Digi-Stamp Boutique giveaway

Check out this little cutie, how sweet is Olivia!

My own little cutie daughter, Eloise, is cat crazy and I just know she would be over the moon to get a digi like this to create with (me too!).  So if we are not lucky enough to win it - I know where I will be spending some pennies in May!  Pop over to the DigiStamp Boutique Blog for a change to win Olivia.

Bi-annual blog post ;-)

Seeing as I am so rubbish at posting I have decided to set quite a low target - bi-annual posting!  So here is the first one for 2011 and the next one I can schedule in for sometime after October ;-).

I am blaming the lack of posts on the fact that I am now back working full time.  After working part time for the last 9 years, what a shock to the system that was!    This all happened in the autumn last year, and was only temporary as there was so much on at work, well there is still so much on at work, so it is now permanent and I think I am getting into the swing of it now (only took me 6 months).

Card making has definitely been on a back burner and I think I have only made 2 or 3 cards - one which was for my niece 21st birthday.  I wanted to make something she could keep, and she has quite an unusual name, so thought it would be nice to use that:

It turned out to be a rather large easel card - I think she liked it.

I had the last week off from work.  It was rather busy but lovely, family and friends visiting, oh and a session of koi carp resuscitation, after the fish decided it wanted to leave the pond one night - and I found it playing dead in the wood chippings at 6.15am.

Off I went to get some paper to wrap it in - and then it's gill started moving!  So I leapt to its aid (in my dressing gown and pink marigolds!) holding it in the pond and swooshing in over the air bubbles (seen hubby doing this when another one tried to make a break for it) - anyway after about 20 mins I passed it over to hubby to carry on with the intensive care.  I went to thaw out my hands - bloody pond was freezing!  Anyway, the fish survived and lived to swim another day :-)

On that happy note I am off to make bacon sarnies xx

Off to the NEC!

I know, it has been an absolute age since I last blogged, I haven't been creating much - apart from some table decorations for my brother in laws birthday party and helping my niece decorate some albums for two of her friends 21st birthdays, all of which I forgot to take photos of, so nothing to see here!

I am just so excited though, as I am off to the NEC tomorrow, with my bestest buddy Faye and her Mum, Val, just can't wait.  My gorgeous daughter Eloise is being taken to school and picked up by her Nanny tomorrow - as we are off at the crack of dawn.  Better make sure I pick up something nice for Ellie, to make up for the fact that I won't be doing the school run.

The car is clean, full of fuel and the snacks are ready - all I need now is my purse and my shopping buddies (oh - and apparently flasks of coffee for Val!)

Challenge and The Firemen (plural!)

First of all I am going to enter a challenge!  Not something that I have done very much of - challenges, but my buddy Faye has just taken over running the Cupcake Challenges Blog - so I had to have a go.  The challenge is distressing, and this is the first time that I have roughed up my papers!

So this is my easel card.  I really had fun making this, using colouring pencils on the image - one of the new House Mouse sets from Joanna Sheen - I just think the rabbit and the mouse cuddled up is so cute.  Lots of inking with distress ink on the My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus and Dovecraft Back to Basics papers and I made the paper flower too.

Now - onto the Firemen!  A couple of posts ago I mentioned that we had received a visit from some Firemen.  Bit of a long story, but I will try my hardest to condense it.

Eloise went to the Devon County Show in May with the school, Fire Service where there giving safety talks, letting the children on the fire engine etc. During the talk the asked who didn't have smoke detectors, well yes, guess who didn't - so up went Eloise's hand.  They had been taken down when we decorated (quite some time ago) and never put back up - that is very bad, I know.  So, she signed us up for a home safety check which included free smoke detector fitting - dear of her.

Well the visit was arranged.  I was expecting one Fireman - but oh no three, very tall, Firemen arrived - in their Fire Engine!!  They were very tall to me, and I am 5ft 10 - so they were really very tall!   I also live in a quiet sleepy cul-de-sac - so the Fire Engine filled that right up.  You can just imagine how the neighbours curtains were twitching.  I was just so embarrassed, why on earth would they come in a Fire Engine!!

Anyway the minute they got in the door, Eloise shot up to her bedroom and stayed there for their entire visit, so I sat there all on my own (feeling like a right burk) with the three, rather lovely Firemen, as they went through the safety check, and then fitted my smoke alarms.  Took about 45 mins and then they were gone - guess who appeared the minute they were out of the door though - yes Eloise!

Evening all

I haven't had chance to sit and play for ages, but that is just what I happen to be doing - and it is lovely.  Usually I am asleep by now due to the fact that I have a dear little cat, called Dex, that just happens to think it is breakfast time at 5am.  If I don't agree with that, then she will wake up the rest of the family - so muggins here has to intervene before my dear hubby tries to launch the cat off the end of the bed with a size 9!

So, at about 5.30pm I just couldn't stop yawning, the sofa and a kip were calling to me, but I had tea to make - so I had a can of red bull (I don't have much caffeine usually) so now I am wide awake, but luckily though, no wings!

Off to carry on playing now :-)

Has it really been that long since I posted last!

I don't know where the time has gone.  We are into July already and the weather is back to its usual British summary best - rain (mess your hair up kinda rain here at the moment - you know the fine drizzly stuff, the gets everywhere), and windy, generally just yuck!  Never mind, I am trying to remain positive and thinking OK, we can have this for a few days, as long as we get another few weeks of the lovely sunny stuff but yes, think I am living in my own little dream world.

I have made a card, but it was a bit of a rush and then I nearly forgot to take a photo of it before giving it away.  (That is my excuse for this being a pants photo).

I had the stamp from my bestest buddy Faye for my birthday (which was back in June) along with lots of other lovely craft stash.  I am so lucky to have a best friend who also is a craftaholic.

I must remember to fill you in with the details of my visit from the Fire Service - nothing bad happened but I was a tad embarrassed!

I think I need a lie down now, after managing to get a post done, with a bar of galaxy to keep me company!

The missing hamster

Luckily for me, the hamster is not real, it is one of Eloise's toys.

Weekend before last Eloise bought a Zhu Zhu toy hamster (it is on wheels and makes funny little noises - very cute and much less hassle than a real one!), then nanny paid for lots of accessories, so she now has a little home for it, complete with play wheel, beds, babies and pram - lucky Eloise.

Towards the end of last week Eloise was looking for the hamster without any luck.   Everything else was all together, but just no sign of the hamster.  We had a big search for it, with me asking the usual 'I can't find ......' questions:

"When did you last play with it" - "when Rebecca came to play" (this was on Saturday)
"Where did you last see it" - "Charlie had it" (Charlie came to play on Wednesday)
"Where did Charlie have it" - "in the bedroom"
"Are you sure that Charlie had it last" - "yes"
"And you haven't played with it since then" - "no"

So big search continued for another hour - but no sign of it anywhere.  Eloise is so good though, I explained that she would have to wait and ask Charlie at school on Monday if she can remember where it was - by the look on her face she wasn't happy about that, but I think she knew that I had had enough searching by then!

Anyway, that was that.  The next day another friend came to play and just happened to bring their little hamster with them.  Eloise got out the house and they started playing - well by then I was feeling pretty sorry for her, to the stage where I was even considering popping out and buying her a new one.  No - I thought - so off I went, back upstairs to the black hole of a bedroom, to have another look.

I re-checked all the places again and I started to think that maybe someone else had taken the little hamster home with them - how dreadful is that - but I just didn't know where it could be.

I started to pack away some polly pocket toys.  Eloise has a set of hanging canvas shelves, that dangle under her bed (she has a high bed) - we usually keep bags, purses and belts in here.  Next to that is the polly pocket tub.  I got out the tub, put the toys in, was just sliding it away when I saw a little glimpse of fur - wrapped in a little orange blanket.  What a relief - I had found the blasted thing!

I then felt really dreadful for thinking that someone else could have taken this home with them, but then happy that I could let Eloise have her hamster back.  Off I toodled downstairs to give her the good news.

Taadaa - I said - and explained where I found him. "Aaaahhhh - now I remember" was the reply, "I put him to bed there".

Well, you can just imagine what I wanted to say - but we had company - luckily for Eloise!!!!

Oh - and I made a card, which I forgot to post just now!

I made a flower

I was full of good intentions to give the house a really good clean, and that has gone out of the window!  I'm in a real slouchy mood today and the pull of crafting and blog hopping has won - well, really - cleaning or crafting and looking at other peoples fab creations, just no contest :-)

Here is my flower that I made.  It was an idea that I completely  copied from Kristina's blog (fab inspiration) - how lazy is that, not one ounce of my own inspiration there anywhere!  I just really fancied having a go at making the little flower, as I thought it was gorgeous.  Next time round I will make sure that I do put in some effort on my part :-)

Going to get out some different papers and have another go now.

I had a fabulous afternoon on Tuesday, which seems like a long time ago now.  I babysat for my gorgeous (16 month old) godson.  I went to his house, picked him up from Mum (the fabulous Faye) and Dad and then we came back to ours to play.  This is the first time that Daniel had been in my car and he was a little unsure about what was going on!   He was such a dear and was so well behaved for me.  He amazes me at how well he copes with new experiences, and apart from a little scowly face during the car ride, he took it all in his stride.

Daniel's scowl soon disappeared and we were having a lovely chat on the way to our house.  As soon as he was in the door he headed for the toy box with the cars in, but was interrupted on the way by Dex, our cat, who he adores.  Well then that was it - all settled and we had a fun afternoon.  The scowl made a brief return when we had to get back into the car again though :-)   He was delivered home safe and sound, and I hope that Mum and Dad will let me take him out again, and maybe this time they will be able to relax a bit more ;-)

Hope everyone is having a lovely bank holiday Monday - and not doing any cleaning - otherwise I will feel really guilty!

Bowl of cherries

I have made a little card, which I really like - not often that I say that about one of my own card, but I don't think we are usually happy with what we make ourselves are we!

I treated myself to a Martha Stewart punch when Faye and I had our girly gossip day - and this is her first outing.  Whilst making this card I have realised that I don't have many papers with red in them - took me ages to dig around in the stash to find one, and then when I did it was totally the wrong red, so back to the stash again - eventually one surfaced that I think works OK.

I was totally shocked when I work up this morning - it was grey, cloudy and had been raining.  I can honestly say that it has been weeks since we had any rain and it was a shock to see it!  The sun is trying to come through again with the odd shower now and again.  

Eloise is taking part in the St. George's Day Parade this afternoon, with her Brownie Pack, so I really hope that the sun is shining for that.  Better go, got some badges to sew on her sash! 

Have a great Sunday xxx

Do you love ribbon?

and do you love a bargain - I do.  I had an email through to say that unfortunately Poppicrafts is closing for a while on the 30 April :-( and Michelle is having a massive sale.  So if you need any ribbon then go and have a browse, she also does some gorgeous little crochet flowers, which just happened to jump into my basket just before I checked out!  Now how on earth does that happen?

I have actually made something too, which did involve a little bit of ribbon.  I found a video quite a long time ago for this little Kit Kat holder, and really wanted to try and make one.  It is so simple and quick.  The video is done by Angie Kennedy Juda, who is a Stampin' Up Demonstrator.  She has loads of videos online if you are looking for any ideas.  The video of this treat holder is here and here is my version:

as you may have spotted Breakaways also fit :-)

The papers were from my recent Pink Petticoat purchase and the little zebra is a Cuttle Kids die.

On a totally different subject my poor sister is stranded in Croatia at the moment, due to the no fly rules that are currently in place.  She went to a work convention on Wednesday and was due back today, but the news yesterday was that she may possibly get a flight on Monday, although it keeps changing by the day.  I feel so sorry for her and really hope that she gets home soon.

Off to play now - got a need to stamp something xxx