Amelia's visit to the O2 arena!!!

Yesterday afternoon I had a phone call from Amelia's new teacher!! OH NO, I thought, day 3 and what has she been up to?

I was so wrong to be concerned, her teacher told me that Amelia had really enjoyed the class visit up to the O2 arena the previous day where they all watched some of the Paralympic Women's Wheelchair Basketball.
Her teacher then asked me if Amelia had told me much about it. (She hadn't.)

Well somehow, out of ALL the spectators at the arena, my little AMELIA managed to get herself in the middle of the court at half time of the Australia v USA game where she did a bit of breakdancing! LOL

I am not really sure if there is a better way to link but you can she here HERE by skipping forward to about 5 hours 21 minutes in the lower right hand corner!

Card for a teenage boy!!!!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS! Yes, a teenager! I cannot believe my"baby boy" is now 13. 

I have had this image by Mo Manning for some time now, perfect for my computer mad son!

We had a lovely day together, ate loads of cake...

then went for a lovely meal where we ate loads more!!! 

Ooops, oh well, it's not every day your son becomes a teenager is it? 

This card meets the criteria for;

DP2 challenge 151- Anything goes

Our arrival in Melton Mowbray!

The journey was good, we stopped off for a bite to eat at Rutland Water to pass some time and then settled in to our "home" for the next 2 weeks! The Old Guadaloupe Farm House is gorgeous!

We unpacked the car, got accustomed to our new surroundings (running around like lunatics as we investigated the rooms and views) then set off for the sunny sights of Tesco's where we spent a small fortune!

Once back we did some unpacking then tried out the pool table!

We finished the evening off with a nice curry and a bottle of wine, we felt really at home as we sat around the huge farmhouse table. Later on we just had to try out the hot tub and relaxed in the bubbles to watch the sunset over the hills.

I didn't mind being woken at 7.30am, especially when you can open the curtains to views like this!

Weather forcast is not that great today, not really sure yet what the day will bring but I am sure scrummy food, wine and family fun will play a big part in it all!

x X x

Another wrap bracelet......

 ...and some waffle.  Not been up to much, been like a couch potato most of the time and been sat enjoying the Olympics! Last night I was productive whilst I watched and made another wrap style bracelet using some newly acquired stringing materials! I am quite happy with the result but think a pewter coloured beads instead of the little silvery ones would have been much more effective. (Perhaps I will have to add those to my next wishlist!)

My hydrangea is in full bloom and providing some much needed colour in the top border in the garden. 

.....and Amelia has been composing!!! LOL

Not long now before we head off on our holidays, cannot wait. Wellies and waterproofs at the ready.

x X x

First attempt Chan Luu inspired wrap bracelet!

Day 3 of the school holidays and I am still sane....well as sane as I was beforehand! Jack and Amelia have been bickering as usual but I am trying not to let it get to me. Yesterday Jack went to a Pool Party and today he went Go Karting, rather him than me, he must have been boiling in that race suit! LOL 

This afternoon it has just been too hot to do much at all so I sat down and attempted to make a wrap bracelet that I have been wanting to try out for a little while. I have SO MANY beads in my Ebay wist list but I thought I'd be a good girl and make up a trial bracelet using a rather mish mash, random selection of beads from my beady boxes. I am quite pleased with my first effort. Pleased enough to order some more smaller beads! Wink, wink!

x X x

More Shamballa Style bracelets!

I have been busy trying to get all my Key Children's work records up to date and reports done, at last I am nearly done, just a few odds and ends to do before the end of term now!

Today I have cut a few lables and die cut shape to pop on ebay as I have been using up my Paypal funds on some new goodies. A few used stamps, some of which turned up today...but mainly beady stuff! I cannot wait to try out some of my lovely new beads.

I have made up a few more Shamballa style bracelets and I am "test driving" one of the first bracelets I made, well, I need to make sure they are wearable! I have my eye on some lovely beads that will also need test driving too!

x X x

Playing catch up blogging - Wedding pics!

I haven't got any crafting to show you today SO, I thought I'd play a bit of catch up and share some of the pics from the family wedding we went to a few weeks back!

Amelia trying to be all sweet and girly!!!!

Chris closely watching while Amelia does Bugsy eyes at Jack!

Jack helping out- love Amelia's hair in this one!

Jack looks far too grwon up in this one for my liking!

My darling.

"Cool dude!"

Catching Amelia on the dance floor!

Amelia in action!

Still Daddy's little girl!

EEK! I HATE my pic being taken!

Up to mischief!

It was a fab, fab day. Thank you to Steve ansd Sandra for letting us share your special day!

x X x



An altered clipboard for my Shamballa's!

I did promise you that I would try to add a few more examples of work for the challenge I set for this month's Time to Create Challenge over on Carolyn's!  I didn't really plan for this one...it just sort of materialised. It all started when I got my dad a new clipboard and he showed me the tatty, ancient one he had been using for years. Now not being one who likes to see waste, this clipboard had plenty of life left in it...in my rose tinted spectacle opinion! Take a look, can you see the potential?

Well, apparently my dad didn't. He said to my mum that I would never be organised with all the clutter I picked up. (I will not publish his exact words, too much bleeping out!)

Now, what with my very recent attempts at making Shamballa bracelets I felt the need of a bit of customising so I got ripping up that old book again for a bit of very random decoupatch. Several layers later I decided to cut and stick a ruler strip of BG paper down one side to help me gauge the sizings of the bracelets as I make them.

Finished with a light dusting of flowers, butterflies, ribbon and a bit of ink....voila!

x X x

"More than words!"



A few months back I put my name down to set one of the Time to Create Challenges over on Crafts by Carolyns.  This actually really did me a favour as at that point I had hardly been crafting at all. (Not that I get much time now!) I had just started venturing into the dusty depths of my cluttered craft room and I was starting an attempt to organise and "pretty up" my little space!

Armed with a very old, faded book from Chris's Quality Management days, I got tearing and sticking. I knew it was just the excuse I needed to use one of the little mannequines I had stashed in a cardboard box for a year or so! (blush)  "SHE" now sits on my craft room window ledge!

My small but growing collection of "wordy" tat!

SO, lets get on with the challenge!

You have a few options to use in your creations.

 You can use just 1 or mix and match as you wish!

1. Use script or wording as a main part of your work, not just a sentiment.

2. Use a mannequine or doll in your creation. This could be a die cut, stamped image,

patterned paper, download image...etc.....

3. Create some altered art, take something old, unloved and unused and give it a new lease of life.

Remember you don't have to use all 3 options on the same piece of work. I hope to create a few things throughout the month that will meet the criteria...JUST HAVE FUN and come over to Carolyn's and show us your creations!

x X x

First attempt at making Shamballa Bracelets

I was inspired to have a go at making these by the lovely Kath over at Crafts by Carolyn's forum. I love this style of jewellery but had no idea what these were called until Kath showed us some of her wonderful creations.

SO, last night I dusted off my small, unused and unloved bead box and tried my hand at making one. I will admit, these aren't my very first attempt...that was using an old bit of embroidery silk and some multi-coloured, plastic kiddies beads.....but the knotting was quite straight forward so this morning I sat in the conservatory (watching Chris cut the grass LOL) and beading to my little heart's content.

Since making these I have some how aquired a very long wish list of beads and thread! Oops!LOL

It's my offering of a challenge over at Carolyn's for the month of July so I may "see you again" shortly with my next crafty offerings!

Have a wonderful weekend!

x X x



Blooming Garden!

Last Summer our garden looked like this! Total chaos! I know it's not a big garden but we have been in this house for 14 years now and we have always given priority to the house. The time, effort and money spent on the garden was a luxury, snatching a bit of time to do a few things on a make-shaft basis!

After the outlay of replacing the fencing last year, we had left ourselves we borders that were practically bare and lost several really large shrubs that we'd had for years! BUT, bit by bit we have been pottering around the garden and it is still far from being perfect or finished. We are dallying over the idea of a very small veg patch...but dallying is as far as we have got so far!

We are one step closer to being able to just potter around the garden rather than having to carry out major, hard labour.....we may even get the opportunity to light the chimnea and sip the occasion bottle of wine or a large jug of Pimms....who know what, perhaps with the unpredictable weather it may be a mug of hot chocoalate!

(Waiting impatiently for my hydrangea to flower, this poor specimen has been stuck,unloved in a pot for years and now being planted out it is full of bloom and tones of a lovely dark pink are starting to emerge.....how sad am I! LOL)



Another man's card!

Trying desperately to catch up with life after a hectic week or so, I can't see things improving much until the end of term. Counting the days until I finish work and the children finish yet another school year! Jack has one more week doing his Key Stage 3 subjects then starts his GCSE timetable the first week in July. I can't believe it, he is growing up so fast- only a few more months and then I will be the mother of a teenager! EEEEK!

Anyway, this week we celebrated Chris's birthday and as usual I left everything to the very last minute to make him a card! (Shame on me!) I keep on promising myself I will change and be more organised, but there are always so many hurdles to jump I so often faulter!

I eventually decided on a fairly quick card using one of the freebie stamps I got on the front of a mag. I did a bit of paper piecing to make up a little checked shirt which I then inked a bit to give a bit of shadow and dimension. Coloured with my Prismas again and added a few touches of Glossy Accents for detail.

I chose this paper and colour scheme to match the challenge over at Crafts by Carolyn's where your creation needs to include red, white and blue with a bit of bling. Now I don't really do bling but as a "blingish" addition to the metallic mesh and a bit of gloss I did include a tiny little crystal heart!

Got LOADS of cards to make for forth coming events, some how I just need to find the time to make them!

x X x