So today I have....

*blitzed the kitchen
*blitzed the bathroom
*had my hair all cut off!!!

*played memory games with the children

*cried because the children are fighting so much

*made a shepherds pie with Amelia (!!)

*sat down to make an unfinsished card and got called away..AGAIN.

*start making a (headless) giraffe!!!!

*had yet another NVQ assessment cancelled on me!

I am shattered to be honest, despite me so wanting to sit down and do something creative, I think all I am fit for is curling up on the settee...might manage a bit of knitting if I am lucky.


The giraffe has been planned for weeks and is part of Amelia's homework-it needs to be over a meter tall and suitable to go outside in the school playground. We still have a long way to go (as you can see by the pics) but at least we have made a start. Paper mache alert!!!!!!

Helping Daddy!!!

Concentration!!

Fine motor skills...who needs the practice?

Letting Jack have a turn!

The result so far.....a headless..er...Giraffe!!!
Please watch out for our next riveting installment of "The headless Giraffe!!!"

Knitting Dotty!!!

I used Knitting Dottie for sketch challenge #5 over on Charmed Cards & Crafts. I am afraid by the time I had finished with it, it didn't look much like the original sketch but I had SO much fun making this one up...look at Dotties lovely shagpile carpet!!!!!!

Another holey challenge!!!

So taken by the earthy colours I used for the vintage swap I was drawn to using a few more for my next challenge card. I cheated a bit on this one by including two challenges into one card, not something I like to do but with so many fabby challenges and the kiddies off school..it was either that, completely fail, or tear my hair out!!!!

I used a faux stitching effect by piercing the paper- again something I don't usually do-if I want a "true" stitched effect I usually get my sewing maching out- but I enjoyed trying out something a bit different for me! This meets the challenge over on My Time To Craft (Try sewing stitches by hand, use a sewing machine, rubber stamps or hand draw them. You can make a Card, Tag, ATC, Skinny, Scrapbook page, Fatbook Page (4x4) Gothic Arch, Moo Mini card, Skinny, Inchie or Altered Art. )

I have also attempted my first Sketch Challenge (#4) over on Charmed Cards & Crafts.

Hole in One!!

Another Dottie, another challenge. This time I used Princess Dottie and took inspiration from the "lace" on her dress to make a picture frame. It fitted in perfectly with a Challenge over on Crafts by Carolyn.

" Hole in one - Your challenge today is to make something that includes piercing. Lots of little holes are what we want to see. You don't need any fancy equipment for this one - if you don't have a paper piercer (I don't!) then grab a map pin or something similar and you're off. "

I had to hunt high and low for the scrap of "little princess paper" I had left over! (if I remember rightly, I THINK its frm 3 bugs in a rug!!)

Vintage swap!!!

Today I got my parcel for the Vintage Swap from Juanita!!!! Lookie, lookies at what I got!!! They are absolutely lovely Juanita, I am SO going to try to tidy my desk so you will be actually able to see the lovley fabric bowl especially!!!

I am still in progress of yours....with the children at home progress has been slow but it is starting to come together now and I am loving working with the really rustic, earthy colours in contrast to what I have been making recently.

Here are a few tasters for you Juanita!!

Meet George!

This is George- he is a handsome chappy isn't he...well Dottie thinks so! You will have to excuse him though...his boot polish is still wet in the rush to get Amelia to bed as Chris collects Jack from Karate!!!!

Footballer George meets this weeks challenge over on Funky Fairys where ....Your challenge for week #15, if you wish to accept it, (and why not? You're brave), is to design a MALE/BOY themed card.

Flower Dottie!

I have snatched a few minutes here and there to make up another Dottie card-this time I have used Flower Dottie from the Dress up Dottie Kit. I started this card, got the part oval idea and the scallopped grass in place then realised the it might suit the latest template over on Challenge Ismaki I played around with the flower stems for a while, added beaded wires and then scrapped them in place of a few doodled stems!!

Dottie Downloads!!!!

After dithering around last night I panicked about which format I should buy my Dottie downloads in....so this morning I took the plunge and ordered my first set......."Dress up Dottie" after downloading and printing off was such a breeze......I just couldn't resist going back in for more!!!! LOL....I now have ...ermmmm....65 images all printed off and ready to colour. The children had great fun this morning looking at them and helping me choose which ones to try out first.

Pencils, pens and watercolours at hand I am going to cuddle up with the children and do some crafting.