Knackered.....................


Gosh I am pooped, it was my last day at work today before I skip off to Scottie-Land.Lot's more packing to do but I am looking forward to it. Actually managed to finish 2 commissions this week , the mojo is back, I hope.

I have been using the gorgeous Banana Frog stamps, at the moment there is a great challenge on the BF Blog, check it out for a chance of winning a voucher for some stash.


I even managed to dig out a digi layout, the picture was taken at about the time I started my blog last year hope you like it.

Laptop Heaven

Well those birthday cheques hit my bank account and pogo-ed straight out of there into the hands of John Lewis. Yep I got the laptop yey!!! It is a yummy HP Pavillion , I REALLY wanted a MACbook but it was out of my budget so I have the HP instead, and it has a webcam. Great feature but I don't know anyone else with a webcam so when I switch it on all I can see is my face looking like I am looking into the back of a spoon, most attractive I don't think, plus I seem to have about 8 chins!

I went to a wedding yesterday, I love a good wedding, the weather stayed fine too! We stopped at a petrol station and I got wolf whistled and the guy behind the counter said how much he liked my perfume, so there is life in the old dog (me) yet. At one point during the disco I realised my camera had gone missing from the table and was franctic, I searched everywhere and ended up stomping up to the DJ to ask him if he could make an announcement, in fact I think I said "some robbing B***** has nicked my camera can you say something" - he actually said "has anyone found a camera". I was gutted, it was a present from my Mum and Dad last year, then at the last minute I saw the camera strap dangling out of Alan's kilt jacket (for he is Scottish) - he put it in there and forgot! I didn't know whether to laugh or smack him one! In the end I laughed.

So it's more work on my commissions today (yikes better get a move on) 2 more days at work then I am off to Edinburgh and the Highlands - cool................................

Decisions, Decisions...................

After receiving some "oh my god jaw droppingly generous" cheques for my birfday yesterday, I have decided to buy my very own laptop. Gawd I am SUCH a geeky gal.

I REALLY fancy an apple macbook , butttttt just a tadly bit mega spenny methinks so not quite sure about it. For the same or even less moola I can get a really HOT Vista laptop which I can load all my current software onto. Can't wait. Most laydees prefer mega expensive jewellry etc for their 40th year, not me, gimme a computer any day. I think a little tripette to John Lewis is in order to stroke the hardware (ooooo-errrrrr!)

All this chat about new laptops is meant as a diversion, I have 2 mag projects to finish before I go away to Sconnie Botland next week on my jols, cue nervous hysterical laughter, better get a move on!!!

How You Doin.....????

Well this was the title of an email sent to me by hubby this morning - apparently Matt Le Blanc (Joey from Friends) is also 40 today, so I am in good company.

Well I have had a great day, balloons and streamers, cards and pressies at work, followed by lunch in Alderley Edge (oh yeah I am posh hee hee!). I got an email from Julie Hickey first thing this morning sending me birthday greetings bless you Julie xx

Got a huge bouquet of flowers sent to Alex's holiday club and he wrote the card (all arranged by Alan of course)

Just waiting for Alan to come home, he has managed to wangle a business trip to France with an overnight stop at home first yey!!

So I thought I would blog since I am sipping a nice glass of fizzy - it's "Wine O'Clock"!

No doubt I will feel like crap in the morning................... hey ho, it'll be worth it. Now I just have to decide whether to buy a laptop or a digital SLR with my birthday money decisions , decisions

Got a joke for you - very daft but I laughed my socks off

Man walks into a chippy with a fish under his arm. He says to the bloke behind the counter "do you do fish cakes" , "yes" he says "good he says pointing to the fish, can you make him one, it's his birthday......."

hahahahahahahahhaahahahah..........................................

"And I'm gonna be forty............"

Oh Lordy, this is my last day of being in my 30's I can't believe I am actually going to be 40 tomorrow - how depressing! Well the only saving grace is that apparently "60 is the new 40" so I reckon that makes "40 the new 20", if I kid myself long enough it might even be true.

I am in work tomorrow and have instructed my colleagues to make a huge fuss of me (or else!!!) We are having a team meeting then off to the pub for lunch so that will be nice.

We have a new whiz kid student working with us on our website at work and he is soooooooo scarily clever, he told be about a great website that helps with creating colour schemes, it is FAB - check it out here

http://www.siteprocentral.com/html_color_code.html

I picked up the latest copy of Simply Cards and Papercraft on Sunday and a lovely lady had written a letter saying how inspired she was by my article on "bagelopes" which was published a couple of months ago. How nice is that? I was really chuffed!!!

Loadsa Stash

Ooohhhh been feeling a bit panicky as I have about 4 Christmas commissions to do ( I know it is only July) and no "new" Christmas stash.

Well I went to Crab Apple Crafts in Frodsham yesterday and the situation has been remedied, they have Christmas Stash in abundance I spent a small fortune on Basic Grey, Dovecraft and Creative Imaginations such lovely stuff so I am very chuffed! Now I just need to get playing. I feel my creativity has kinda returned I found it really hard to create stuff over the last few months, not surprisingly, but I am enjoying the process again.

I thought I would share a DIGI layout with you, it's a pic of Alex looking at our neighbours chickens - bless!!!

Sales Madness

Thanks to those of you who got in touch about the DIGI training - I think my post was removed from UKS (oops I think it was against the rules, sorry UKS)

Anyway for those of you who are interested, watch this space, I will post more details here, or you can leave a comment to register interest.

Well , I had a very busy day yesterday, it was the NEXT sale and I don't usually go, because I don't fancy fighting for bargains. Anyway I decided I would go because Alex needed some clothes for his hols and boy was I glad I did! WOW! I even managed to get some stuff for myself, including some gorgeous pink shoes with bows and diamantes for a wedding next week for a tenner!!!

I then had to go to John Lewis as I needed a "fascinator" one of those feather things to stick on your head instead of a hat, but they had a sale on and I got a lovely hat instead.

I hope everyone managed to get to their holiday destinations, yesterday was the big day for travelling, what a washout. Some clown decided to start roadworks in Cheadle near John Lewis on the busiest day of the year, it took us 20 mins to get out of the car park!

Anyway we rounded off the day with going to my friend's 40th Party, the weather stayed dry and it was fab. It's a big week for me next week, it's my 40th (arrrrggghhh!)

Would You Be Interested?

I have an idea for a new venture, I am an IT trainer by day and I train people on Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro(Versions 7 and XI)

I know lots of people would like to get into DIGI scrapping but don't know where to start. So I am thinking of starting some one to one classes that you can do in your own home with me talking you through the process "live". All you would need would be a broadband internet connection and your phone - I have access to a system which allows me to broadcast my screen over to you whilst I talk you through the basics of creating DIGI scrap pages.

So now I need to know if anyone would be interested? I would charge a fee for the classes since I need to pay for the software that allows you to see my screen. Please send me a comment if you would be interested.

Aaaaaaand Relax.............

Can't believe it, a full day at work, small child tucked up in bed and me having finished a project ON TIME - yep ON TIME, obv I can't share it but I am very pleased with it.

Ohhhhh the lovely Julie Hickey (twas her who got me interested in this card making malarky) has just launched her blog - Good on you Jules take a peek at her first posts here.

Finally got some pics of my weekend in Edinburgh so thought I would show you some of the Botanical Gardens, I am quite chuffed with them, although I don't think the likes of Kirsty Wiseman need quake in her Crocs just yet - I ain't no threat....

The gates are made from these amazing metal flowers

A purty flower.......

More Purty Flowers (ain't I just the botanist?)

My favourite role...................guarding the picnic with my bottom (no one will dare touch it!!)

VB in LA

So my pal T popped over tonight and we had a glass of Vino and watched Victoria Beckham in LA (or whatever it is called)

Now I don't quite get her, I have seen her being interviewed on Parky and she was fab, but what's with all the pouting? So the programme starts and first of all T and I were like "what the................... ???" , and "oh my God she is awful" and other things I can't write cos my Mummy reads this (waves to Mum).

Then it dawned on us............it's a "p*** take" she was totally hamming it up (and God do I love her hair), also there was a kind of disclaimer about some scenes being "dramatised" at the outset. The bit where her new PA arrived and she is around the pool in stillettos and being so horrid was so believable at first then it was like "oooooooohhhhhh NOW I GET IT"

Hee hee good on her! Can't wait till next week

What a Party!!

OH my word, we had the party on Saturday night and it was FAN-TASTIC!

The weather was great, no rain and clear skies all night and we all had a jolly time. We had spent a lot of time organising and planning the "do" with Alan away working it was tricky but well worth it.

I spent Friday morning at the hairdressers, followed by a hair raising dash round The Trafford Centre, I bought the most gorgeous blinging top covered from top to bottom in sequins then I had to find a pair of silver wedges to go with. I was like Anneka in "Challenge Anneka" dashing into shops shouting "do you have silver wedges in a size 6". I did find some thank god!!!

Then I scooted round Costco, bought 4 MASSIVE pizzas that were duly troughed (not by me) at the party and about 900 tons of salad that were not troughed at the party!

The big day dawned clear and sunny and we got cracking with our preparations, Alan put a gazebo up and our mate brought a glitter ball and spotlight, it was sooooo cool. The barbie was going with 2 of our dearest mates flipping burgers for us. Said mates brought a case of champagne with them and I was like Patsy out of Ab Fab all night in my silver wedges and glass of champagne.

We had a terrific night, surrounded by our lovely friends . Aren't friends just fab?? I know that sounds sooo obvious but it was great just to see loads of sets of friends from different times in our lives all partying together, the last time that happened was when I got married! They all mucked in and helped and brought gifts (v nice indeed!)

I will post pics when I get some with me on (not sure if some of the people in the pics I currently have would object to being published).

My Mummy was a trooper - she baby sat for us - if not for her we couldn't have gone ahead, so good on ya Mum xxx

So, this weekend it's off to Edinburgh for another 40th, then another 40th the weekend after and then the weekend after that it's a wedding for heaven's sake!!

Not Funny

RIGHT! THAT'S IT!!!!

I have officially HAD IT with the weather so please, El Nina, El Ninja - whatever you are called, just PACK IT IN - bring on the Sun.

It's my party on Saturday and it had better clear up asap. I am making ice like a demon and the wine is stacked up, actually I am so stressed I'll probably drink it before Saturday.

OH and I am so glad I dyed my left hand black, NOT! Sports day is flipping cancelled (can't think why..............she ponders)

Anyway gonna get my hair done and shop for my party outfit tomorrow , so I am going to party anyway!!!!

It Could Only Happen to Me

Gosh sometimes even I wonder at my own blonde-ness. After the craft knife incident I have been playing it safe, but with little success.

It is sports day this week at the little fellas school, if the rain stops that is!! So I get a letter from school, as you do, like every few days we get something in his school bag, that has some impossible request that is needed in 48 hours! Well he is apparently on the "black" team and needs a black t-shirt for Thursday. Have you any idea how hard it is to find a plain black t-shirt for a nearly five year old? Well I'll tell you - IMPOSSIBLE!!! I mean do these teachers with amazing brain waves like this actually have kids??

So I came up with the fab idea of dying a white t-shirt black, so I toddled off to Woolies and got some of that black dye in a wee tin. Now these dye tins are flipping lethal, this tin is full of black powdered dye and you have to pierce the damn thing, errrrr the capacity for a major dye incident is fairly high so I reckon to avoid accidents you should just be naked to do it (I wasn't!)

Never mind, I managed this task without incident, then I was up to my elbows in rubber gloves swishing the t-shirt around the dye bath for 10 mins. HA HAAAA I think, I pulled that off without getting covered in dye - eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr I DON'T THINK SO. I pulled off one of my gloves and my left hand was like totally dyed black - there was a hole in the pigging glove. My skin is red raw from trying to scrub it off, my nails are a mess and to cap it all the bloody t-shirt looks dark navy not black. Everyone in work is saying "eeewwww what's that on your hand?".

I give up................

Guess How Much.?.............Go On!!!

Grrrr I hate the "guess how much?" game. I am like that woman in the office on the Catherine Tate Show. Alan went IKEA shopping on Saturday for stuff for our party next weekend ,je is totally stressed already.You know how someone always cries at a party? Well it'll be me probably, cos I will be all stressed and strung out.

Anyway back to the plot. Paper plates or plastic for our party? Nope I think hubby reckons he is a "cut above" so he refuses point blank to have "artificial plates" arrrrggghh!! SO instead of being able to bung all the plates in a bin bag and forget about 'em he's bought "real ones" from IKEA.

So he goes "go on , guess how much", and I say "ohhhh I don't really know just tell me" and he goes "ooohhh go on guess how much" and I say "arrggggh I don't know - like a quid or summat?" and he says triumphantly "19p each". 19p, 19p??? You can't even buy a bag of crisps for that, how amazing is that 19p for a plate?

Then he pulls out some potpourri and says "go on guess how much" and we start over again - turns out it is 29p per bag! Mind you I haven't the heart to tell him that it smells like 29p's worth (cross betwixt bog cleaner and cheap perfume if you ask me).

Yesterday I was in Tescos ( I know I hate Tescos,but we had no choice) and I was looking for mint sauce, there were 3 teenagers looking for the very same condiment and the girl says "flippin eck, mint sauce for 3P" I goggled in amazement and sure enough they sell jars of mint sauce for 3p! One of her male friends said "eeeeeewww ya scruff that'll be mingin'" in a big loud voice and I nearly wet myself laughing....................you had to be there I suppose.

Back home I settled down to watch the concert for Diana, boy did I get choked up and teary hearing all the "Diana and Me" stories and seeing her on all the film clips reminded me of how much I miss being able to see her on the TV doing her engagements, I can't believe she would have been 46 yesterday, I wonder what she'd have looked like............