Struggling to stay afloat!

I feel shattered, Amelia has been full of cold since the weekend and it's putting such a strain on the rest of the family, especially now we all seem to be coming down with it! I put some Vitamin tablets and Olbas Oil on my internet shop yesterday and I am going to start stocking up on honey and lemons!LOL

I have nothing really creative to share today but I can show my "almost finished" downstairs toilet!!! LOL Aren't I kind to you all?

A few months ago we had a leak under the hand basin and it has taken this long to get such a tiny space redecorated. There are a few tiny little bits and bobs I would like to add, like some beady tassels on the revamped cupboard....but they be waiting a while as I am struggling with making time to get the hallway painted now.

Here is the chaos our little toilet was in a few months ago.

And here it is now!

Since having the extension done nearly every room was painted warm cream colour but bit by bit we are bringing more colour in. Once I started painting white I was amazed at how dirty the cream looked  but I was concerned the little north facing toilet would look cold. I added a splash of colour here and there and quite pleased with how it turned out!

I lightly painted over the frame of our oversized (Ebay bargain) mirror with some grey eggshell and used some left over glass paints and leading to add a bit of detail.

I got a little green bottle from Dunelm Mill and transferred my reed air fresheners into that in an attempt not to clutter! 

This is my favourite part though. It is my mum and dad's old bathroom cabinet and I painted it with eggshell paint and revamped it with glass paints and lead. There is a mark on one of the mirrors and Chris wanted to reglaze it, but I thought it just added to it's quirky charm!

Right, I had better dose myself up and find some energy for Guides this afternoon. We now have, potentially, up to 36 Guides in the group, all with some form of disability. Perhaps a little snooze is in order! ZZzzzzZzZZZzZzzzz

Adele 

xXx

Change of plan!

I had planned another day of decorating today, I am determined to get this hall finished and get new carpet fitted before Christmas! BUT a certain young lady was so, so groggy this morning and full of cold I felt it was unfair for her and her school to send her in. I decided that it was probably not a good idea to attempt decorating with Amelia at home and poorly so I thought I'd help hubby out with some of his back log of paperwork....but no internet. Work had been scheduled and we had been advised about a break in our service but I hadn't made a note of the date and it's never a good time.

So, what to do? I finished the beady bracelet that I started yesterday and even manged to take a few pics in the garden and conservatory in an attempt to get some good, natural light.

I am trying to make more detailed notes as I make my jewellery now, not exactly a pattern but just giving me more of an idea of costs/materials/lengths etc.

Cannot wait to try more colour ways like this but I had forgotten how fiddly it was threading Tila beads, good job I have my new super dooper glasses and craft light.

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

OOppps, I did it again!

Thank you Mr Postie! (Does a happy dance)

I NEEDED a few crafty bits and bobs, so in between some of the appointments I had this last week I treated myself!

This is what I NEEDED:

ONE tube of TILA beads. 

and a refill for one of my Copics that has been needed for, literally, years!!!

Ahem, here is what I ordered.

FIVE tubes of TILA beads....I just saw all the pwetty colours and HAD to treat myself. I then proceeded to add another bead tube stand, well I NEEDED that in my vain attempt to organise.

Here are some of my scrummy beads all sitting pretty in my little tube stands! Aren't they lovely?

I think so. With my extras that jumped into the basked I got free delivery and had a 10% off code to use too.

And I just couldn't order one Copic refill could I, especially as they were on offer at Cult Pens for only £5.57. Then as I have been sorting out my Copic stash I just HAD to add a few more colours to my collection. I also ordered a few Faber-Castell Polychromos to try out, once again on offer for 3 for the price of 2. Just when I was about to check out I noticed this Copic Glitter pen that I had been meaning to try out ages ago, so who am I to deny myself the opportunity.

JUST LOOK at all the money I have saved Chris!

(love you lots! kissy, kissy!)

Bye for now.

Adele.

xXx

Just 1 little card topper!

I am feeling quite proud of myself today! With no appointments AT ALL and a whole day to myself I have spent most of the day painting the hallway. Still loads to do but a few steps closer to finishing and getting new hall and stair carpet!

After several hours of decorating I decided I had better stop if I wanted to be able to actually move tomorrow. So, I had a bit of lunch and spent a few hours this afternoon playing with my Copics and papers! I feel quite out of my depth, it's been so long that I feel I am starting out like a beginner again.

One thing that has definitely come to light is that I NEED to clear out my craft room. Trying to be creative when your crafty stash is stuffed in bags and boxes all over different areas of the house is quite time consuming!LOL

I resorted to making just one little topper rather than a complete card, simply because I cannot find, or reach my blank card stock to make the actual card base! There are a few finer details I would have like to have added but couldn't get to my stash to do them, so it will just have to do as it is!

I am entering this topper into the following:

Crafy Hazelnut's Patterned Paper, September.
Simply Papercraft, Anything Goes.
Trimcraft, Colour Challenge 88, Blue & White

Somehow I just managed to order a few more Copics! Tee hee hee. Naughty but nice.

Adele

xXx

Naughty boy Bruce!!!

On Tuesday evening my new mobile phone arrived so bit by bit I am transferring and updating contacts, apps, etc. So yesterday, between yet more appointments, I decided to get a few crafty bits and bobs out to try the camera!

I had been playing around with a few new stamps the day before and dusted off my Copic Collection, partially coloured only TWO images and very carefully cut around them in preparation to match them with some patterned papers and colour them to match.

Ok, so they were not complete, I still had to cut fine details with my craft knife and finish colouring them but it had been SO LONG since I had down this type of crafting I was feeling fairly please with myself........and considering my new phone is nothing too fancy, I was fairly pleased with the quality of photograph I took too.

Next I took some of my recent beady work out into the garden and played around with some wooden panels as a background. Consider the time and effort of the photography set up...again, quite pleased with the results.

Phone rang and I rushed in to answer it but when I went back my little images were nowhere to be found, besides the table on which I left them was a VERY guilty looking puppy dog!!! I rummaged around and as you have probably guessed, the only evidence I found was a chewed up soggy head and a bit of leg.....BAD, BAD BRUCE!!!LOL

I have pretty much a free day today, so I am abandoning the decorating for the day and playing with my crafty stash!

Happy Thursday everyone.

Adele

xXx

Old stash...never used!!!!

I have treated myself to quite a few new crafty bits and bobs over the last few months but all have have done with them is admire them, stroke the pwetty papers lovingly and put them in a big box! BUT today, with all my aches and pains from yesterday's decorating, I decided to play with some of my "new" goodies, in between appointments!

I dug out a few new stamps and stamped multiply images on my fav white card. I was going to dig out my old Prismacolor pencils and try my new blender and burnishing pencils....but I couldn't find them in the depths of clutter in my craft junk room. So instead I used my Copics instead. It's been such a long time since I have done any colouring and I feel a bit out of my depth, just getting going and I need to go to pick Amelia for her ENT appointment! Hey ho.

Watch out, I have the paint brushes out!

NOT the crafty, creative, artistic sort I am afraid. Emulsion, gloss and eggshell!!!

A few months ago we had a leak under the hand basin in the downstairs toilet, so I decided to give it a bit of a make over. Somehow I just kept going out of the doorway and into the hall! Well, we have been in this house for over 18 years, had the extension built about 9 years ago and I cannot remember a point where the hallway has ever been completely finished. I remember visiting a friend's house years ago and coming home feeling jealous because she had skirting boards and architrave! LOL

Well today, Chris has cut nearly all of the skirting for the downstairs hall, I have been painting like a mad woman but still the downstairs hall isn't finished! It has made a few huge steps forward though. I have gone from a caramel cream to a brilliant white and now giving some of the old furniture a new lease of life with some duck egg eggshell!

Whoop, whoop. So excited. I am about to search for some pretty new knobs! Tee hee hee!

How to decide, so many to chose from.

Adele

xXx

Natural wrap bracelet!

Despite having a few reservation over my colour choices, I went ahead and finished my "natural" wrap bracelet this morning. Quite please with how it's turned out, I added some of the little Tibetan beads I recently treated myself to and I cannot wait to use then again!

I have been decorating the downstairs toilet on and off for a few months now, it all started when we had a leak under the hand basin! I am almost finished, just a few more little finishing touches. Only problem is that I sort of went a bit crazy with the paint roller and just kept going along the hall and now started working up the staircase!!!! I just keep making more and more work for myself, painting hallway furniture, changing drawer handles, altering the door curtain....it's never ending.

I had told myself I was going to do some decorating today but I keep getting distracted by Tila beads!!! Hmmm.

Adele

xXx

Lack of beady confidence!!!!

It's been a hectic few weeks, getting Amelia settled back at school and Jack starting College. To add to the already tricky equation, a few hospital appointments have been thrown in for good measure. Well we wouldn't want me "resting on my laurels" would we!!!

I REALLY need to get my act together and start prioritising the things that NEED doing and then actually doing those tasks.I spent all day Tuesday blitzing Jack's room, something I told myself that I wasn't going to do as he is old enough to clean and tidy his own room. Regardless of that, I went ahead and did it, cleaned windows, moved furniture...the lot! Wednesday I mainly spent on my hands and knees, weeding the block paving on the drive, a never ending and thankless task. If it had been on my to do list, I would have taken so much joy in crossing it through....but it was never on my list in the first place!

Yesterday was a rather broken day,between Brucie Boy, the dog groomer and helping out at Guides I never really got motivated to achieve much. So, as this afternoon is geared around yet another hospital appointment I decided that this morning I WOULD make time to sit down and get creative.

I am sure the crafters out there will understand my frustration, you sit down, get all your crafty stash out and you crafty mojo just flies out the window!!!EEEK.

I need help, I need advice, I need a kick up the backside and all I can focus on is the clock ticking away and eating at my little bit of time allocated to crafting.

OPINIONS PLEASE!!!!

I wanted to do a neutral bracelet, something that could be worn with almost anything but now I have started I am unsure. Is it too boring, too bland? Do I need to rip all the beads off and add some colour? HELP....tick, tock, tick, tock!!

 

Please excuse my wrinkled hand, should have put some hand cream on first but I wanted to see the colour up against a skintone, as pale as it is. (I obviously need an exoctic holiday!)

Adele

xXx