Sarah's Crafty Blog

Less is more challenge

2012-01-08T13:28:00.001Z

I love simple card designs. I am a big fan of 'less is more' so when I came across this challenge sight I was definitely going to give it a go!

Sketch Saturday

2012-01-07T14:57:00.002Z

This must be the first challenge that I have completed in the last 12 months! I am determined to get back into my card making! It was one of my new years resolutions! Keep it up Sarah!!

Cuttlebug storage!

2012-01-07T14:54:00.001Z

Cuttlebug die, plate and nest storage (green to match the machine!)

Stamp storage looking mega tidy on the shelf! How long will that last??

Having a clear out!

2012-01-07T11:30:00.001Z

I love having a good clear out! It clears my mind and helps me prepare for the New Year ahead. I have decided to sort out a lot of my craft stuff as I have bits and bobs from years ago that have never been used. One of the areas that has been bugging me for a long time is the storage of my clear stamps. I have kept them in a folder for a few years now but I don't seem to use them as they are put away in the cupboard. I have looked on many blog and storage web sites for ideas and decided upon putting them in a basket. This worked okay but I felt that they needed to be divided into categories and made to look pretty so that they could go on show on my shelf in my craft room.

So this is what I did......

Basket of stamps before the 'make over'

Old scrap pieces of thick card with double sided tape added

Old paper used to cover the card dividers

letter stamps used on scrap paper to make markers

wooden pegs used as markers for the various categories of stamps

card dividers ready with peg category markers

all sorted and ready to go!

Christmas Eve Shopping

2011-12-24T15:33:00.003Z

It has been a tradition for nearly 35 years that I always go shopping with my Dad on Christmas Eve to buy my Mom's Christmas pressies. The reason for this was that I could not keep a secret from my Mom. She always used to ask me questions and I would end up telling her what my Dad had bought her before the big day. When my sister came along she became part of the Christmas Eve shopping crew too. I think that during the last 35 years I have only ever missed two. One year was because I worked in a shop and had to work Christmas Eve and the other time was last year when my hubby and me ended up with the flu. I was so upset that I couldn't go. It ruined my Christmas. I look forward to Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day. Dad always buys us a little treat on Christmas Eve and we end up having breakfast out. This year was my choice, so we ended up in Cheltenham. Christmas is such a special time. It's not about what you get and how much you spend, its about who you spend it with.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Image Source Page: http://www.cheltenham-guide.com/cheltenham-shopping.asp

I Love Ledbury!

2011-12-19T18:31:00.004Z

http://www.fotothing.com/Steve/photo/

We went to Ledbury today to have a bit of fresh air and a mooch around the shops. There is a fab linen shop where I bought some new napkins for my family meal on Wednesday. There is something for everybody in Ledbury. We had a wander up the high street and then had a walk around the church yard. It is such a beautiful church, very peaceful and tranquil. It was so cold that there was snow on the ground. We then decided to get warmed up so we went to 'Mrs Muffins Tea Room' for breakfast. It was just what we needed to thaw out. Off we went again and I bought some lovely red mugs with white dots on! I am obsessed with dots! This is the colour scheme for my home this year....lots and lots of red! Christmas isn't Christmas without a splash of red here and there! I was going to take the camera to take a few shots of my but unfortunately I forgot so I have had used one from the site listed below. It didn't look this sunny and warm in Ledbury today! However, this is the little street that leads you up to the church. I love Ledbury that much that I am considering retiring there. I only have another 30 years to go! Hey ho!

Getting ready for the big day!

2011-12-18T21:06:00.004Z

Hello all! Where has the year gone!! I can't believe we are less that a week away till Christmas day. Oh my! How the time flies!! Life has been very busy and hectic. Unfortunately, my crafting antics have taken a bit of back seat. I have been dabbling a bit with crochet and felt so as soon as I get myself organised I will take a few photographs and put them on my blog. Lots to do this week! I have my family coming around for a meal on Wednesday evening so I am looking forward to preparing for that. Christmas Eve shopping with my Dad and Sister, then, Christmas at my parents and the in-laws on Boxing Day. I realised yesterday that it is the present buying and sorting that gets me down over Christmas. Christmas to me is spending time with my family and friends as well as munching on lots of fab food!

Picture taken from the internet

Grow veggies grow!

2011-04-13T22:10:00.000+01:00

I can't believe how lovely the weather has been! My seedlings are shooting up and my veggies in the raised bed are growing well too! I look forward to the fresh salads and meals that I will cook using my home grown produce. Food to feed the soul!

Marmalade moments!

2011-04-13T11:42:00.000+01:00

I bet you are thinking 'what on earth are marmalade moment???' Well , on Saturday I decided to give my friend, Karen, a master class in making marmalade. So there I was with all the ingredients and equipment ready to go. When Karen realised how much sugar went into to making marmalade she was horrified! I had accidentally put 2kg worth of extra sugar in by mistake! What a mess! The pan became a bubbling sugar disaster! Not one to give up, off we tootled to Morrison's to get some more ingredients. All worked out well in the end. So now when one of us has relapse in common sense, mathematics or whatever we call them 'Marmalade moments'! We also made some maple syrup cup cakes with my lovely and wonderful Kitchen aid mixer! Thank you Karen for a lovely day!

It's been a tough week!

2011-04-03T20:47:00.000+01:00

Chocolate hazelnut brownies in my lovely cookie jar!

Sarah's Chocolate Hazelnut Sundae! Yum Yum!

What a week me and my hubby have had. We are both secondary school teachers and with the onset of GCSE exams and the completion of coursework the pressure is definitely on at the moment. I am having sleepless nights as I am waking up counting the amount of lessons that I have left with my Year11 classes and my hubby is sleepwalking! I am ticking off the days to the Easter holiday as I feel that we both need a break right now. There are germs galore at school too - sick bugs, coughs, flu, bubonic plague (only kidding!) doing the rounds and low and behold I had the sicky one last week. Anyway, I was determined to use my new kitchen aid mixer today and this is what I rustled up - chocolate hazelnut brownies! I then decided to make a 'Sarah's Chocolate Sundae' with them too! I think this will cheer my chocolate addicted hubby up no end!

New Book!

2011-04-02T22:12:00.000+01:00

I have never really watched any of Nigel Slater's programmes. However, the last few Sunday's I have got hooked on the programme 'Simple Supers'. I enjoy the way he talks about the food from his garden and how to make meals from bits and pieces left over in the fridge, even veggies that are looking a bit worse for wear! I think that's what we nee to do now in order to save a few pennies here and there. So, I have decided to invest in one of his books, the one about growing your own veggies and then cooking with them. The book is titled 'Tender - Volume I'. It arrived today and I must say that the bits that I have read are superb. It's like 'Yeah, that's how I feel when I see my seeds pop up' or when I cook with the veggies that I have grown in my own garden. I will be definitely watching a few more of his programmes.

How exciting!

2011-03-29T21:48:00.000+01:00

My 'Kitchen Aid' mixer turned up today from QVC! I have longed for one of these for ages! I am too busy this week to have a play so will be looking through my cookery books at the weekend to see what I can rustle up! I love it! Absolutely loving it!

Spring is here! Hooray!

2011-03-28T16:53:00.000+01:00

Don't you just feel better when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and seeds are growing. I have decided to blog about everything and anything as my life is mixture of all sorts of stuff, not just craft. Here are a few pics of my garden that I took over the weekend!

January blues have definately kicked in!

2011-01-25T20:50:00.000Z

I was doing so well too! I am so fed up I could fall out with myself. I have no crafty juices, I can't motivate myself to do anything at the moment. I just feel the need to do something different, set myself some new challenges, goals and targets......but I don't know what????? Work is tough, the nights and mornings are dark and I am on my third cold since Christmas. Roll on Spring......let me get back in the garden! I want to shout 'Hello light nights and mornings'! I want to hear birds singing! I want to go on holiday to Dartmouth and have my crafty mojo back to take part in plenty of crafty challenges. Just 8 more weeks to go till Spring!...Bring it on!!!!

Homemade Christmas pressies!

2011-01-15T08:28:00.000Z

Here are a few snaps of what I made for my friends and family this Christmas. It was good fun but a bit stressful towards the end to try and get all of them finished on time. This year I have decided to make just a few handmade bits and bobs and buy the rest of the pressies! I have already started my Chrimbo shopping! Sad.....I know!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-14T22:22:00.000Z

Thank goodness 2010 is out of the way! Not that it has been a bad year but the last few weeks of it have been a little rough. I have had my thyroid removed so I have spent most of December recovering. I have spent many days in my craft room making Christmas pressies, cards and wrapping. Christmas week brought illness and misery as both me and my husband ended up with the flu so Christmas came and went. We spent Christmas day at home alone eating bread sticks so that we could take more tablets. Then, I couldn't access my blog because it wouldn't load up properly! AAAArrrrgggghhhh! So that is why there have been no posts recently!! Still, we are now on the mend and making new plans for the year ahead and I have managed to access my blog too! Life is on the up!

More pics of my craft room!

2010-11-19T19:46:00.003Z

My craft tray! stuff that I am working with at the moment!

My shop bell
(for when I get my tea shop!),
a picture of my lovely boy on holiday
(about to give me a kiss!)
and my fabby new pink clock!

I love my craft room!

2010-11-19T19:24:00.005Z

My fave books!

Fantastic shelves from IKEA! Some much space to fill!

Embellishment corner! All my bits and pieces are in the drawers! So very organised......well at the moment! Early days!

My sewing corner! I can scoot on my chair over to this corner and then back to my desk!

My inspiration board! Lots of cards and quotes end up here!

Here is my craft room a year after the move from the back bedroom to the front! I must say that I wasn't keen on the idea at first but I am so glad I went with the idea! I love spending time in there as it has become a little sanctuary for me to get away from all the stresses and strains of daily life. So here it is! I have had a move around and bought new bits and bobs over the year. They say that you have to live in it a while before it feels right! its getting there!

Batch no:3

2010-10-28T09:34:00.003+01:00

Morning crafters! Hope you are all having a good week! I am on half term at the moment so making the most of my days off by getting all my jobs done around the home and garden! So much to do! Anyway, here is batch no:3! These were made using 'Sending Holiday Cheer' Hero arts stamps and the cuttlebug embossing plate 'Snow'! I also used puff paint and sakura gel pens!

Sweet Sunday Sketch!

2010-10-24T13:54:00.003+01:00

I felt like having a go at a challenge this week so I decided to pop along to 'Sweetest Thing Sunday Sketch'. I have used the Hero Arts 'Sending Holiday Cheer' stamps, paper and bits from stash!

Thank goodness its Friday! Batch no:3

2010-10-22T18:05:00.004+01:00

Hero arts 2010 Christmas Stamps 'Magic Of Christmas'

Paper and card from stash!

Embossed snowflakes! I have changed the design slightly!!

Hey folks! Busy weekend ahead as my friend is getting married tomorrow and I am Matron of Honour! So lots to do! Here is my third batch of Christmas cards ready to be assembled nearer the big day! I had great fun putting all these bits and bobs together and it has definitely re-ignited the spark for card making! I keep meaning to list products but keep forgetting! Oops! Have a good one everybody!

Batch no:2

2010-10-20T20:51:00.001+01:00

Christmas card production line! Batch 1!

2010-10-18T21:59:00.003+01:00

Hi there! I wish I could show you more of my Christmas projects that I am making at the moment, but.....as many of the pressies are going to people who sometimes visit this blog it would spoil the surprise! However, I can show you some of the Christmas cards that I am working on at the moment. As I have mentioned before I am making everything myself this Christmas so NO emergency bought Chrimbo cards allowed! I need to make at least 50 cards to send out to friends and family, so, to keep things as simple as I can I came up with 5 designs that I am making in batches of 10. So here they are.......and their bits!

The Harvest Festival August 2010

2010-08-30T19:01:00.003+01:00

......has been a great success! We all managed to make quite a few meals each from the produce that we have grown in our garden. It has got us thinking about different products that we could make from the bits and bobs that we have planted! The weather was lovely, the food was great and the company was fab! Here are some pics to show you what we have been planning, plotting and cooking over the last few weeks!

Lots to do today!

2010-08-28T08:34:00.002+01:00

A very busy day ahead for me today! The 'Harvest Festival' is only a day away now so I need to get all my meals/products prepared and cooked ready for judging. On 'Father's Day' when all my family were gathered around the table eating Sunday Lunch we were discussing what we were growing in our 'little veg plots'. I came up with a fab idea (although I don't think my family were that keen at the start) to cook something new with the veg that they were growing. I then decided to make it a competition where labels/packaging will be judged as would originality of products and overall taste! There was much moaning and groaning going on as my family wasn't sure about it all! Too much pressure! Nonsense! "It's just a bit of fun that will get us thinking about what we can produce using the veg that we have grown".
Mom and Dad have been making lots of things (recipe's are top secret as they won't tell me what they have made) and I have been getting my crafty cap on trying to come up with fancy labels and packaging ideas. It's all good fun! Let's hope the sun is shining!

Disaster strikes again!

2010-08-27T13:20:00.004+01:00

We have had that many things in the kitchen break over the last few weeks! Plug sockets, radiator, milk jug, dishes and then yesterday my sink cracked! Yes! It cracked straight down the middle! I was planning to make some more jam so I decided to sterilise the glass jars in hot, boiling water. I poured them into the jars and then heard a massive popping sound! It made me jump so it was quite loud. I checked the jars and couldn't see any breakages so carried on making the jam. It wasn't till I started to was up that I noticed a massive crack in the sink! Oh dear! Here we go again! At the end of the day it is just a sink! It was an expensive sink so we have been onto the manufacturer and insurance today to try and get it sorted. So, to cheer myself up a bit we went into our local town and had a wander around, a coffee and mooch in Waterstones. I have bought myself the Cath Kidston 'Sew' book (with materials for a bag to make included) and 'The Homemade Home'. My lovely hubby bought me 'The Great British Book of Baking' too (for my b'day!). Lots to keep me busy and out of mischief! Off to post the insurance claim now! Have a good weekend all! Watch this space for pics of our harvest festival on Monday!

Busy doing nothing!

2010-08-22T11:44:00.003+01:00

Hello all! I feel a bit guilty about not blogging regularly! Even though I don't do it I do visit lots of other blogs on a regular basis and enjoy looking at what people have made and having a nose into what people are up to. Doing this makes me feel bad as I don't really have much to show or tell! However, back in January I think I mentioned that I was determined to make all my own Christmas pressies this year and so far I have stuck to it! I must admit that progress has been slow but it's full steam ahead now being as we are only 4 months(ish) away from the festive season! I love Christmas! I have been making bits and pieces but unfortunately I cannot show my creations on my blog as the people that I am making them for sometimes pop along. I will however, show all my handmade gifts after the big day!

Yesterday I made my first batch of Jam under the watchful eyes of my Mom and Dad! They have all the jam making gear and have some experience of making their own! I couldn't get over how easy it was! lets hope it tastes OK and doesn't go mouldy! These are all testers for my Christmas preparations! I also had a go at making one of Kisrty Wiseman's flowers which I am going to turn into a brooch! Click here to see how they are done! So, all in all a productive weekend!

A lovely bunch of carrots!

2010-07-03T21:57:00.003+01:00

Here are my very first bunch of carrots that I have ever managed to grow! I am so pleased with myself! It's made my day! I have also harvested my beetroot which is boiling at the moment so that I can pickle it tomorrow! Happy days!

Scrappy Happy Sunday!

2010-05-16T12:34:00.006+01:00

Challenge card 1 - 'The Sweetest Thing' (Sunday Challenge)

Challenge card 2 - 'Inspirational Card Sketches' (Tuesday Challenge)

I have decided that I need to use up all of my scrap bits of paper. I have bags full of the stuff! I also need to get back into the swing of making cards again. I have made a big effort today to not do any jobs around the house and have a bit 'me time' in my craft room. Hubby has gone golfing so I have the house to myself! Bliss! Me and Martha have been for a nice long walk and I have put my itunes on full blast and locked myself away in my craft room! So far I have made a couple of cards for two challenges. I have used scraps of paper and card from my stash and used a Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set that has been in my cupboard for 2/3 months unopened! I must confess that I have become an eBay addict! I feel so bad as I am spending most of my evenings bidding on crockery and brooches! I have now discovered the stamp section! OMG! I need help! My hubby has told me that I am no longer allowed to buy any more craft stuff until I start crafting again! I feel a challenge brewing!!

'The Sweetest Thing' Sunday Sketch Challenge

2010-04-14T10:43:00.005+01:00

I haven't done a challenge for some time now and always seem to be more keen during the holidays. My job really does have an effect on my creative flow of juices! So here it is! Pop along to the site and have a look at some of the fab cards that have been created. Very good to visit, if like me, you need a bit of inspiration! To visit click here!

Pink and Green!

2010-04-14T10:25:00.002+01:00

I can't believe how much craft stuff I have! I have been a card maker for about 6 years now so I do have quite a bit of stuff. I must say that buying and organising your craft stuff is just as addictive as making the cards! Anyway, I have decided that I am not going to but any more stuff till I have used up the things that I already have (I am sure I have said this before!).

I am feeling a bit guilty about not doing anything with George's scrapbook yet. I keep getting out the photos and then end up putting them back. However, yesterday it sort of just happened. I am now working with a colour scheme of pink and green and trying to use up all the paper, card and embellishments in one go (so that I don;t end up with bits!). I had a lovely sheet of green spotted paper and felt that it was crying out to be a scrapbook page. So I did one and it felt quite good too. I then went on to make a few cards with the bits I had left over.

Hello there!

2010-04-07T06:36:00.006+01:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I last blogged. I wanted to have a bit of a break from it all to be honest. I have still been crafting but can't show any pics yet as I have been making my Christmas pressies! I have managed to complete 2 so far and I feel that I am making good progress. Quite pleased with the results. Visited a local craft fair a few weeks ago and managed to buy some lovely goodies to make a load more Christmas pressies so can't show pics of my stash either!!!! Anyway, the Easter holiday has arrived and spring is definitely in the air.I have decided to grow vegetables at home in the garden this year as we have given up our allotment. So the raised bed went in on Monday and seeds and peas went in yesterday! How exciting! Martha enjoyed sowing the seeds too! Bless! She is going to have an operation today! Bit worried about it all but I am sure she will be fine! She is in good hands. I will have to play nurse for a couple of weeks so will be at home which will be a great opportunity to make more Christmas pressies and do a bit of crafting! Hopefully, I will be able to post some pics! Oops! Nearly forgot! My little sister (Charlotte) has started a book club (so been very busy reading lots and lots!) She has set up a new blog which you can pop along a visit here!

Allsorts Challenge -tags, labels and tickets!

2010-02-20T20:06:00.004Z

Not sure if this one qualifies for the challenge over at Allsorts???? Wasn't sure if the label, tag or ticket had to be on something or it could be stand alone??? Should I have used a digital download??? Anyway! Here is my attempt at a tag! This idea came from a few left over flowers that I made yesterday and a few embellishments from my stash that have been in my cupboard for months. The paper that I used is from BoBunny 'Alissa Look At Me'. The stamps that I have used are Hero Arts and the buttons are from paper and string. The wooden hearts were from Hobbycrafts (purchased many months ago). Linen string - SU! I think the sentiment came from K&Co! I was given these by a friend!

Friend to Friend

2010-02-16T12:23:00.002Z

My Mom has asked me if I could make her a card for her friends birthday. So being as I am on crafting roll at the moment I managed to make a card in record breaking time last night! I have kept to the layout that I used for the Sweet and Simple challenge and stuck with the same papers and embellishments. The card stock is different and is from the SU range! I love this paper!

Cupcake Craft Challenge 'Keep It Simple'

2010-02-16T12:12:00.004Z

Products used: Basic Grey 'Wisteria' paper, SU card stock, Woodware flower punch, button and ribbon from stash and sentiment from SU stamp set (can't remember what it is called!)

Here is my effort for this weeks challenge over at Cupcake Crafts! The challenge was to 'Keep It Simple'. This is very difficult as you have to stop yourself from going OTT!

First Challenge of 2010!

2010-02-14T17:19:00.004Z

I haven't done a challenge card for ages! I can't remember the last time I managed to do one! I thought I would give it a go being as I am on 'crafting roll' so to speak! The challenge site is called 'The Sweetest Thing'!

I have used SU card and SU stampin spot 'perfect plum' to ink the edges of the flower and stamp the message. The message is from SU stamp set...can't remember what the set is called but it is from the current catalogue! The paper that I have used is 'Basic Grey Wisteria'. The thread is also SU and the button is from my stash! The flower punch is woodware and the border punch is a fiskars. I have really enjoyed making this card.....I think I may have to continue crafting into the early hours of the morning...can't stop while the juices are flowing!

A bit of 'Stampin Up'

2010-02-14T14:39:00.003Z

Notelets made using 'Pocket Silhouettes'/stampin spots 'Bordering Blue' and co-ordinating card

Card made using 'Whimsical Words'/'Pocket Silhouettes'/stampin spots 'Elegant Eggplant' and 'Brocade Blue'/Co-ordinating card and ribbon from stash/Fiskars border punch

I love Stampin Up products! They are my favourite! There are some lovely simple, yet, elegant stamp sets and the coordinating card and inks really do it for me! I ordered some stuff a while ago but with lots of school work to do I haven't had chance to have a play....until today! So here are a few cards that I have created using my new stash. They are not super complicated! Just 'warming up' at the mo! So watch this space!

Time for a change!

2010-02-14T14:03:00.003Z

Tilda stamp and papers! Embellishments from stash!
Lables made using 'nestabillities' and 'pink petticoat' downloads

Charms from The Works bookshop! Bargain!

Embossed background using cuttlebug and embossing plate

Magnolia papers!

Yummy shortbread! Success! This will go on my handmade christmas pressie list!

Its a new hair do and a blog makeover this weekend! What a beautiful day we having here in Worcestershire! Gorgeous sunshine and a nice breakfast out with hubby on valentines day! How sweet! And we have broken up for half term too! Yay!!!!

This week I plan to complete a lot of unfinished projects such as a tote bag, blanket, notelets, cards, make up bag and some 'jazzy jars'! I have already finished off a few today as well as made my hubby some shortbread for his valentines pressie! I am on a roll! So must keep going!

Have a good day everybody!

Blog Candy Alert!

2010-02-13T07:39:00.004Z

Lovely blog candy up for grabs! Visit here to be in it to win it! Congratulations Jessica!

Makes and bakes!

2010-02-07T18:16:00.003Z

Carrot Cake! Nice sponge! Not sure about the soft cheese filling though?!?!?!
My lovely bowls! This is my valentines pressie from hubbie! Ahhh! Bless!

Work in progress! Christmas pressie prototype! Room for improvement me thinks!

This was my anniversary pressie from my hubby last year! We visit this fab little tea room on the beach where we go on holiday and all the tea cossies are hand made! It is my favourite thing as it holds so many lovely memories of me, my hubby and George having breakfast on the beach in the sun.

Where does the time go? I am sure that I have said that many times before! Why do weekends go so quickly? Well, this weekend has been quite busy! Yesterday we spent the day with my Sister and BIL and had a lovely time in Stratford! Today, I have shopped, cooked, baked, crafted, blogged and the rest of my jobs on the list are to put the washing away, prepare lunch for tomorrow and finish my marking! Wouldn't it be lovely to have a 3 day weekend? I think that would be a nice balance as you could use the 3rd day to finish off jobs and have a bit of a rest!

I am sorry that there are no card pics to show you. It was too dark to take any decent photos of my cards so I only have my carrot cake and favourite things in the kitchen to show you! Hope you all had a good weekend! Only 5 days to go till we break up for half term! Thank goodness!!!

Crafty Christmas pressies update!

2010-01-31T17:30:00.002Z

I have enjoyed making the felt flowers and slowly getting better at the 'blanket stitch'. However, I ma not sure what to do with them now. I like wearing flower brooches and stuff like that but I am not sure about friends and family. I was thinking of making purses or pencil cases and then sewing them on as an embellishment. Still not sure they are up to scratch.

Saturday is baking day!

2010-01-31T17:19:00.003Z

Very thin 'Victoria Sponge' cake!

Lovely new glass cake stand!

Baking again! Loved last weeks 'Lemon Drizzle' cake so much that I think I now have an addiction to baking! Anyway, I wanted to try a 'Victoria Sponge' cake so out came my new silicone baking trays which looked very wide! I followed the recipe but don't think the measurements were right for the size of the trays! It's a bit on the thin size but tastes great! We had a ride out to Ross on Wye yesterday with little Martha and stumbled across this 'old fashioned' kitchen shop. I had a mooch around a found this wonderful glass cake stand! Well I just had to buy it as I have been looking for one of these for ages! My Mom has given me some good tips on baking sponges as she is the 'Queen of Coffee Cakes' So next week I will have another go with smaller baking tins and 2 teaspoons of baking powder!

A bit of this and a bit of that!

2010-01-31T16:54:00.003Z

My bag of goodies! Eeeeeek!

Little card! Such a lovely touch!

Hello all! What a week! Work is not good at the moment! Lots of pressure coming in at all angles and I don't seem to be getting very far! I am also fed up with going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark and then sitting in front of the telly trying to find some decent to watch (there isn't anything!) Roll on Spring! Can't wait! So to keep myself busy I am doing all sorts of crafting. A bit of this and a bit of that! I ordered some felt squares, ribbon and buttons from a lovely site called 'Paper and String'. I have followed this blog for a while now and I am always inspired by what is made using bits of felt and embellishments. I thought that I would give it a go! The parcel came on Saturday and I was truly amazed at how beautifully packaged it all was and I also had a lovely card with a nice message in! Such a personal service! I luuurveeee it! Will definitely go back there again!

A bit of lemon drizzle!

2010-01-24T12:57:00.002Z

Well, I just had to give it a go! Never made a lemon drizzle cake before as I am not that keen on lemon flavoured stuff! Always reminds me of them drinks you have when you have a cold!!! Blah Blah yuk yuk! Anyway, it looked so nice on the 'Country Heart and Home' blog and I thought it might be quite refreshing with a cup of earl grey tea! I even had all the ingredients in so didn't have to rush out and buy stuff! It turned out well and I must say it is delicious! Have filed the recipe away under favourites!

More crafty Christmas pressies!

2010-01-17T18:18:00.002Z

Here is a sample of the notelet sets that I am making for Christmas gifts. There are 5 co-ordinating cards in each box. So far I have made the blue and lemon set as well as the brown and pick set.

I have also had a go at making a gift bag using a template that I found in my drawer and never used before! I might make these to go on the table instead of crackers!!!

'Make flowers while the sun shines'

2010-01-17T17:51:00.004Z

My flower brooches and buttons so far!

Ready to be sewn together

Lovely spring colours! Just need to sew on the buttons!

Well I must say that today I have been very productive and nearly got all my jobs done that are on my jobs list!! I started my marking at 6.00am this morning in an attempt to get it out the way so that I could have a bit of craft time to have a play! and it certainly did the trick!!! As some of you know I have decided to make most of my Christmas pressies this year and with so many to make I have started already. Today I have been cutting out felt flower shapes with my cuttlebug and spellbinder nesties to create 'flower brooches'. I got a bit carried away as the sun was pouring into my craft room making it nice and warm and I could hear the birds chirping outside blah, blah, blah.....lovely! I managed to cut out lots of little flowers from the scraps of the brooches and had a great idea to turn them into toppers for Easter cards! Here are my bits and pieces for the brooches and card toppers!!

'Shabby Chic' or 'Crafty' give away!

2010-01-14T18:50:00.003Z

'Shabby Chic'

or .......'Crafty'

Hello again, where does the time go! Another week nearly gone and still, we have the snow! I have been very busy crafting this week making Christmas cards, birthday cards and gift bags. I am determined to make everything myself for Christmas this year to give Kirsty Allsop a run for her money! lol! Unfortunately haven't managed to take any photos yet as the lighting is pants so will have to wait for the weekend to get a better snap! Blog hopping at the moment and came across Debbie at 'Country Heart and Home'. Such a lovely blog with allsorts of things such as recipes, cards, scrap book pages and loads of inspiration. Pop along if you fancy having a go!

Click here!

Snow days! Yay!

2010-01-07T17:13:00.002Z

Why do you have more fun when you are having days off from school because of the snow? I have really enjoyed my two days off! Got plenty done around the house! I have tidied and spring cleaned my craft room, made pickles and pies as well as planned my ideas for my handmade Christmas pressies that I am going to give family and friends this year. Martha has enjoyed the time at home too! Here are some pictures of her playing in the snow for the first time!

Frugal Living in the UK

2009-12-29T15:44:00.003Z

I am on a mission to save some money this new year as a lot of my savings went towards George's treatment. So I need to get back on track with a lot of things really, life, money and well being! I found a great website with lots of thrifty tips on how to save money around the home! Have a butchers and see what you think! http://www.frugal.org.uk/foodtips.html

Christmas at 'our house'

2009-12-28T09:23:00.003Z

Christmas cookies!

Our tree!

Hubby making his model boat in MY CRAFT ROOM!

Miss Martha

More pressies! Yum Yum!

Watching all these cookery programmes and Kirsty Allsop 'Home made Christmas' has inspired me to go back to basics. So here are my home made cookies made by me and decorated by me and my hubby. We had so much fun!

Hello all!

2009-12-28T08:57:00.003Z

Martha opened this all by herself!

How exciting!

What's in this one????

Santa has been!!!

Helping mommy get ready for Christmas!

It's been a while since I posted! Very busy time of year, as we all know, so not much time for blogging. Busy getting ready for Christmas and looking after puppy who is proving to be a bit of a handful! Anyway, I hope to get back on track and start making some lovely cards as well as other things. We have decided to give up our allotment as we are not really making full use of it. There are waiting lists which make me feel guilty so we have decided to grow bits of veg at home instead. It means that I can just pop out into the garden and weed for 10 minutes instead of having to take an hour out of my evening to pop down to the allotment. It's all about time and not enough of it. I want to spend more time cooking, crafting and resting this new year. He are a few pics of Christmas at our house!

Blimey!!!

2009-12-05T09:18:00.003Z

Can't believe how fast the weeks are going! But then again, when you have got a puppy and loads of cards to make and work to mark, time will go pretty quickly! Martha is doing just great! She has settled down a lot and is going to bed without a fight! No more crying at 2am and she wakes up about 5ish! Early I know, but at least I can get more jobs done! I have also managed to make a couple of special cards which I really enjoyed doing. I got a bit carried away and ended up going mad with the embellishments that I had stashed away in a basket unopened!

Hoping to put up the Christmas tree today and start getting our house all snugly. It's lovely to have a puppy about the place. Looking forward to making her first Christmas special. Still missing my boy though. He loved Christmas and always enjoyed opening his stocking full of goodies. Bless him. Think about him every day.

Batch production!

2009-11-20T20:44:00.002Z

I have been trying to keep myself busy until the arrival of Martha so I have decided to knuckle down and stock up on birthday cards and such! Not long to go now! Off to pick her up later!

Martha and Me!

2009-11-12T20:23:00.002Z

To keep you followers up to date with Martha's adventures I have set up another blog! If you click on the picture of Martha on the side you will go directly to our new blog! Enjoy!

Come Dine With Me Round 2 cont/...

2009-11-08T06:40:00.003Z

No bits please!

Caramel sauce!

Yum yum!

Getting stuck in!

Come Dine With Me! Round 2!

2009-11-08T06:27:00.002Z

We were invited over to my sisters last night for dinner 'Come Dine With Me Round 2'. It's a bit of fun as we all score each other on ambiance, food, entertainment and presentation. I was very impressed with their choice of music 'Ella Fitzgerald' and their dog Jack was very good entertainment too! Food was lovely! We had Thai fish cakes and a chili dip for starters, chicken wrapped in parma ham and veg for main. The potatoes were fantastic! Finished off by a lovely meringue (all home made!) with berries, cream and caramel. It was the best meal that I have had out for a long time. I scored them 9.5 out of 10 and hubby scored them 10 out of 10 as he wants to be invited back and didn't want to offend anybody! Creep!

Anyhow, we had a lovely evening! Thanks Charlotte and Ian! Here are some pics!

Chocolate brownie experience!

2009-11-08T06:19:00.002Z

I have never made chocolate brownies before! I know why now! It is such a messy process! My kitchen needs a good clean! I must say they turned out OK (thank goodness)!!!! I made them so I could take some round to my sisters as she invited us over to dinner yesterday. We have a bit of a competition going on with entertaining each other! A bit like 'Come Dine With Me'! more on that later! Here are my choc brownies with the box that I recycled and decorated! All good fun!

Happy Birthday Ian!

2009-11-01T20:34:00.004Z

Storm Force 10! Nice wet trousers and undies!!!

Shock Wave! Had my eyes closed all the way round!

Maelstrom! Breakfast returns!

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday! So to celebrate we decided to go to Drayton Manor park for the day! Now being a teacher I get to get ever summer with the kids and it is absolutely packed! Waiting time for the big rides are about 2-3 hours long! Today was ace as we jumped straight on the rides and in some cases had the whole ride to ourselves! I have screamed so much that my throat is sore and I am absolutely shattered! Great day though and we managed to dodge the rain too! Happy Birthday Bro!

Special memories

2009-11-01T08:26:00.002Z

This week has been lovely with the exception of me having to close our caravan down for the winter. We haven't been down since the summer so there were quite a few things of George's down there such as his toys, bowl and chews. It was so very sad as he loved his caravan. We used to joke and say that it was a luxury kennel on wheels. We bought it so that George could always go on holiday with us. It's only now that we realise just how much we lived our lives around him. That's why I miss him so much. With Martha on the way it has given us something positive to focus on and we are looking forward to bringing her home but I really miss my boy still. I found this little album that I made a couple of years ago at a workshop that me and my buddy went to. I am so glad I did it now. I have decided to make a scrapbook of George. I have got all the stuff but don' think I can do it yet. It's a project that I am planning to do over the winter.

Getting ready for Christmas!

2009-11-01T08:15:00.002Z

I like to get all my chrimbo shopping done by the 1st December! I hate it when the shops are busy and you have to fight to get to the counter bla bla bla humbug!! So I try and get all my cards made and pressies bought well in advance. It hasn't been the best year for keeping up to date with things and sticking to plans for one reason or another so I have decided to get a grip and finally started to make gift tags and cards! My cupboard is full of gifts and new decorations so I am actually looking forward to it now especially with Martha on the way and me being a bit more organised!

About time!

2009-11-01T08:07:00.003Z

Morning crafters! Up bright and early this morning so that I can photo all my crafty creations and put them on my blog as promised! I have had a great week visiting friends and family and eating lots of gorgeous food (must go on a diet when I get back to school!). Anyway, I have sorted out all the cards that I have made over the last week or so and here they are! There are quite a few!

Lady who lunches!

2009-10-28T22:23:00.002Z

I know I promised to get pictures on my blog of my cards and stuff but I have been so busy with meeting up with friends and family! I have been shopping and bought Martha lots of goodies! All pink! I have started to knit her a blanket too! So been busy but not with making cards! So here she is! Isn't she a sweetie! Counting the days till we can bring her home!

Some good news for a change!

2009-10-25T08:02:00.002Z

Morning crafters! Sorry I haven't blogged for a week or so but been a bit rough this last week. Got this chest infection that is doing the rounds at the moment and my mom has been ill in hospital too. Anyway, all is well again as mom is now back at home doing well and my cough is finally starting to clear just in time for the half term holiday! Yippee! I have made a few bits and pieces this week but couldn't photo them as the camera battery was flat and kept forgetting to put it on charge! Pics will follow shortly!
As you all know we lost our lovely dog, George, a month ago tomorrow to cancer. I have been trying to keep focused on different things at home and at work but still I have this empty feeling inside and something is definitely missing from our lives at the moment. We wasn't going to have another dog till next summer but I can't go on any longer feeling the way I do. Soooooo, we went to view some Labrador puppies yesterday and we reserved one!!!!!! We are having a girl and she will be named Martha! Just to let you know I haven't named her after Martha Stewart the crafting queen! no, no! I have named her after my Grandmother, much to my moms delight! So her full name will be.......Martha May Violet! Violet is my hubbies Grandmothers name! I am so excited! I thought it would be good to have a girl this time! She is black and the best thing is that she shares the same birthday as my hubby and me! So to me that was a sign to do it and go get her. She is only four weeks at the moment so we won't be able to get her till the end of November! I am going to go out later today and buy some bits and pieces for her! All girly stuff! Enjoy what's left of the weekend and I promise I will get some cards uploaded later!

Happy Birthday Karen!

2009-10-11T07:13:00.002+01:00

I made this card for my bezzie friend last Monday and couldn't post it in the week as she would see it before her big day! I have been so excited about it as I really enjoyed making this and thought it looked quite good. The design was based on the gift wallet that we made during the 'Stampin Up' party and the SU stamp set that I used was 'A Little Bit of Happiness' and the papers I used were from the SU 'Junior Varsity' pack. Happy Birthday Karen!

Blog Candy!

2009-10-11T07:09:00.002+01:00

I received my blog candy on Friday from the lovely Cherry! Can't wait to get colouring in those fab images and using the gorgeous gems! Thanks again Cherry!

Christmas feeling!

2009-10-11T07:00:00.002+01:00

Morning folks! What a creative week I have been having! I am so glad that I had a 'Stampin Up' party and bought some goodies as it has helped me get my mojo back! I have managed to make quite a few cards this week for Christmas using the good old 'Season of Joy' stamp set and 'Dashing' papers. I might have a go at making some Christmas cards in black and silver using this set. I love it!

Sunday Spectacular Challenge!

2009-10-04T20:03:00.002+01:00

Here is my first challenge for at leat 2 months! The challenge is 'Pull Out'. There are some fab samples from the Design Team! Very inspiring! I have combined my fave stamps 'Seasons of Joy' from Stampin Up with the Sara's Templates I had from QVC last year! I have used the Stampin Up 'Dashing Papers' too! Love em, love em, love em! Oooh, nearly forgot, I ordered some dew drops the other day! Really good! I have used these as well for the centres of the flowers and to decorate the envelope!

Keeping busy

2009-10-04T18:46:00.003+01:00

This week has been the hardest week of my life so far. Some people probably can't understand what all the fuss is about but unless you have had a pet you won't understand what it is like to lose one. I tried to prepare myself for this weeks ago when I knew that time wasn't on our side with George. I really didn't think it would be this painful. There isn't an hour in the day when I don't think about him or I see something that reminds me of him. He was such a massive part of my life which is now an empty space. I am trying hard to make it through a day when I don't cry but I am not doing very well. I just feel so sad and miss him so very much. My family and friends have been really supportive but nothing seems to ease the heartache. I seem to cope better at work but as soon as I come home it hits me like a blow to the chest. On a more positive note my 'Stampin Up' goodies arrived this week so I have been busy playing with them this weekend. I have made quite a few cards with the 'Seasons of Joy' stamps and 'Dashing Papers'. I love them! I feel an addiction coming on!

Cherry's blog candy!

2009-09-29T22:44:00.004+01:00

To get myself back into crafting and back into blog hopping I have popped over to Cherry's blog for a nose and found that she is giving away some fabby blog candy. Please hop over to her blog and have a look at her fantastic cards...... and of course the blog candy!

So sad

2009-09-29T21:14:00.003+01:00

George Rory Rupert

23rd September 2001 -28th September 2009

Even though I had a happy birthday and enjoyed my craft party, sadly, George became very ill on Sunday. He had stopped eating and was becoming very uncomfortable which was preventing him from sleeping. We took him to the vets on the Sunday afternoon and they gave him an injection to stop him being sick. The vet said that it might be a stomach bug and that he would pick up later. I knew deep down that it was not a stomach bug and tried to prepare myself for what lay ahead. I knew it was nearly time. I stayed up all night with him and we tried to sleep in the spare bed but could not settle. My mom came with me to the vets on Monday morning and I made the decision that he had suffered enough and just wanted what was best for him. I am heartbroken and miss him more than I ever imagined. He was such a big part of our life and will always be in my thoughts. I know we made the right decision but sadly it doesn't ease the pain when I come home to an empty house. I would like to thank my followers for their supportive comments over the last few months which comforted me on those bad days.

Stampin Up Party Success!

2009-09-27T18:26:00.006+01:00

What a great birthday I had yesterday! Spent most of the day crafting (something I haven't had time to do lately). It was a real treat to be creative a make something different. I invited my sister and a couple of friends around to spend the day with me and have some fun. We have all been having a bit of a rough time recently so it was nice to have a giggle and make something inspiring at the same time. Our 'Stampin Up' demonstrator, Sarah, was lovely. She brought loads of stuff for us to have a play with and we made a great little gift box and card. The hard part was knowing what to order at the end as there is so much lovely stuff it was very difficult to choose. I would recommend a 'Stampin Up Party' to anyone as it is great fun and even more enjoyable looking through their fab catalogue. Here are some pics I took on the day!

Birthday Boy!

2009-09-27T18:18:00.003+01:00

Here are some of the pics of George's 8th Birthday Party last week! We didn't think we would make it this far so we decided to throw him a party to celebrate! Great fun was had by the fur babies and their humans!

2009-09-27T18:16:00.000+01:00

2009-09-27T18:12:00.000+01:00

Birthday Weekend!

2009-09-25T18:06:00.003+01:00

Apologies for lack of card making and blogging! I have had such a busy week as we found out on Monday that OFSTED would be coming into our school on Wednesday and Thursday! Fortunately I am mega organised at the moment so didn't stress too much but still ended up working late into the night on a number of occassions. The school did well and although it was a relief not to be seen by the OFSTED inspectors I feel a bit cheated that I put so much effort into my lessons and they never came in!!!! There is no way you could plan every lesson in that much detail every day of the week! You would be working flat out every day and night and not have any time to do anything else!

Anyway, George had a lovely party last Sunday! They enjoyed the 'Doggie' birthday cake and loved the treats, balloons and party hats! Pictures to follow when I get time to load them. It is mine and my hubbies birthday tomorrow. I booked a Stampin Up party a few months ago and the demonstrator 'Sarah' is coming tomorrow morning. How exciting. Hubby is out golfing all day tomorrow and I have planned to cook us a nice three course meal tomorrow night. Sunday we hope to pop along to the Malvern Flower Show. George is a bit under the weather today so we will have to see how he goes and decide what the plans are for the rest of the weekend.

Have a good weekend all! I promise to get pics of Georges party and the Stampin Up party on my blog soon!

No more chemo!

2009-09-12T20:47:00.003+01:00

Apologies for my lack of blogging but George has been quite poorly over the last few days. He is reacting badly to the chemo tablets that he has been given. George managed to sail through the 'hard stuff' and didn't have any side effects whatsoever towards the infusions. Unfortunately, the milder tablet form is not for him. Blood tests have also shown that the cancer is spreading. After many visits to the vets to try and get him more comfortable we have decided to stop the chemo. We see no point in putting him through all this discomfort when the cancer has come back. It is so sad to think that we won't have him with us at Christmas. We have always been the 'three musketeer's' and he is always included in holidays, days out and family gatherings. I have spent many hours crying this week trying to come to terms with the fact that we only have a couple of months left (if that). Even though my heart is breaking just thinking about it all there is no way that I will let my little boy suffer. If it means having 1 month of the 'Old George' back then so be it. Today he was fab! He was eating again (although it was junk!), he played in the garden with his doggie cousin Jack and then fell fast asleep on the sofa cuddling his Mom! Next week is his 8th birthday so we are going to throw a party to celebrate the fact that he is still here and he is happy!

Back to School!

2009-09-03T18:44:00.004+01:00

Where did the 6 weeks holiday go? I always say that when I return to work! The past 6 weeks have gone so quickly and I can't believe that its only a few months till Christmas. I have already started my Chrimbo shopping as I want to be mega organised as the way things are at the moment we just don't know what is around the corner. George hasn't been too good over the last couple of weeks as he was bit on holiday and due to his immunity being low it ended up getting infected. So off to the vets we went and he was put on antibiotics. These seemed to do the trick but now George is being sick and not eating his food. So off to the vets again. This time it appears that the antibiotics are making him sick. He looks so sorry for himself and doesn't want to eat anything (even his favourite.....cheese). I am so worried about him I didn't even think about going back to school today. It's like riding a bike...you just get on and wait to fall off next summer!

Sketch Saturday

2009-08-16T10:13:00.002+01:00

Here is my first card created in my new craft room! Feels a bit strange at the moment! Not keen on my chair either! A bit too hard! Anyway, I have made this 'New Home' card following the layout on Sketch Saturday! Hope you are all having a nice weekend! Make the most of the good weather!

At last!!!

2009-08-14T19:23:00.004+01:00

My fabby wardrobes that were made for me by my boss for a wedding pressie 8 years ago!

My 'mega' organised boxes!

My tidy (at the moment!) craft cupboard

You will need to turn your computer around to view this one! Ooooops!

My new shelves (that must be filled with new goodies!)

My workspace, my new room, my sanctuary!

Well folks, here is my new craft room! I have been wanting to jazz up my space for some time now and with all of George's treatment costs it has been put on the back burner.....until now! We have been really busy this week sorting out drawers, cupboards and anything else that stores stuff and had a real good clear out. We have decorated two rooms (my old craft room and the bathroom) and I must say it took me longer to sort out my craft stuff than it did to do all that decorating, filing and chucking out! Here are some pics of my new room!

I luuuuuuurve it!

Gee Whizz! Another award!

2009-08-13T19:00:00.011+01:00

I feel so guilty at the moment for not making any cards and keeping up to date with visiting other blogs and commenting! I do apologise but as mentioned before I am decorating and moving my craft room to the front of the house. It has proved to be quite a timely and exhausting exercise! There have been times when I thought 'Why am I doing this?????'. Went to Ikea today to get some shelves for my stuff and ending up spending most the day there as I couldn't decide on the ones I wanted. Then we get the shelves home and realise we picked up one white shelf and one birch coloured shelf! OMG! How fed up am I! I wanted to get it sorted today! I am on a mission to get my house back to some normality! I hate mess and I hate change! Moan, moan, moan! Anyway, I think it will look pretty good! I hope so anyway! Back to Ikea tomorrow!

Also, I was nominated for another award today by Jessica! Thanks Jessica!

Here are the instructions in order to accept this award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name seven things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Seven interesting things about me:

1. Me and my hubby have the same birthday and are exactly the same age! He is one hour older than me!

2. I grow my own vegetables

3. I have been a teacher of woodwork for 14 years

4. I enjoy cooking

5. I have recently learned how to knit and I am working on knitting a blanket

6. I love pencil cases! I have a new one every term!

7. I love animals

My nominations for this award are:

An award!

2009-08-10T20:03:00.010+01:00

Hello! It's been a while since I last posted! Been away on holiday for a couple of weeks and then back home to decorate! I have decided to move my craft room to the front of the house as it is a lot sunnier on that side and I am fed up of crafting in the dark. I would also like to have a real girlie craft room like the ones you see on 'Crafty Storage'. So, with my hubby's help we are re-decorating the back bedroom and turning it into a guest room and then moving all my craft stuff into the front (not decorating that one!) It seemed like a good idea at the time, however, all my stuff is in the front room, on the landing, in the bathroom and on the stairs!! OMG! Not looking forward to putting it away! Watch this space! Will try and get some pics on before the end of the week of 'my new craft space!'

Thank you Cherry for my award! It was a lovely suprise to come back to!

The terms of this particular award are:-
1. Make reference to award and publish it on your blog
2. Share 5 things you like to do
3. And share with 10 blogs
4. Inform each blog

My fave five things to do are:

Craft!

Potter in the garden/greenhouse

Go on holiday with my family

Visit antique shops

Cuddle George!

Nominations for this award go out to:

Weeding, cooking, baking, and...!

2009-07-20T18:01:00.003+01:00

Yippee! It's that time again! Yes......its the Summer holidays! I am so looking forward to this holiday! Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that none of us are ill (including George) and that there are no major problems. So, I have many things planned for the next six weeks. These include, visiting friends and family, going on holiday, weeding on the allotment, cooking, baking, sewing, reading, knitting. decorating, cleaning, sorting and plenty of card making!!! So much to do but so much better than going to work!

I haven't had much time to make any cards for fun over the last few weeks as school has been hectic and home life has been pretty mad too. Made some wedding invites for a friend which took up quite a bit of my time and then not really been in the mood for card making for myself. I am determined to make a card a day (yeah, whatever!). Here is my first card for my first day of the holidays. It follows the sketch on Mojo Monday!

My little fella is doing good!

2009-07-07T19:52:00.002+01:00

At last some good news! George (my dog) has had his last chemo injection today and after having had no side effects what so ever the vet is really pleased with how he has responded. He also had a scan and although the tumours in his lymph nodes haven't gone completely they have shrunk. She wants to follow on with chemo tablets (which are A LOT cheaper than the injections!!!!) for the rest of his life. The vet told me that this could keep the cancer at bay and under control for at least a couple of years! How good is that? I am so pleased as I was quite scared to think that he wasn't going to have any more treatment to stop the cancer spreading and that would be the end of it. He will have to go back every 3-4 weeks for a check up which will consist of blood tests and scans. This treatment has cost us thousands of pounds so far and although things have been tight it was worth every penny and I know now that the decisions me and my hubby made along the way have been the right ones. It hasn't been easy and I certainly have cried a lot over the last few months but today the tears I have cried have been ones of relief.

Time for tea!

2009-07-04T21:20:00.004+01:00

Isn't it nice to do something different! For a change I thought it would be nice to have an afternoon tea party instead of a barbecue. I invited my parents, sister and brother-in-law over to say thank you for looking after me and George over the last few months. I don't know what I would have done without them. I enjoyed all the planning and preparation for this party, however, it did prove a bit challenging at times. Tracking down a plain cream cake stand (which didn't cost the earth) proved a bit tricky! However, I managed to get all my bits and pieces together and even got my great Aunts tea service out of the loft and used that which was really nice! I had a great day and although I am totally shattered it was worth every minute! Here are the pics! There are quite a few so I hope you are sitting comfortably!

2009-07-04T21:07:00.002+01:00

Time to wash up!

Blimey! What's Mom doing?

Ok Mom! You can stop eating now!

2009-07-04T20:55:00.002+01:00

Don't be fooled by this cute photo!

Here is my little fella enjoying the party!

Me!

Every party has a goodie bag! Pressie time!

What's this?

2009-07-04T20:46:00.001+01:00

Happy Days!

Finally! The sunshine!

Mom sneaking another cake!

Yum! Yum!

Decisions! Decisions!

2009-07-04T20:32:00.002+01:00

My lovely cake stand!

My darling hubby!

My wonderful parents!

My sweet sister and brother-in-law!

Mollie! The frog hunter!

Time for tea!

2009-07-04T19:43:00.009+01:00

Yum!

Tasty!

The 'Mad Hackett's' Tea Party!

The Boss!

My attempt at flower arranging!

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

2009-06-30T21:20:00.005+01:00

I have have had quite a busy week so far! It started on Sunday with the Race for Life around Sandwell Valley. I didn't think I would be able to do it with the problems that I have had with my joints but I rose to the challenge and so glad that I did. I must say that I felt overwhelmed with the amount of women that turned up to take part and raise money for such a good cause. It was quite moving to read what some women had wrote on their backs and to hear some of them talking about what they have been through to beat cancer. I know for a fact that I will never complain about aches and pains, snivels and coughs again. Here is a photo of us at the end after we had run (WALKED!!!) 3 miles in the blistering heat on Sunday. Downloaded from the Nivea (niviola!....in joke for little sis!) site. Here is my sister (on the left) with her friends from work. I am the one second from the right! Very fetching photo (not!!!!).

What a week!

2009-06-21T19:47:00.004+01:00

Isn't life full of twists and turns! Me and my best buddy have been through quite a lot so far this year. I know that there are people out there who are in worse situations than us but life has thrown quite a bit at us recently. What with George and his cancer, me not being very well, BB losing her job and this week she unfortunately lost a close member of her family. Last Friday we went to see the show Chicago and before that we treated ourselves to a slap up meal. There we decided that things can only get better from now on and that we must start a fresh and think positive. Sadly, things took a turn for the worse. Life can be a real s**t at times. It makes you think 'hey.... give us a break'! It certainly makes you think about life differently. She is coping well and I know that as long as I am around she will always have someone to pick her up after she has been knocked down. The good news is that this week she has quite a few interviews lined up! Fingers crossed this could be the turning point! George has had his third blast of chemo and is doing OK! The lumps on my legs are going down so........ spray tan here I come! So maybe life is on the up!

I made this card for my BB! Sending you hugs and good luck for the interviews! Be strong and kick ass! I made it to the sketch on 'Sketch Saturday'! It also meets the challenge over at Allsorts!

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Fathers Day

2009-06-17T20:08:00.002+01:00

Here is my card that I have made for my Dad for 'Fathers Day'! I have decided to enter it for the Cupcake Craft Challenge this week too! I enjoyed making this one as I have not had much quality time to sit and make cards recently so I made myself do it last night! It was a late night as I didn't finish it till 10.30pm and then went to bed dreaming about card stuff! Awful sleep! Hubby kept talking in his sleep too! Aaaaargggghhhhh! Soooooo, therefore, I am a bit (very) grouchy today! Early to bed tonight me thinks!

Friday Sketchers!

2009-06-14T19:33:00.002+01:00

I have had quite a productive day today! Got up early and did my school work, made a couple of cards and posted them on my blog. Did the ironing, made some more cards. Had a bar-b-Que and then had a power nap! Woke up and made a few more cards! Going to get ready for work and walk Mr. George now! Still got a bit more school work to do and then I think it will be bed time! Sweet dreams!

Sketch Saturday

2009-06-14T12:59:00.003+01:00

Here is my attempt at this weeks sketch! I am trying to use all of my stamps that I have accumulated over the years. I have drawers full! Love this cat stamp! I managed to get some fab paper to go with it too and the colours are really summery!

All is well! Well, sort of!

2009-06-14T08:51:00.004+01:00

Morning folks! What a lovely sunny day! Had my results back this week and I am glad to say that there is nothing nasty lurking on the horizon. However, my little old thyroid is playing up again! I have suffered with an overactive thyroid for about eight years now. It has played up twice before and the doctor said that if it were to kick off again then I would have to have to something more permanent done to it. It would mean either having radioactive iodine treatment or surgery. The doctor seems to think that the radioactive iodine would be the best way forward so I am going to go with that! At least I now know that I am not imagining things and that there was something physically wrong!

George is doing great! Went to the vets on Tuesday for a check up and the Vet was really impressed with the way he has responded. Had to have some more blood tests as he has got to go in next Tuesday for his third lot of chemo. I have talked to the vet about what the next step would be if the cancer has spread and he said that depending on where it had spread to would depend on whether we could operate again and then follow up with more chemo. Not sure I want him messed with again. Going to be a difficult decision to make. I don't want to lose him but then I don't want him to suffer either. I suppose I should be concentrating on what's happening now rather than looking into the future. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Here is a card I made a while ago. Forgot to put it onto my blog. I bought this stamp as it reminded of Mr. George! Oops!

I've won an award!

2009-06-08T18:17:00.007+01:00

I hate Monday's! I was in such a bad mood this morning and it didn't get any better as the day went on! Feeling a bit rough today as my arms and legs are playing up again! However, when I checked my blog the lovely Cherry had left a comment on my 'Sketch Saturday' card and left me something on her blog! It was an award for having a blog with attitude and gratitude! This is the first award that I have ever won! It has really cheered me up (BIG TIME!) Thanks so much Cherry for your lovely comments and my first award! Please pop along to her blog and have a look at her fabby cards too!

I must pass this award on as the rules say - comment on this blog; cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog; nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude; link to your nominees within your blog post; comment on their blogs to let them know they received the award; link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

Here are my nominees:

Thanks again Cherry!

Sketch Saturday!

2009-06-07T20:42:00.002+01:00

Here is my attempt at this week's 'Sketch Saturday' layout. Bought some new papers the weekend in an attempt to get my mojo started. I was really pleased with it till I decided to sew around the edge! It went a bit slanted and I must admit it is driving me crazy every time I look at it! Aaaaarrghhhh!!!!!

Hello!

2009-06-07T20:10:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I last blogged! So much is going on in my little life at the moment that crafting has had to take a bit of a back burner! So here is the update so far! My dog, George, was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago which was a real shock to all of us. It took me some time to get over the devastating news and take a positive approach to his forthcoming treatment. He had an operation to remove the tumours and although they couldn't remove all of it they decided to follow up with chemotherapy. It was a very expensive option but we felt that we had to go through with it. He has had two treatments so far and has responded really well. No side affects (as yet) and he seems to have had a new lease of life!

I have been quite poorly too during the last couple of months. I had a virus and I think with the upsetting news about George had made things a lot worse so much so that I have had to have a number of tests to see if there is anything nasty lurking on the horizon! A number of the test results have come back which have been negative but I am still waiting for a few more which I will get on Tuesday. I do feel better in myself and I am back at work. It's tiring, but I am glad to be back!

With the lovely sun that we have been having me and the hubby have been down the allotment every night watering which has obviously eaten into my craft time! So there you go!

I have managed to make a couple of cards this weekend. Had a craft day with my friend Karen who is also finding it difficult to craft at the moment as she has a lot going on in her life too! We made three cards each today so not bad for a couple of stressed crafters whose mojo's went AWOL!

Friday Sketchers!

2009-05-22T19:53:00.002+01:00

Really enjoyed making this! Loved it! Fab colours and papers!

Stamp Something

2009-05-22T19:48:00.003+01:00

Here is my attempt at a 'Clean, fresh, crisp and simple' Thank you card! I enjoyed making this and think that sometimes less is definitely more! This challenge was for last Friday!