the rescue services and volunteers -x-

RIP sweet Alex

Today is a very very sad day for the parroting community.

A fantastic lady called Dr Irene Pepperberg bought a beautiful african grey parrot in 1977 from a pet store. She has made it her lifes work to see just how clever this species really is. Alex was the main subject of her work, and has been a friend and companion to her for the past 30 years.

Sadly, Alex passed away yesterday, cause unknown.

He was a truly remarkable parrot. He could recognise and name colours, shapes, objects (even from photographs) could count and was learning the alphabet. It wasn't 'parrot fashion' either. He would count the sides or corners of a shape to recognise what shape it actually was.

Having bought and studied books and videos of Irene's work with Alex, I was, at many times, truly awed by what they had achieved. It totally rocked the 'specialists' in the field of avian work.
To read about Alex you can visit the Alex Foundation

Alex was a true marvel and will be sorely missed- having lost a grey myself I truly understand the pain that Irene and the team are feeling right now :(
I am absolutely humbled by the work undertaken by the team, and forever thankful to them all (especially Alex) for proving that this species is really one of a kind :)
Fly high Alex -x-




(photo of Alex from the alex foundation)

ah bueno!

mmmmmmmm dontcha just love Italiano? Not long got home after a gorgeous evening. We decided to dine at Giani's this fair evening, it has been a gorgeous day and what better way to finish it off?


Great company, a dear dear friend of mine came along, I don't see him too often and he is always really good company :)


As it has been so sunny and warm I wore my newest dress, with a lil cropped cardi and actually felt somewhere near a million dollars...a bottle of wine and some beer later I felt a gazzillion dollars (so no apologies for typos in this post!). Y'see Giani cooks stuff fresh so you do wait a bit longer, but it is so worth it. It is so damn laid back...but it did mean that I was well on my way to being sozzled by the main course ;) I rarely drink due to a dodgy liver, so it doesn't take much to get me plastered! mwahaha! cheap date!


Starter: deep fried mozzarella sandwich (I shared a starter), pure artery clogging yumminess, main course: mushroom and cream rissotto *mwah* twas most bootiful, and then I shared dessert, strawberry pannacotta cos there was no way on earth I could fit in tirimasu! Fab evening :)


Deadlines are all finished too, mostly anyway which meant I could sit back and relax and soak up the Italian atmosphere, including the very Italian waitor singing a very (loud) italian version of ' just one cornetto' LOL!





Had an eye appt today, and considering how long my last appt was (had a lot of probs and a warning of neurologists refferals), this was a breeze. I decided it was time to get contacts again, I stopped before because they were so expensive with my astigmatism. Well god bless specsavers- less than HALF the price I was paying with the other opticians! AND he has fitted me for dailies. Although they are not perfect because of the angle of my astigmatism he has ordered me a few pairs to try out and see if they will work. I did not, however, appreciate him turning my eyelids inside out FOUR times! :O It does mean that I can wear sunglasses again (if we ever get any of that golden stuff!) which I am sure is responsible for my pre-wrinkles! Followed by a latte in a lovely italian cafe (do you see a theme- I am sure my dad is really some italian bloke, I even have olive skin) yumtiddlyscrum.





My new bed has arrived, so gotta ask Mart nicely to go pick it up, it is so damn pretty, can't wait to get all decorated :)





anyhoodle, nuff waffling, here is this weeks ATF layout, there is a prize this month too so get uploading yours :D







bazzill cs, paperchase wrapping paper which I am smitten with, doodlebug token, heidi swapp heart and tab, staples, paperchase stickers, angel kisses and brads

toodlepip!

and another hectic week in my life lol!

Had my niece staying last week, as my brother treated his wife to a jaunt in Rome to celebrate her upcoming 40th birthday.

They had a fab time with beautiful weather, while the kids enjoyed going out with their grandad in the day, bowling and outdoor swimming galore! It really helped me too, as it meant I could get on with stuff in the house and bits of work that needed doing.

The studio is much tidier, it had gotten really bad in there, lots of bits that had no home and needed sorting, and were just piling up in my 'to sort' pile on the floor. I chucked a bin liner of stuff out, and did silly tedious things like popping chipboard shapes out of the sheet and throwing the negatives away as it was taking up far more space then necessary.

Paula has asked me to take some pics for her fabby new project Crafty Storage I promise I haven't forgotten you hun, and will get on with it as soon as I can.

Spotted my stamps being used for the first time here on Anna's layout. Thank you hun :D

Lots of scrapping in progress: ATF goes live with its next challenge tomorrow, with another brillo guest designer :)

Got a commission from scrapbook inspirations too, so need to get that finished.

Got mightily pissed off with a blog slagging off uk scrappers (as in people not the forum- although a fair bit of bitching about that too). Basically if you won best of british (which I did) or have anything published (which I do) and if you get paid for it (God forbid), or were a member of a private forum (which I am), or on a design team for anything (yup, me again shoot me now) than the mud was slinging in your direction. I had my say, and it was not deleted (and rightly so) as I work damn hard at what I do. And most of all I enjoy what I do. I do not make layouts just to get them in magazines, that is a totally seperate part of what I do. All the layouts I make that end up in a magazine are commissioned...they say 'will you do xyz for issue # whatever and we will pay you £whatever' why the hell would I say no? Paid to do what I love? Bloody right I am gonna say yes!

When I see the faces of the people who are in the published layouts when they see the mag, well, that is an added incentive to do it and a total bonus imo.

Anyway, enough moaning, gotta add some pics from my week right?

My niece decided to take a bath rather than a shower...I had bought some nice original source sorbet shower gel...well two thirds of the pouch later she decided to turn on the jaccuzi! The result...a buried yeti in somewhat human form...(popped a shape over her face as I don't want her bath pics to have her face in on a public blog- she doesn't belong to me! I know it looks odd but you get the idea)

A cutsey lil bug I found in my raspberry plant...

And a gorgeous sunset just begging to be snapped so I can remember the glorius weather we've had this week when it is all dark and miserable in the winter!

woooooooooooooooooooo

this week has been so frantic- actually the last few weeks have been but I couldn't tell you the most exciting part.

The postman arrived with this ...

My designs are now available from stamps away stockists *yay*

There will no doubt be more to come, it has taken me a long time to be brave enough to get some doodly designs across to the manufacturers!

I am tres excited, and a little scared and embarrassed too. I had lots of really wonderful support over these, and am glad I bit the bullet and did it! (my grammar is so poor today!)

Got to go out in a sec but will leave you will this weeks ATF layout

ttfn -x-

today was a sad day in my little world. I ventured into town with one goal. To buy my first anti wrinkle product :( (shouldn't pull that face cos it'll make em worse lol)

Yes as I was putting eye make up on earlier I noticed the first little lines...so on my mission I went, and came back armed with eye cream and night cream. I'll beat the blighters! LOL! To make it worse Mart was looking at my passport the other day (I'd had it out for ID at an appt I had) and I can't believe how much younger I looked just 6 years ago! Still the sun is shining :D



Water is all on and sorted now, so that is a big relief, although we have enough bottled water to keep us going for months I reckon!



Fab news- ghost whisperer starts again on tuesday (9pm on living tv) cannot wait, seriously love this show!



MUST get hold of some new basic grey, I am smitten with periphery so will have to go shopping soon- although now I have to budget for the ageing process my stash fund will be cut *snort*



Nowt exciting been happenin, so a cutsey photo of simba swinging in for a smooch then spotting the camera and posing! Dontcha love the delicately positioned foot on my face?!

Phew- busy old week here!

Well the water is kind of back on- nearly two weeks of no water was getting rather tedious! I have never been so excited about flushing a toilet! We still can't use it for drinking, food prep, washing up, brushing teeth etc (although as of this w/e we can if it is boiled and cooled) so still relying on boiled water from the bowsers, or bottled water.

Daily trips to go out and collect bottled water, lugging containers of water back from the bowsers, recycling water as many times as possible, trudging to the bottom of the garden to collect water from the butts to flush the loo (and typically this new toilet is sealed so we couldn't fill the cistern).

Things are so much easier already. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it. I am of course slightly concerned of going to someones house and forgetting to flush the loo, or looking for a bucket to sling water in the pan! LOL!

Then of course, 20+ kids for Jasmine's birthday party last saturday! We got plenty of bottles of water for drinks, managed to get everything done. Quite a few didn't turn up which was a shame, but unbelievably the sun shone through. We have a standing record for Jasmines birthdays, she has had beautiful weather every single birthday of her life, and a party in the garden each year. With all the rain so far we really thought it would lash down, we had a metal framed gazebo in case of showers- but nope, beautiful weather and a great time was had by all...

we decorated the gazebo, and with it's pointed roof it looked almost like a fairy castle.

We had a few teary (nice) moments- Jasmine opened her pressies from her uncle- and they were all psp2 accessories and games...well bless her, they won't work with her original playstation, but 'don't worry Uncle Jon- it's ok and it doesn't matter' accompanied by a big hug. Bless her heart. Cue blubbing from me and Mummy. Then she opened the last pressie from Jon, which contained a pink slimline psp2- I think it took a while for it to sink in what it really was, and she was over the moon.

I asked Jasmine if she thought Jon would buy me a pink psp2 for my birthday, and she said 'oh I'll buy you one, I've saved my money to buy the big snow white doll, and Mummy bought me that for my birthday so I can spend my money on you'...I told her it was loads of money and she told me it was ok, she would save all her money- cue more blubbing from me!

Love that girl SO much!

Oh Happy Day...

Happy Birthday Bubby Boo! This gorgeous lil cherub turned 6 whole years old today. Where the flip has the time gone?!

And of course cheeky photo of the day award goes to the birthday boy himself! Flippin nutjob!

Floodwatch- well the water ran out today, they reckon it will be at least 5 days til they can get in to sort it out, but realistically more like 7-14 days. Watch for the swarm of flies following me about!

*touches wood* we still have power, fingers crossed it stays on. The emergency services, RAF and army have been working tirelessly all through last night and today to try and prevent any more water getting in to the sub stations.

I was stunned at the news today. The river I was taking photos of today has completely burst through its banks. The bone dry road I was stood on yesterday while taking the pics (in my last post), is now thigh deep. That was in less than 24 hours. The river is expected to peak in the early hours, and I seriously hope it will start to calm down then.

Gordon Brown flew in by helicopter today, to be fair though he did get down on the ground and visit one of the badly affected areas. A promise of more money for the clean up operation was made too.

The thing that has struck me most is the bizarre atmosphere. It is SO strange, and I have no idea how to begin to put it into words!

Thank you for your messages, we are fine, honestly. I do hope it stays that way, but we can cope without water, and power if it comes to it (although a real 'mare for people with no gas, as the water from the emergency bowsers that the military delivered has to be boiled). We are in a very fortunate way compared to so many others. I did spend the early hours of Friday morning lifting loads of stuff up higher in my scraproom, I am only just sorted from the last flood, so figured I may as well get stuff out the way as I had a bit of warning this time!

Lots of love everyone, and stay safe and dry -x-

I don't think I have ever updated so often! LOL!

I guess that's what comes from not knowing when you are going to have internet!

Brave or stupid? Ventured out of the house earlier for a while! This is what I saw...

That used to be a field- there were too many scenes like this, but much to my amusement, lots of people were boating in the fields!

That is the river, complete with burst banks, the bit of hedge you can see was where the bank was originally...another view below

Took that one from the car as we were driving through behind this van

and lastly, the gridlock...the bridges were covered with people, police galore, and news crews. Basically that is another part of the river (across the road from the above pics) and it had burst its banks there too, so all the roads were closed off. Nice to see a bit of blue sky though!

quick update while I have internet again.

The water situation is worse still. We are still ok here, the helicopters are out in force again, as are the RNLI.
The water is going off shortly, the processing plant is flooded and they cannot clean any more water, so once this is gone that is it. Everyone has been out panic buying, there is NO water in any of the supermarkets, grown men are pushing children out of the way to grab the last bottles off the shelves. People are trying to get through the floods to get emergency standpipes and bottles through for drinking water, but obviously that is no easy task. Not sure how long it will be off for, Sky news are saying wednesday night at the mo, but who can tell?!
Will try and update here as and when I have internet connection, it is easier and quicker than going round the forums!
Take care all -x-

Back, but not long how for.
Our town has been hit really badly by the flooding (the front page of the Sun today showed a place about 5-10 mins from me-if you have seen it- yes it really is that bad!). All the rivers have burst their banks, around 200 families in the area and neighbouring towns/cities have had to be rescued by helicopter and the whole place is madness (I couldn't even buy a loaf of bread today, lots of supermarkets were shut and those that were open had hardly anything.)
Poor poor Mart was stuck in it. He got on the motorway at 2pm yesterday afternoon to go and see his Dad, and arrived here at 7am this morning after having slept on a roundabout. Poor love was shattered, cold, thirsty, hungry and aching. And he didn't complain one single bit bless him. A couple of hours in bed, followed by a hot bath numerous cups of tea and some much needed food (he hadn't eaten/drunk since yesterday lunchtime) and he was fighting fit again. I spose he is still one of the very lucky ones.
Several friends were stuck in it (including a breast fed newborn with no Mummy in the car poor lil mite) another friend picked Mama up to take her to the car to feed her and they just could not get through. It took them over 5 hours to do a five minute journey (poor Dad had been stuck in the car with three screaming girls for 7 hours- then the car broke down too!).
Still we are all safe and warm now, unlike some poor souls. If I could get through to help the less fortunate I would be there like a shot, but they are not letting anyone through.
I hope Angela (omg I have seen Stratford) Jo (omg seen evesham too) KT and Boo are all ok and safe, and anyone else I know in the surrounding areas.

Consequently I have had no internet since yesterday morning, just checked it quickly now and found I have a connection, but no idea how long it will last so figured it was safest to blog incase it goes again. I haven't felt this cut off for a long time!

Lots of love to everyone and stay safe -x- Oh and if you have emailed me I will get back to you as soon as I can, I have loads to sift through!

so I am back yet again!

Have had a really difficult couple of weeks, and really needed time to reflect, and, well, just be.

Onwards and upwards (I hope).

HUGE thanks to Ali, who called me out of the blue. Just to lend some support and a friendly ear. I love you SO much girlie, and of course it was lovely to talk to you, much love to you and yours (and am hoping you are an Auntie now?!) -x-

Hard to say what I have been doing really. Bit of this, bit of that. Made a few bags, here is one I made, and am waiting for more stuff to arrive.

I am really amazed that I can actually sew! You see, years ago I caught what I though was the sewing bug, and got bought a brilliant singer machine for christmas. I figured I was never destined to be a seamstress. You see, I could never get a single good stitch from this machine, and neither could anyone else who tried. My Great Grandmother was an amazing dressmaker. She would see a dress, coat, or anything in a shop window, go back home and have one knocked up in no time. All of my Mothers clothes were made by her.

I secretly hoped there was something in the genetics, but alas, 'twas not meant to be.

That singer machine was overhauled and serviced, to no avail.

So a few weeks ago, I figured I would give it another go...but not on my machine...oh no, on my Great Grandmothers vintage Singer.

OMG it works like a dream.

It is one like this:

It sews every single stitch with the perfection one would expect from a modern machine like mine. Ok, so it has no fancy stitches, you can't reverse, it has no seam markings, and no fancy electric stuff...but you know what? It is SO totally worth it. Because now I CAN SEW! I really can! There is something quite satisfying about turning that old handle.

And of course it looks so darn pretty sat on my studio desk!

The next project I am tackling is an Amy Butler number...watch this space!

RIP Baby George.
Taken way too soon, finally laid to rest
God bless -x-

back again,

but only briefly.

It's been a funny old time since I last blogged.

Bathroom is pretty much finished, just decorating to do now, then the heated towel rail to go on.

Had some really dreadful news last week, I don't feel it is appropriate to blog about it, but it's hit really hard, and left me feeling so thankful for what I do have, and made me realise a lot of what I want to have. Big thanks to Flossie for really being there for me, and for saying exactly the right words at the right time- love ya hun -x-



I played along with the digi dares again this week, it is just too easy to scrap on the laptop, in fact I finished this in bed last night lol! (click for larger image)



So this was the dare from Janet:

Growing up, the song UNANSWERED PRAYERS by Garth Brooks was one of my favorites. The key phrase in the song is, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” I am sure we have all had things in life that we really wanted but didn’t get. Although it was sad/difficult at the time we can now look back and see why NOT getting it was the best thing that could have happened. So come on, scrap about the best thing you DIDN’T get.
DARE FLAIR:
– Use a quote or song Lyric somewhere on the page– Use at least one scanned-in item (ticket stub, CD sleeve, etc)
OR–
Try a technique that you have never tried before and tell us what it is (so we can tell you how great you were at it!)

So, this layout is about my first parrot Baloo. Anyone who knows me even slightly will know about my passion for parrots- most specifically African Greys. The short story: I wanted one for years and years.
I bought the cage, the whole setup, and just by chance I wandered by a reopening of a large pet store. I vowed never to buy animals from there, but went in for a look.
And there he was. I could not walk out of that store and leave him there. Fingers poking in the cage, staff trying to teach him to swear, the wrong diet. Just couldn't do it. So I bought him. Picked him up the next day, and settled him in. We bonded very quickly, I have never known anything like it. Sadly, Baloo was very very poorly, and died just 12 weeks later. It totally ripped me apart. He was with the very best avian vet in this country, and I swear I prayed so hard for him to get better. He lost his fight, and is now in a better place, free from pain and suffering.
Ok, so I may not have made any difference to any other parrot, but I am so glad for the time we had together. I loved him more than anything else, and looked after him properly. I feel I 'saved' him from having a miserable end in a shop with no real mummy.

So- back to the layout!

The journaling reads:
We had just twelve short weeks together before you lost your fight.
My heart was totally shattered, but I have always maintained that I was so happy to have given
you 3 months of happiness, all the love I had and the best possible care, rather than leave you where you were on your own with no particular person chucking a bit of food at you as and when. I am so thankful for the time we had together, I learned so very much from you my bubbabaloo xxx

I shed a fair few tears doing this layout- but I think it is healing to do :)

I used the title 'What good have you done, by saving just this one' which is also from a Garth Brooks song, 'The Change'. Beautiful lyrics, gorgeous song.
Had nothing relevant to scan in tho :(
But I did try something new- I used blending, embossing and shadows on the journaling (never done that before and probs never will again lol- just played!) and burned marks onto the parts where the staples go into the paper/photo-it's subtle- but I think it works.
Oh and another new thing for me- using a clip then erasing the part it covers to look like the clip was slid onto the photo. If that makes ANY sense at all lol! Not so good with the words today pmsl- I blame the weather!
Credits: Paper; Katie Pertiet, brush; Jason at designfruit, staples; Gina Miller, stitched corners; Sarah Batdorf, clip; Shabby Princess, font from two peas (I think- sorry!)

yurks!

Manic.

That describes the last two weeks for me pretty much!

The story:

Two years ago we went to a local home and garden show and spotted this somehow we ended up buying one with the whirlpool/jaccuzi function for our tiny bathroom. Measured up, yup the smaller size would fit, got a good deal on it, weren't ready to have it put in but that was fine, as long as we took delivery within a year. So, last September we finally had it delivered.

It has since been stored here- half of it in the conservatory and half of it in the garage (it is HUGE).

The plumbers were finally ready to fit it the week before last.

So off we go, new toilet and sink, no probs.

They fit the base of the bath, but can't get the side panels up the stairs.

So on Tuesday morning (bearing in mind we are running off a temp water supply at this point for over a week) we have to pay a glazier to take my bedroom window out and put the panel through. Result!

The plumbers come out to fit it, and are expecting the other workmen to have attached it to the bath base ready to plumb in.

Wrong!

We go to bring the other panel up (are you still with me?) and

IT
WON'T

FIT!

So, Wednesday morning I have to have the window out AGAIN! Argh!

More probs along the way but finally the spaceship is in! We had 6 blokes in our tiny bathroom Friday night trying to get it together- thats two plumbers, two electricians and two oddjob men.

And it is F A B!

I think I may live in there forever!

I actually think there is a button on the control panel to transport you to another dimension!

Totally PMSL at the last warning on this label (sorry its a tad blurry)

But we have a leak on the hardboard floor base! PMSL! Why can't anything be straight forward!?

Had a little bit of much needed playtime this morning, so decided to play along with the digi dares.

Here is mine- Simba is so funny with this and the tone of voice he uses- he quite often says- 'hello bubby' or 'are you alright bubby' lol. love that lil guy :D (click for larger image)

Credits: Gina Caberra delightful kit, and Kate Pertiet kraft paper

A True Friend went live with the latest challenge on Tuesday- I won't add the pics again here as there are so many. We have some great plans in store for the blog, Laurie and I have been in cahoots for a while now ;)