Hoots Mon

Just back from a fabbo long weekend in Glasgae..........did lots of fab things, went to S for Stamps and Craft Heaven - designed my own stamps which should arrive tomorrow and bought more stash!

Went to the newly reopened Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery with DH and DS, just fab. I am a real fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and they have an exhibit with loads of those designs - just yummy.

Talking of yummy I went for the best curry ever last night at Mother India, just delish!!! Back home for 36 hours and then orf to Legoland and London - these half term hols ain't all bad eh??

OHHHHH 3 Comments

Seems like my begging has paid off, my last post was read and commented on! Thanks gals your fivers are in the post!

Well I can report that my mojo is back and I am on top of all my projects and I am actually getting the time to just "play". Now I have been cruelly wrenched away from my stash and I am in Glasgow, not to worry I am sure I can fit in some trips to Memory Avenue and S for Stamps he hee heee!!

Looking forward to November cropping activity and the NEC. The last crop was cancelled because Sarah and I couldn't make it so we are on again for our monthly crop in Northwich and I am helping out on her Xmas Retreat (making tea - oh my lord where is the valium??) Then I am helping her out at the NEC and I am SOOOOO excited.

Yummy New Stuff

Ohhhh went over to Sarah's last night (of Sarahs Cards) and raided her new stock. She has taken delivery of lots of GORGEOUS, and I mean GORGEOUS new American Crafts 12x12 paper and it just made me swoon. It is just to die for and I got loads of it and I want more - greed is a terrible fing. The problem with Sarah is she just stocks ENTIRE ranges of papers and it just means I have to buy em'

On the same subject, I have developed an obsession with Stampin Up, a just gorgeous US company who have the lushest stamps on the planet. I have bought some off ebay but have made contact with a demonstrator who lives near my cousin in the US and I am gonna buy more when I can.

Talking of stamping I have discovered a yummy stamping blog called Stamping Mathilda, she is a lady based in the Netherlands I think, and she stamps like a dervish!! Her stuff is wonderful so check it out, cos I is in awe!!!!!

Photos!

Gosh well I finally uploaded a photo of Lil Ol' Me onto my blog - display this page and it'll keep the kids away from your PC hahahahahah. Did you all notice my fabbo new banner? It took me chuffin' ages, and I still can't figure out how to get rid of the original title which is still lurking underneath!

I hate photos of me, one time I joined a posh gym near Wilmslow and I had to have a pic taken for my gym pass. The girl took it really quick she said "ready?" I went "ay? what? ohhhh waaaahhh" and it was all over. You should have seen it, I almost wet my pants laughing, I truly looked like I was looking into the back of a spoon. The girl that took it was peeing herself too. So she goes "awwww don't worry no-one will ever see it, it's just for your card"

WRONG!!!! Each time I went to the gym the card got swiped through a machine and was displayed about A4 size on a bloody TV screen - invariably when there was a fit rich bloke just behind me.....................so that's why I don't go to the gym! Good excuse eh?

Confined to Barracks...............

Silly old me - I've managed to get myself an inner ear infection called "acute labyrinthitis", completely out of the blue, went to the docs yesterday and he has signed me off work with it. It makes me feel like I am on a boat, bit dizzy and sicky, as long as I don't pogo about I feel OK so for once I am taking it easy!

He gave me some microscopic pills which apparently you can't chew or swallow (it says so in BIG letters on the pack) instead you have to put them up under your top lip. They stop you feeling icky . Last night I DID feel icky so I stuck one of those suckers where I was supposed to and was SO SCARED I was gonna swallow one I sat up in bed like a big jessie holding it against my gum with my pinky. It did the trick though hurrah!!

I am such a hypocondriac though, I started reading up about it and apparently it can make you vom like a trooper and last for weeks. Now I am no big fan of "Up-Chucking" (who is??) so I hope that ain't gonna happen!

I'll keep you posted - even though the lack of comments on here make me feel like "Billy" (no-mates)

Back Home

Well I am back home and judging by the number of comments a bog fat none for ages it looks like I am "talking to myself". It'll be my own fault since I am a bit of a sporadic blogger.

I haven't "created" anything in ages and so on Friday and yesterday I spent hours making stuff for my 10 squillion deadlines. When I first started I was almost having a heart attack trying to figure out what to do, but I am dead proud of myself. I got stuff done for Quick & Crafty, Crafts Beautiful and some design team work done for the lovely Banana Frog!!

Don't know if I have mentioned it but Bev from Banana Frog has asked me to be on her design team - I am soooooo chuffed. She produces the most fabby acrylic stamps, it's great to see such talent in the UK and I am very very flattered to join them.

Still got loads more bits and pieces to do. A lovely chap from Xyron has sent me some goodies to play with including books for my Xyron Personal Cutter yey!!! AND more discs for my design runner, so I'll see what I can come up with.

My "craft" room is still in a right state and I am still occupying a small corner of DH's office at home. It's great but he caught me oohing and ahhing over some American Crafts ribbon I got from QVC on Friday. After looking at my 6 jars jam packed with ribbon he said "more ribbon ?????"...............men they just don't understand........

London Rocks!!

Well folks I am in London and having a fab time. Although I am officially here for work I have been made to feel very welcome and I am staying at a really nice hotel. Been here since Sunday and I flew down (oooh get me!!) to our head office. Our head office is larvelly!!

On Monday night I went on the London eye which was just peachy. Last night I went to see "The Producers" in the West End. A quick tip for theatre lovers - don't pay BIG ticket prices, if you haven't got your heart set on a particular show go to the TKTS booth in Leicester square on the day you want to go see summat cos most of them are half price. Anyway the big scoop is that I went on my own "what a big girl" how cool am I. OK so I stressed about how I was gonna get home on my own on the tube (so still a big ponce really) but I needn't have worried there were like 10,000 peeps on the tube last night so plenty of people about. My mother nearly had a conniption (spelling?) when I told her.

Tonight I am hoping to go see "Guys & Dolls" - apparently Patrick Swayze has bogged off on hols this week so he we be covered by his understudy - I was kind of hoping to see him since I swooned over him in Dirty Dancing in the 80's . Hey ho though it'll still be good.

Off home tomorrow night - it's been kinda blissful being a "chick about town" rather than " a drudge at home " LOL!!!

Till the next time........

Hop

Scrunched Up Stomach
Over the past few weeks I haven't had time to "create" and it has made me very grumpy and edgy. I have had to work 5 days a week when I usually work 4 so time has been limited and DH has been working away so by the time I have got Alex to bed I am fit for bed myself

The good news is I am off work next Friday so I'll have time to play -yey!!

Deep Blue Funk...........

Well readers - I have to admit to being in a bit of a deep blue funk right now

Working 5 days a week, with a wee one who has started school and precious little time to even do housework and the basics has meant my creativity has taken a back seat. In fact my creativity is basically so low on the list of priorities its actually in a trailer attached to the back of the car............

I have been watching the UKScrappers forum and reading all about Scrapcamp and all the lovely retreats and I am green with envy. My job is getting in the way of my papercrafting and it makes me sad and restless and quite stressed - what to do???

I have been extremely fortunate that my work appears in Quick and Crafty and this has been a spring board to other opportunities.........but at the moment I am struggling to fit them all in. If only I didn't have a "day job" I am sure I could really soar.

Hey ho...........no comedy from me today, what a moaner I am - someone come round and slap me!!

Trying to Be A Stamper

Well after another one of my loooong absences - I am back!

Lots of stuff has happened since I last wrote my blog but I won't bore you with the details. I want to write about rubber stamps.

I am a BIG fan of rubber stamps and associated stash but I just can't get my head round using them. I see a stamp in a shop and think "woooaaaaahhh I gotta have it" and then all the ideas I had for using it evaporate when I get home. It's bizarre.

So I have decided to "focus" and get myself into stamping, I was in Harrogate for the CraftWork Cards Papercraft Extravaganza and had a fab time last Sunday. I took my Mum and although we only had 2 hours to whizz round I still managed to spend money!! I visited the scrummy Craftwork Cards stall and bought loads of stuff. I chatted to Julie Hickey who said lovely things about my work and I blushed to the roots of my hair!!!

I also meandered over to the Art from The Heart stall,oohhhhhhhhhh just SCRUMMY. I have never really been into their Blonde Moments designs but once I saw what they had done with them I was in "lurve". I also watched a demo by one of their team using Distress Inks and PaperArtsy stamps - I was hooked! So I am hoping to get cracking with some stamping, as I write this I am watching my Tim Holtz DVD.............very inspiring. If I manage to do some stuff I'll get some pics and upload them.

My craft room hasn't progressed much either, I am useless!!! We have to track down a plasterer, so it could take a while.

Sarah and Kirsty have been having fun at the Emily Falconbridge workshop this weekend I am dying to see how they got on so I better hop on over to Kirstys Blog.............

God I'm tired

I am soooo tired, and I am now tired of being tired, I am pooped, knackered, whacked and I want to sleep for a week. Not sure why.......................but I am verrrrry sleepy.

Sold some mags on ebay last night, I just love turning my mag pile into real cash that I have all good intentions of putting away for savings but just end up squandering on more stash on ebay, will I ever learn?

Crop night tomorrow yey, Sarah Davies (of Sarahscards) and I hold one every month near Northwich, for all you millions of readers get in touch if you want more details!! Sarah has also just set up her Xmas retreat check out her fabbo website for more details ,www.sarahscardsltd.co.uk there will be classes with some very talented papercrafters (i'll be making the tea)

Talking of tea, I have this insane inability to make tea for others without getting stressed.Yes I can stress over tea for goodness sake. I have made tea for all the builders and other guys who have done work on the house and I can almost see their shoulders drop with dissapointment when they peer into a mug ful of brew made by me. As for the crop- well Sarah and I make a point of supplying all our attendees with tea and coffee I even write a list but then get all mixed up in the kitchen - Sarah nearly wets herself laughing at how rubbish I am!

Tune in soon for more from me xxx

Every Bone In My Back Hurts...............

Oh Lord, I am in pain, like a crippled hobgoblin from my DIY efforts on Saturday, it's all caught up with me! I suppose 15 trips up and down 3 floors carrying dobbing bits of old wood and chucking them into a trailer didn't help.

I was brandishing a heat gun stripping the paint off the beams in my room and cos I was on my own I started thinking......... "errrr these beams are right next to the roof space, lots of old dust and crumbling lathe and plaster...............................oh god I could set the whole flipping house on fire". So I stopped, then spent the rest of the night worrying that there was some smouldering fire in the roof that would turn into a towering inferno overnight and all my stash would go up with it too.

The things I think of!

Anyway it's my 8th wedding anniversary today - trust me to pick Sep 11th !!

That's all for now.

Whoa..............Busy Week

Well my little one started school this week, very monumental day! Bless him he was only just 4 years old last week. Like his Mum though, he is a total nutter with way too much to say for himself so he is taking it alllll in his stride. Alan and I went to pick him up and he escaped early! Let me explain, he is only in school from 8:55-11:30 for the first week and a half - I know!!! Tell me about it!!! When I was a kid it was like - here you go see you at 3:30! Anyway don't get me started cos I do work you know!!!! I don't get chance to play with gorgeous paper 'n stuff all day (more's the pity), so I have had to do some serious juggling whilst our UK "nanny state" deems it necessary for my child to spend a few hours here and there at school for the next 4 weeks - it's been a bit of a nightmare sorting it all out, but hey ho, that's life"

So - back to the escapee!! His school has a small part of the playground fenced off so the little blighters stay safe. The idea is that they get them all sorted with their bags and stuff , lead them through their classroom and through the side gate to line up towards the gate. Well not my kid - he's in the cloakroom, spies Alan and I waiting for him through the glass door and makes his way outside! Not bad initiative for the youngest kid in school, so you gotta hand it to him. We did march him back in to join the others though! Meanwhile he has also lost his school sweatshirt and chucked his snack box in the bin................what can I say??

He's off camping in Wales with his Dad for 2 days and I am blessed with a quiet house.......................decisions, what to do? Get drunk? Do housework? Watch a film? Go shopping?

Well none of the above I decided to "gut" my craftroom. I have knocked out the 1980's fitted cupboards and am well on the way to getting my "dream room" - more on this tomorrow. In the meantime, I think I overdid the action and my back is killing me...................................

Wot no pictures?

Yep no pictures uploaded yet - soz kids.

It's my little boys 4th Birthday today and I am stuck at work whilst he is in nursery. We sent him off with a giant squidy cake from Costco this morning, that will probably feed the whole darn nursery. It's full of really groovy ingredients like hydrogenated fats and food colouring that'll have 'em all bouncing off the walls! Let's hope it wears off by tea-time!

Got looooaddddssss of cardmaking stuff to do and I really must get down to itttt! Gotta make cards for mag and for people who kinda actually just want to buy a card to actually send or give it to someone ( weird huh?)

My good friend Sarah has just posted a 10% off everthing sale to celebrate her IVF - check it out a www.sarahscardsltd.co.uk - Good luck to her - keeping everything crossed for you xxx

Another thing I might do is pester other half to go on the Emily Falconbridge workshop in September...............fingers crossed

Sold some of my surplus to requirements rubber stamps on Ebay last night, I just LOVE watching the bids go up it's addictive - sad but true.

I have a new addiction - Stampin Up! It's a US, Aus, and Canadian stamp company, you can only buy via their demonstrators, its a bit like Tupperware for Crafters. I just ADORE their stamps and have some of their catalogues I WANT SOME REALLY LOTS!!! I'll keep you posted.

Anyway that's all for today byeeeee

Back to Work

Well it's been a whole 9 days since I last posted so in order to fool you all I have changed the tempate to create a "smokescreen" yey like that worked!!!

I have dragged my sorry carcass back into work this morning after the Bank Holiday. What the heck though, there is only so much sunbathing one can do. Talking of which, what the hell happened to Summer? I want my money back, I want to be whining about how "flippin hot" it is, I want to be on the verge of fainting on the way home from work 'cos my car is so hot.

Well the big news with me is that my new scrap room project is underway. I have moved into a corner of hubbys office, no doubt so he can roll his eyes at the amount of stuff I have (those pizza boxes have been turning up with amazing frequency lately). The room needs to be re-plastered but first I have to rip out the hideouse 70's built in cupboards. I drooled my way around IKEA looking for new furniture at the weekend, I can't wait to show you the finished article, I will post a before pic soon!!

I have got a real "de-junk" head on me at the moment, I don't know what it is, but I can't stop rooting through all my cupboards and bagging stuff up to chuck, sell or give to Charidy. Perhaps it's because opening drawers and cupboards in our house has become a bit of an extreme sport ha ha !! Next stop ebay to sell about 40 squillion back copies of old mags. Don't you just love ebay, its sooooo cool, I spend about 9 years taking photos, weighing stuff , uploading to turbo lister and then no-one bids!! I've got some rubber stamps up for sale at the mo, and each time a bid goes in I get really excited, it's like "someone has bid £1.76 !!!! How cool is that". I really must get a life!

And guess what I have left everything too late as per and now have more deadlines looming - I have also been invited to join a design team if I come up with the goods, so will let you know how I get on.

Bye for now

I'm here!

Gosh, how much effort does it taketo write a couple of paragraphs about what I do?

Obviously far too much for me to handle!!

I had a great time at the audition last Saturday, not just your average X factor 2 min thing, but a 1 hour "master class" with a proper professional musical director. It was fab and great fun, but they are only choosing 15 people from the whole of the UK so I am not handing in my notice just yet!

Anyway just back from a 21st party.............................off to bed now

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

How Rubbish am I??

Well I've been a bit lax ain't I, bet you've all been gagging to find out more about my thrilling life - yeah right...........

Well back from hols, back at work and another deadline looms - hey ho!This time I ain't gonna get stressed cos it's only one and I had 3 just before I went on hols.

Whilst I was on holiday I got an email telling me I have an audition on Saturday for BBC Radio 2 Search for A Musical Theatre Star

ok ...................I'll hang on whilst you wet yourselves laughing

AHEM!! Well it's worth a go, the rest of 'em will all be about 18, stick thin, with voices like Julie Andrews, then I'll arrive with my zimmer and a voice like Hilda Ogden. Never mind - positive thinking and all that. I looked at a video clip on the t'internet of the auditions in London and I nearly ran for the hills I can tell you!

Today hubby is stuck in Athens on business and couldn't get home due to the plane thing. He rang me from the poolside bar on the roof of his hotel drinking beer and my sympathy quickly evaporated!!

Got home today and my latest project is on the front cover of Quick and Crafty Mag - I am soooooo chuffed, they are so nice to me and I love them for it. So if Andrew Lloyd Webber thinks I am pants at singing - at least I have my mega stardom as a card maker to fall back on teee heee!

Well better go and exercise my tonsils - I'll tell you all about the rejection and humiliation later this week - wish me luck!

Back in Glasgae

We left Kishorn this morning boo-hiss...back in Glasgow tonight and will be on our merry way back down South tomorrow.

Had a lovely day yesterday, went for a drive over "The Pass of the Cattle" over to Applecross Bay for a bit of a potter about. Took some arty pics in the walled garden of Applecross Estate and looked for "beach glass" on the shores. Last year when we were there a group of lads went skinny dipping. We were walking along the beach and saw a whole load of clothes and trainers being washed up.Next minute a group of 8 lads came running up stark naked and in search of their clothes.I nearly had a stroke but.........couldn't reach.................. he ahahahahahahah (old jokes are the best)

On the way home we stopped off for a spot of luncheon at The House of Bruar, kind of a Highlands Harrods with lots of Cashmere and yummy food. It' s got a sale on ha ha flippin ha, the prices have been reduced from "oh my God I need a stretcher!" to "call the bank manager to get the forms for a 2nd mortgage" needless to say I didn't buy owt!

Spent a blissful couple of hours watching telly tonight, back to normal again.

Back home to my own bed tomorrow, then work on Monday ya boo sucks.......

Idyllic.com

Ohhh it's so nice here and today is our last day. Last night we all went to Plockton by boat for dinner, the scenery is just beautiful up here and really "big" big Mountains and big Lochs.

We went to a fab restaurant called "Off the Rails" which is on the station, gorgeous food and lots of it.We arrived after a long walk up the hill from the harbour I was puffing and wheezing like a fat old pensioner by the time we got there. So we sat outside for a wee aperitif getting dive bombed by midges. Midges are rubbish and get in your eyebrows and completely do your head in!! We bid a hasty retreat inside and all was fine.

The journey back was great, almost in the dark and I sat up the front of the boat again. We then all piled into the small boat to get to shore, 6 adults and 2 kids, thank god I was inebriated cos I would have been peeing myself with fright, it all seemed a bit precarious to me!

Weather ain't brill but we are all having a quiet day around the house, I am writing this in the conservatory which has the most incredible views. Back down to Glasgow tomorrow, I haven't seen TV for almost a week - and survived!

Bye for now xx

Sailor Sam

Well here I am on the boat the other day - ain't I looking gorgeous!

OK so I have a stinking cold and the weather has turned fron "pants" to "really big pants" if I hear you are all basking in the sun down there I shall weep! However I am still having a fabby time.

Last night we went to a Ceilidh (pronounced Kaylee) for a wee dance. Gosh it was fab, the band are all students who audition and their talent just blows you away. Mind you not much of a telly signal up here so they've bags of time to practice. We had a good time and did a dance called "strip the willow" which takes about 3 hours from start to finish!

I had some great news yesterday, I have an audition for a talent search held by the BBC for a musical theatre performer. I've done loads of musical theatre since I was a kid and so this is my last ditch attempt at Fame. I'll be pushing my zimmer frame into the audition room wearing my legwarmers! Wish me luck!

Yesterday I also managed to get some time to myself and made some cards, so the stash didn't travel up here in vain. Alan is just about to go fishing so maybe I'll get chance to get something done later. Must dash I have a Haggis to catch..........