A weekend over...

....and not a lot done!!! My listmaking isn't going too well!

Gerry Hula Hoop has not changed much, today I manged to put on his bottletop knees and then add his ears and little horn things!!

Out of the 3 NVQ assignments I have only managed 1 still although the second is well under way.

Out of the 4 commissioned cards I have only made 1.....oh well, the week isn't quite over.

The card I DID manage to make was a wedding card- vintage style, using chocolate brown, cream and golds. This is what I ended up with.

I met 2 challenges here;

This weeks dare from The Daring Card Makers.

"Hi it's Keryn here and it's my turn to Distress you all, or at least your cards with this weeks dare. You can make a card for any season, any holiday, any occaision but you need to use either a fingernail, curled edges, sandpaper, tearing, anything you like really as long as looks like it's had a fair bit or wear and tear."

and also sketch # 9 over on My Paper World.

I have promised myself a hot shower and an early night as Amelia must have woke us up nearly every hour last night!!!

How time flies!!!

Goodness, it has flown by this week. Done so much but achieved so little and I am at work tomorrow so not much will get done then either.

I have managed to complete only 1 of my 3 NVQ assignments, the second is well under way.

AS for crafting, not a lot!!! I recieved the rubber stamp from the round robin Stamp Activity over on Crafts by Carolyn and I have stamped various images- I just want to do a few more then it gets posted to the next on the list.....mustn't hold the line up!!!!!! Then hopefully I will get to play tomorrow evening.

Had some great news out of the blue today. I have won "Card Maker of the month" for a sketch challenge over on Charmed Cards & Crafts Thank you, thank you. Will sit down and choose some goodies to make Chris a 40th Birthday keepsake!!

Right, suppose I'd better get back to my text books for a while, then a hot bath and an early night I think.

Back to my list making I think!!!

I really need a kick up the backside........children are back to school and I desperately need to play catch up and feel as if I have some progression in my life. I have just got back from Amelia's first Annual Statement Review and my head is just all over the place as to where Amelia needs to be. Her Speech & Language report shows she is really only working at the lavel of a 3/4 yr old according to the assesssment but the school assessments show that WITH support both her reading and writing are at level 1C. I am happy for her to be at mainstream now but already I feel I need that crystal ball and look into the future of Junior Schools!!!
Just take one day at a time Adele!!!!!!

My life will always be hectic but I strive to have at least a little "controllable" organisation in my world. Personally I NEED it to not feel like a complete failure! SO the lists are back!!!!!!

This week I will aim to:

Make 4 commissioned cards
Sew up my knitted girlie teddy
Complete 3 NVQ assignments
Spend 1 hour tidying my desk
Do 3 runs (even if it's only 15 minutes each) Race for Life is approaching far too quickly!
Dare I even try BUT...make 1 Christmas card!!!
Start on a project for Chris's 40th!!!!!!

Think that will keep me going for a while don't you!! Better stop now!



I will not fail, I will not fail, I will not fail.....!!!!!!!! Oh, oh, with all this positive thinking. I will add "10 minutes of my Yoga DVD that I have had since Xmas and have nbot even opened the case!"

Back to routine!!!

Been a great but tiring day. Children back to school and had feedback about Amelia, who has has a really good day at school. Jack is a changed little boy, read to me before school this morning, did netball after school and has been so calm and relaxed he is like a different boy!

Been at work today so all I had time to do was a quick lunch and a few rows of knitting before I had to do the school run...them Amelia and me set to work on the giraffe...AGAIN. She still wasn't keen on the paper mache but helped rip the paper and stirred the PVA mix. Amelia has named him "HULA HOOP!" and Jack wanted to call him Gerry...so he is now known as Gerry Hula Hoop Giraffe!!!!

One step forward...and 3 back!!

It's been another draining weekend. We have moved furniture around in an attempt to get the house organised after the extension..the kitchen (which is hopefully being renewed soon) was just getting back into a state of normality after knocking out the wall that divided it with what was our old dining room. We used make shift cupboards and got a few cheap worktops and it was great to have such space.

BUT this weekend I have clutter on the worktops where we have moved my lovely old Ducal desk into Jack's room and needed to find new homes for all the "stuff" that had accumulated there. On top of that, today, slap bang in the middle of the kitchen I have had the giraffe!!!! Seeing as it was so cold and wet outside we set up the paper mache camp in the middle of the kitchen...I didn't mind as the floor needs completely renewing and most of it is the very old & grubby Marley tiles. This evening I have been cooking a roast and working around this huge giraffe obstacle!! Jack loved helping but as I suspected, Amelia wasn't too keen on the paper mache...sensory issues get in the way yet again!!! We have now carried him very carefully into the dining room and stood him in front of the radiator to dry....it's going to be a long, slow process I think!!! He's got to go into school around 6th May.

He now has a head!!!!Paper Mache has started at last!

And onto MY crafting...well not a lot has happened. Finished knitting my little girlie bear and will hopefully make her up this week...got to knit some little clothes for her yet!! Gave up on the circular knitting - I was getting so stressed with the children it just wasn't the right timing...I will save that for another day. I have water coloured a few more images all ready to go onto cards and today I treated myself to a few new downloaded images...LOL...yes, they have been printed and I have coloured 3 which are sitting on my desk drying.

Children fed and bathed, uniforms all sorted, school bags at the ready in the hall.......I am going to pour myself a glass of wine and barricade the door of my craft room!!!

Funny mood Friday!

Been another funny day really, started off by having to take Amelia to the opticians...again!! There was me thinking I wouldn't have so many appointments now the Orthoptist doesn't see her at the hospital...so instead she needs to go to the Opticians every 3 months!!! Still- good news is that Amelia is getting on very well with her bifocals and her prescription didn't need changing.....so got a whole 3 months before we need to go again!!



I haven't really got into any papercrafting so far today although my chalenge diary is bulging at the seams, I still have 5 commissioned cards to make and my desk is....errr...well it's under there somewhere. I have a giraffe in the dining room ready to start the paper mache...and instead what am I doing???????????


I am going to KNIT!!! No not the cutesy little girlie bear I have half finished...oh no, that would be far too sensible. Instead I am going to try my hand with double pointed needles. After the many moons of knitting, it's something I have never attempted, being a left hander, my knitting technique is rather unique shall we say. LOL...so this attempt could be an absolute failure but never trying, I will never know. I am hoping for this project to also be my first attempt at felting too.....I never really do things in half do I!


My flame coloured pure new wool stash......kettle on, biscuits at hand, children settled, DVD...check! Here I go!!!!!!!!!

At one with Nature!!!

A fabby challenge over at The Bumbleberry Café where Rach has got us going back to nature!

Right a challenge for all card makers, and scrappers alike!..... I would like you to get "at one with nature", and that leaves it wide open!, so no excuses!!! Make a card or LO using either the colour tones of nature? using a photo of your fav flower perhaps? a fav scene? anything goes really.

Not really sure that this fits in 100% but I love the earthy colours, the blooms and of course the feather. Loads of ideas for this one, might have to make a few more, there is so many angles with this!! (oh no....not good at decisions!)


Paper-Laura Ashley, stamped image- The Artistic stamper, Cuttlebug -Paisley folder.

A better day today!

I haven't stressed about the children, I have been a bad mum and let Jack watch TV nearly all morning and now he is jumping around like a lunatic with Amelia on the Eye Toy...just waiting for sparks to fly again.

Apart from loading the dishwasher,hoovering the dining room and doing 2 loads of washing...I haven't done anything around the house....it will still be there for me tomorrow and possibly the day after that.......

I am cheating with dinner tonight, salmon steaks are seasoned and wrapped in foil ready to put in the oven, new potatoes are in the steamer ready to go on and I have frozen veggies in bags (!!!) ready to pop in the microwave when Chris gets home.

I have tried to tie up some outstanding crafty loose ends just to tell myself I have actually done something!!!! and of course later on I have promised to make a giraffes head!

I have stamped a few images ready for use later and have been so tempted to make up cards there and then, but time just won't allow it at the moment. So I still have 2 Dotties in a state of "undress" just waiting to be put onto cards!!!! I have Cat Dottie (from the Dress up Dottie Set)

and Bathtime Dottie (from Dottie at home) I need to sort her towel out yet though!!

These are such great fun to colour and embellish...I am in heaven with my glossy accents and liquid applique and glitters and liquid pearls............I am also getting a taste back for decoupage...I suppose that started with the Fairie Poppets card I made last month...hmmm..Is my crafting really going round in circles!!