Cold Comfort

I really had the urge to create today, really itching to make something and so once it became clear that the kids were happily occupied and not about to disturb me, I moved into the kitchen that houses my scrappy corner and got to it, I say got to it but that involves making the kitchen warm first as its a cold room and I cannot function in cold!

This is mainly made with the Craft Robo (ghost, title, pumpkins and border) Its not one that I am massively thrilled with but at least I got in a couple of hours of glue and paper and thats what its all about.





I have to say that after a few days stuck in with the kids and nothing but a dog walk to break the day up, I am REALLY looking forward to the weekend, heck I've got so much cabin fever I am looking forward to going to Asda tomorrow - someone shoot me now I am obviously going nuts cos I HATE that place!

Pumpkin Cat

This is the extent of any craftyness today, I got the shape from Silhouettes online store (although you can get templates free online, as I did a cool ghost one a couple of years back)



You then print the shape or cut it out and use it to trace on the pumpkin and then with a small sharp knife you cut around the shape. Its actually quite easy and fast the whole carving thing too under 10 minutes! We also have another pumpkin to carve tomorrow!



My two are looking a bit twin like today I think!

We've just got back from the dentist who has filled in Jessicas crumbled tooth, luckily it was the same one that went last year and not a new fresh one, so it was just a case of re fixing it! Its very strange my children having weak teeth that are prone to problems, as I at the grand age of 35 have never had any dental treatment apart from checkups - yup thats right, I have NO fillings no nothing! (much to my dentists disgust!)

My weekend

Nothing to show I'm afraid!

Have had a lovely busy weekend. Mad about Musicals was ermmmm intersting, the first half was appalling, far too much leaping about which detracted from the voices and the men in general could not sing!(bar one or two!) During the interval (3 of the 4 of us wanted to leave at this point, but 1 wanted to stay so we put up and kinda shut up!)I think the cast got a shot of vodka straight into their blood streams as it was thankfully much better (with their 'thriller' rendition very very good), although we did have a giggle at times and unfortunatley Les is a snorter so we couldn't hide it much! Thank god we were sat at the back!

Saturday we had a curry which left me with a grumbly tummy on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon saw afternoon drinkies before home for a lovely roast dinner!

Today I have been stripping the walls in the hallway, the old fashioned way with water and as I had no scraper - a dinner knife! Still I got a lot done and Jessica has been an absolute star, she has walked the dog, and spent almost 2 hours scraping paper off the walls with loads of enthusiasm. She is such good company and so easy to have around at the moment, she always wants to be with me but in a lovely companiable way. We have pumpkin carving, scone making, christmas card making and unfortunatley a visit to the dentist planned this week as Jessicas back tooth has crumbled again.

That Friday Feeling!

Yay its the weekend!

I have been a very busy bunny today, manically crafting and spraying and sewing and sticking and folding and punching. I have had a very merry time. I can't show you the finished result though as its for a design team tryout, but I am very pleased with it.



So instead I thought I would show you my crochet progress. It is now 19 stripes (thats really 38 as each colour has two rows) long. Each coloured stripe takes between 2-3hours to complete and thats because it is over 4ft and a half feet long.

We are doing something a little different tonight, we are going to see Mad about Musicals which the local light opera company are putting on. Its amazing the things you agree to after a few vinos - nah only joking I'm a big fan of musicals and so is Les, poor Jason and Ray though its not very manly is it!!!!!

A message to a mouse and other stories

First off to the mouse: Quit it now, you're boring me!

Yesterday I had my first ever purge of my scrapping supplies. I am always tidying and reorganising my space, I think a lot of scrapaholics are also shopaholics and so since I started scapping 'proper' in March 2009 (when I first learnt that there were other companies other than papermania) I have amassed a huge amount of stash so I am always having to rethink what gets stored where.

Yesterday I decided to get rid of lots of things that I rarely use, some into the loft and some into the bin. It was great as I even managed to clear a cuboard which mean that all the tupperware that I have recently bought (thats the aforementioned mouses fault) can be put away and the whole kitchen now looks so much tidier.



Of course a tidy scrap area screams to be used and so today I yet again used my new Scrapagogo kit to make a LO, this kit is amazingly versatile, I've used it for a wedding LO and a Halloween LO. I cut the spider web and the bat stand on my robo, I have learnt to slow the cut speed down for these intricate cuts and it seems to make a cleaner less likely to break cut.

And one little moan, I am hating the winter light, its so hard in these months to get a decent photo of my layouts, this looks a little warmer in hues in real life although it is a dark LO

Beautiful Butterflies

It seems we can't get enough of butterflies on our craft projects at the moment, I love the punches that are on the market and I also love the Jenni Bowlin ones too, I got a packet of 5 JB Butterlies in a kit recently, they are so lovely, but they cost around £3.49 a pack. Wow! Not something I think I could ever fork out for.



I made these pretties today, using a butterfly cut file on the Robo and the print and cut option. I worked out the price to be roughly 50p for 16, pic isn't great but they look so lovely IRL and sat next to the Jenni Bowling ones are just as good!

Shame copyright says that I can't sell them, think I could make money out of them!

Who else has scrapping money saving tips?

Wedding Attire

I've had this pic in my pile for ages and it seemed to go with this lovely sassafras paper that was in Octobers Scrapagogo kit. I've used Prima packaging too, waste not want not! Really made good use of the hybrids this month too, printing them in advance of the kit coming works well for me, love the butterfly, hearts and alphabet!

Purple Schlurple

I have had the most torrid time photographing this Layout, transparent overlays lead to glare and it took me ages to get a shot that did not have my reflection in! Its not a good or particularily true photo and thats such a shame because the colours in this lo are truly beautiful.

Like most scrappers I have an abject fear of scrapping with purples, I don't know what it is about that colour but it is a fact universally acknowledged that purple and scrapping do not mix. Imagine my delight when I saw that Cosmo Cricket were doing a purpley line (pixielicious - I WOULD NOT be buying that!) and my double delight when October Scrapagogo Kit featured that along with other purpley hues.

How surprised was I to actually open the kit and like most of the contents, not only that, but within 90 mins I had made a layout that I really really liked (my average time is 2.5hrs). I do have to say that this is a very expensive lo and I have used a lot of the embelishments and posh bits of paper, frugal this aint!

Outward Bound

I think I have probably had the quietest weekend I have had in years! Been feeling a bit groggy and queasy all week, no appetite one minute and starving hungry the next. So we stayed in all weekend and Jason did a bit of decorating while I sat on my backside and alternatively did not eat and then stuffed myself - Saturday nights fish and chips were divine and I polished them all off which is unheard of for me, I like my food but I can't eat loads in one go!

Today I ventured out to Argos to buy a Senseo coffee machine (I dont really drink coffee, but I fancied a new gadget and it was cheap ish) Kids love it and I think when I have got the adapter and the flavoured coffee off of ebay I will love it too! The pods that you buy for it are just too strong for me.





And then at 3pm I lifted my bum off the sofa with an urge to scrap, it was a slow start, and some stuff went in the bin and then it all fall into place and a layout was born! Yes more clouds, I just can't resist them and they seem to be something that fits an upper space very well!

Goofy Goobers

Its one of those days today, a day to stay in and snuggle in wooly warmers and sit watching prison break (season 4) whilst drinking tea and crocheting. I intend to do that right after this blog post!

I've been having a little play with my craft robo this morning and I currently have a lot of lovely little cut outs drying off after a liberal application of Glossy Accents, they look so cute!



Anyhows, Ive had this LO on the go for over a week and just couldn't get it finished off, but hoorah today I did the finishing touches, its new for me in that its a 11.5x8.5 and its messy and cartoony, I rather like it for all its wobblyness and curled edgyness.

Well if you'll excuse me I am off to hibernate til school run time!

I'm Alive!

I haven't blogged for a while, and thats part laziness and part busyness!

I've not done an awful lot of papercrafting this last week, but today I made this card at the request of my friend Mandy, for her to give to a friend of hers.

Any crafting last week was taken up with my new obsession of sock monkeys, here are the other ones that I made. I can safely say that I am all monkeyed out now and will not be making anymore for a little while (and I think a sock monster is next when I do feel the urge) I do still have the obsession of looking at stripey socks and I have bought far to many in the last week!

The weekend was a busy social one, on Saturday night we had it confirmed that the landlord of our favourite pub WERE leaving and not only that but that Sunday was their last day! We had our wedding reception there and go there every week to meet our friends, so on Sunday we had lunch at Alan and Nickys and then later in the afternoon made our way to the pub for farewell drinks. It was rather jolly and there was guitar playing and singing. Below is a fun pic (if a little blurry!) I was telling Les about my sock monkeys (she is a whizz with a sewing machine) and she couldn't picture it, so I took one in my handbag to show her. For some reason everyone was fascinated by his little sock heel bum!

Making patterned paper

Today I decided to make some unique patterened paper of my own, its something we can all do with our supplies and it can be as subtle and delicate or as funky and bright as you prefer!


First off Stamp an image on a piece of white card - I choose a tree from My Little ShoeBox






On some seperate card stamp the image lots more times, you can use scrap card for this in any colour you like, you then cut the trees out being as careful as you can as these will be used for masks







In an old pizza box lay out your card and then layer the cut out trees on top of the stamped images, this will stop the ink in the next step touching the tree images







Using a spray mist spray evenly and from about 15cm above to deter blotches, then let the ink dry. DO NOT be tempted to remove the masks until the ink is dry, it doesn't take too long so just be patient.







remove the masks, don't throw them out, they can be used again!!







You are now left with a colourful background, and you simply colour in your trees as you like, you could add glitter or glossy accents, but you are left with a unique piece of paper for you card making or scrapbooking!





Possiblilites are endless, yes my finished result is bright and in your face, but with more delicate stamps and lighter mists you could have a really pretty delicate piece of paper.

Sock it to me

Just a quick and simple LO about Sydney the sock monster that I made yesterday. I'm happy to report that Jason did not mind too much about the misuse of his socks, I took such a run up to telling him that I think he was relieved that I wasn't confessing to an affair or something LOL

I've managed a bit more of Jessica's blanket too, but I'll show that another day!

Sydney the Sock Monkey and why I might be in for a telling off!

Meet Sydney, my first rude attempt at a sock monkey. I was blog hopping today and came accross this post here and loved the sock monkey Laura had made so I had to have a go myself, like, INSTANTLY!!! the turtorial Laura and I followed is here

Why am I going to get killed? Well I did not start out with these dayglo socks of Jessicas, I started with a lovely grey with multi coloured stripey sock, a sock that Jason had only bought this weekend, but I LOVED the sock and it would have made a brill sock monkey, unfortunatley I forgot to turn the sock inside out at the start so I buggered it up and his sock is ruined for no good reason now. I am going to have to cook a very nice tea tonight I think!

Gossip Girl

We popped to The Range this afternoon and I picked up these packets of Vinyl cuts for 99p each (although now I am thinking they might be a mistake as I keep thinking 'black peel offs' arrghhh!) and some christmas papers for card making, quite sweet I thought! There is not much that interests me at The Range, but I do always manage to part with a bit of cash on this and that whenever I pop in.

I made this card when I got back, just a simple one, used my Martha Stewart Joy punch on it.

Thats the full extent of my craftyness this afternoon - not much to shout about :)

I am off out tonight with Nicky, I am supposed to be staying in but Nicky is at loose end and so Jason suggested that he would babysit, and really i'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sometimes I do wonder what Nicky and I will talk about as we see each other so often, however Nicky was completely hammered (worse I have ever seen her, as she has a HIGH capacity) last night, so we will be able to have our conversations all over again, as she will never remember them! LMAO!!!! There was quite a bit of gossip flying around last night so I will be able to tell her it all over. I LOVE my nights out :)

One sad bit of news is that the landlords of our favourite pub (the one we had our reception in) are moving on to pastures new and they will be sadly missed.

I cut paper

I did! I haven't scrapped for almost 2 weeks, other things have gotten in the way, but today I decided I had to just get on with it and so a page was born!



I cut out the clouds with my Robo and used them as a mask for the sky. Its quite a simple LO but I think the mists really make it, I hope that I get better and keep on with mists as its quite a cute look! It was made reasonably fast for me at under 2 hours! I do like to faff.

I've not talked about my running on this blog lately, theres a reason for that - I have't done any!!been struck down with a recurring lurgy and just not felt like it in the slightest. Yesterday however I woke up feeling the best I have in ages, took the dog for a walk and really enjoyed it so decided that I was going to get back and go straight out for a run (my first in 3 weeks!)

First few mins were lush, then I got the most excrutiating pain in my head, ignored it and it got worse and worse and I had to go home, wereby I prompltly got a migraine and the rest of the day was a write-off! First ever failed run, and I went from feeling fantastic to lying prostrate on the bed not even being able to move my eye-balls! Pah!

To the pub tonight where I am actually considering not drinking - shock horror. Hope you all have fantastic weekends!