Clacking

Don't you just love the clacking of those fontaciousy delish keys on a vintage typewriter?

Ive been desperate for a typewriter for months now and not long back I won this baby.

I had to go to Liverpool to pick her up and was delighted to pay the princely sum of £13 for her.

I shall call her Tilly and use her where vintageness is required or perhaps for the clacking of the keys to take me back to my commerce days at school where I learned Pica on an old Olivetti.

Do you want to know what freaks me out though? The letters B and G are sticky which happens to be the initials of my favvo paper range. I mean, come on!

If you ever need to buy just one kit this month

buy this baby because, in my words and nobody elses - its fabulous
Get up at 5am Uk to order if you really fancy it or Midnight at EST. The add on I used this months (according to my sneaks last week) was Alice (slurp!). Studio Calico take Paypal for single kit purchases (but not subscriptions) ..... buy, buy, buy!!
I never wanted this kit to end when I worked with it and luckily I squirrelled a few luxury pieces to adore in my own personal delight box.

PS: If you buy an add on this month you also get this funky HS distressing widget too

Broke your back, huh... mum?

I win.
I win the trampoline contest of our back garden 2008.
I wear the crown made of fabulous beams of pride and am triumphant in my winnery.
My Mum faked a back injury when I leapt to heights of gigantor which made us all laugh because she was relegated to sitting on the trampoline edge as I jumped merrily and shook her and belle like rag dolls on a bed. Its all too childish in a way but secretly lots of fun watching the pair of them giggle away. Im suffering for that now, mind, as my calves are on fire.
But still, I win!
Mum and I had been shopping earlier as I needed to get a few bits for my trip to Cyprus. There is nothing summery looking in the shops (obv, as we are entering autumn). I wanted to buy something nice to wear for the wedding and thought that Debenhams would be the place to fit the bill (that or Marksy's....I lubs Marksy's - as in Marks and Spencers; they sell the best knickers you know although mum swears by her arm pit warming sloggi's). There was the most beautiful skirt, reduced, which meant all I had to find was a top. But no, it wasn't working for me. Then we turned a corner and came across evening wear and the cocktail strapless dresses hit me in the face. No way have I got the figure for those babies. Im far to chubs for those until mum suggested I try some on. The first one I tried on was gorgeous and fit me really nice and took pounds off me (Obv a deffo purchase) and we promptly went to find a matching fastenator which took a nano second as there were kajillions in different styles and colours. Then to top it all, I made a huge saving at the counter too.

So I am going to be wearing a frock and show off my legs in 2 weeks time - lord help me!
It was lovely to have lunch out and spend time with my momma - she is the best shopping pardner in the world but she is rubbish at trampolining.
Did I mention that I won?!!!!

There's a bounce war

and its happening at our house!
My brilliant mum and dad are over (hooray!) and as usual, mum and I battle out whatever there is to battle out. Be it Wii fit, play fighting, crafting or whatever come what may - we have fun fights.
Tonight, within 10 minutes of stepping foot in the house of madness, we raced to the trampoline to expend some energy. I almost died laughing when mum (aged 60!!!) jumped really high trying to do a bum bounce only not to get back up again but roll over backwards so that she nearly swallowed her falsies.

TIP: When doing a bum bounce, don't jump so high and take your teeth out if applicable.

I laughed so hard I had to restrain myself from choking. It was the funniest thing ever. Mum lay there laughing her head off, which set Belle off and its just the best thing that we haven't laughed so hard in ages.
Of course, I can jump higher being younger and nubile. What gives me a slight disadvantage is a blessed chest 5 times bigger than momma (TMI, I know but you have to understand what Im up against). You would think that blessed things would provide balance/air bouyancy in trampoline battles, but I soon discovered they are a hindrance. They also cause black eyes if not secured with extreme strapping.
It was such a beautiful tonight whilst out in the garden and when mark came home we sat round enjoying the unusual sight of the sun. Its always so much fun when my parents are here - always some little competition or joke. LOVE IT!

Before we got cracking with tea (guess what? I made it, don't die of shock - and for the sake of my brother... we had Taco's and Fajitas, tis a standing joke) Belle and I and Granny chatted about this and that. She looked lovely in the dimming light so I snapped these of her in both a pensive and giggling state.and only by looking at these pictures, she is outgrowing that top and all. She got that top this time last year and look at the difference in her! **pic below taken Sept 2007** Must go shopping to buy her some more clothes. Its funny how you don't "see" your children grow but notice it through their shrinking attire - either that or they shrunk in the dryer or even worse, slipped into barbie clothes!

She's athletic

Well, kind of!

Who would have thought that this little girl, with all the phys issues she has, would get the coveted enamelled sports badge of the week?

She came out of school with a skip in her step tonight and has promised to polish it every day. She gets to keep it for a week before it goes to the next deserved pupil.

She was awarded this for overcoming her nerves on the trampet.

The trampet is small and has no safety barriers like her trampoline at home so naturally she was very frightened (her words not mine). With encouragement from her mentor she overcame the fear and she flew!

Im getting over my cold although my voice has gone a little bit husky which is something I hope to be rid of next week. I don't mind having a voice like Deirdre Barlow but coupled with the fact I have a northern accent, it ain't going to be a quality television voice. I had a phone call yesterday from my auntie who called me to ask what time I am on QVC next week. She had heard Dawn reel off the craft day demonstrators and was surprised to hear my name. Now, Im as nervous as billy-o because my momma is going to be watching and I have to mind my manners and all that so Im quite afraid to tell everyone when I am on as I know there will be beady eyes watching my every fluff! But then, really, I'm not on there for myself as I am part of a double act with Clare Curd in conjunction with Papermania. Its a job, not a career but its going to be a great experience and a tick in the box that I will have had my 15 minutes of fame. The stuff I have to make is mighty millions but the products are fabulous, I'm so excited to be able to show the products off in my own little way that will hopefully delight the crafting maseeeef of QVC.

So for those that keep asking on here, on the phone, by email and on facebook - its next Tuesday at 4pm. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Need a good weep?

Really, it doesn't take much for me to break into a good old sob fest.
But I watched a film tonight(on recommendation from Dyans Son, Ben!!!) called "The Notebook".
All I am going to say is that it will break your heart clean in two.
I haven't sobbed like this for years and lots of my tears fell on some prep work as I was going along..........nice. I guess a little embellishment or two will cover those spots!

I can't wait to sit down properly and watch it again and again and again and again.

Happy Blog-a-versary

On the 5th of Sept I forgot to celebrate my 3rd year Blog-a-versary.
I might celebrate that one day this week... something fun for everyone!
Anyway. Gotta cold, no time to talk about it - no time to suffer! Although Im not happy I got it this week - perhaps two weeks ago or in two weeks from now would have been so much more convenient.

This is the little scamp who kept me sane today.
With Belle at School and Mark at work... Im on me todd - suffering. And he knows it because he keeps coming up to me for little loves. They must sense you are not "alright".
I tried getting a picture of him looking up at me but he wasn't having any off it - there was far too many things to go and wreck in the house than stand and be caught looking cute on camera!

Although he did pose for me on Friday when I snapped him with my zoom from a far. He has this little corner of the garden that he likes to bask in when its sunny. And often when he comes back inside, I cuddle him and he feels all cosy and toasty!
So!
This weekendsvilles.
Loved it, loved the people but what I didn't love was the amount of people who had the balls to go nicking stuff. I can't believe so many people do it right in front of you. It kind of makes you feel really sick because its so raw and real life. But that was just the blip to the weekend really. I arrived Sat am to start the show on Dyans "always packed" stand. She has the best selection of 7 Gypsies and Tim Holtz stuff including her wooden sleighs and houses to decorate amongst her clocks to alter and wooden books. The Blonde Moments papers did a cracking sale as the demonstration cards were so beautifully inspiring, people couldn't help themselves. Every now and again there would be people coming up to us and just chatting about all sorts and everything. I love the connection that crafting brings, it makes me really happy. And like I mentioned yesterday, a blog reader - Bev - brought me stottie from the North East. I used to live in the north east years ago and I miss these bread buns dipped in a fried egg. I am so grateful you went to great length to get one, Bev xx

Another lady emailed me on Thursday. Her name is Caroline and she is a blog reader but also a member of the Studio Calico forum too. She was fraught with whether she ought to come to such a large show on her own and I said that she had no reason to worry as I would meet with her and have coffee and cake. Well, she came and she was armed with the most beautifulest of hand made beauties for us. Eddy was chuffed to bits with his wee treat (see the anticipation in his eyes there?)
And Ellie opened hers this afternoon. I cant believe the work that has gone into that hand made felt sausage dog plus the charms and ribbon on the book - isn't it adorable? If that wasn't enough she had also given me a batch of Banana and Choc Chip Muffins presented on a handmade tray wrapped in the most crinkliest of cellophane.
Caroline, I consider myself to be a very luck girl - thank you so so much xx

I also chatted to another woman. I had no idea who she was but she was sweet and kind and she mentioned she was waiting from a friend. She told me she has cakes in her bag to give her (she made them) and I joked that I'd test them out for her. Oh no, the woman gave me them and said "you can have some, I don't mind". I just felt so guilty for saying that; it was a little joke. As I chatted further to her I only found out that it was "Net" from a forum we used to frequent a looooong time ago. Isn't it funny? My mum took the photo and bless her - I think she needs lessons on focusing! Love it!
Lots of other beauties dropped by the store and I want to say hello again to Jozza, Helen, Jill and her entourage, Darcy (with the famous pony tails and far too young looking to have a grown up boy!) and people whose names I have forgotten and Im dreadfully sorry :( But you know, I will remember your faces ... I always do. Some of these people would go up to Ben (Dy's Son) and ask if I was working on the stand today and he would, dry as you like, say no - she's over there, talking. Oh dear, busted!

Sat night came and we drooped back home where we had a yummo chinese meal and to chillax in front of Come Dancing and the X Factor (Dy and i were crying at one point and ben - you know, laughed). Can you believe I was in bed by 10? That is just unheard of.


The next day brought many more wonderful chance opportunities to meet people. Dyan was holding breakfast workshops and I readily assisted her as she waved her original pearl pigments over the early bird crafters. Dyan has a fun yet strict teaching regime and she commands to greatest audience to her every word... I just love Dy! Then it was back to the grind stone (or the chatterbox corner) where I worked with the Art from the Heart gang plus Julie (who my dog does not like but I love so that cancels that out). I didn't get much time for shopping except Dyans shop of course plus Craftwork Cards stand where they have these amazing and I mean amazing scalloped 12x12 circles and little poppy dot thingies that are begging to go on a few layouts or so.


Later that afternoon I met a girl who we have been mailing to and fro with various favours and jobs. Her name is Louisa and she is about to embark on a lovely adventure in the craft world. I loved her immediately, I think she looks like Gypsy Rose Lee with these amazing eyes and tumbling locks. We hit it off and as the time came to leave I asked her if she was travelling the same route home and if we could stop off for a meal. Such luck that she lives not far from me but before we left, I helped stand down the shop and say my goodbyes to my amazing friend Dyan who is about to launch something very amazingly fabulous in January that will become an exclusive brand worldwide (im so excited for her, its a wonderful opportunity). Oh plus she is Europes Senior Educator for Ranger.... swit swoo!


So on the way home Louisa and I stop at Chiquita's in Leeds for Mexican - areeeeeeeeeeba! The conversation just flowed and flowed and flowed. She is fabulous. I don't mind what kind of person you are - you could be dull or plain or normal or ordinary or funny or crazy; thats fine - I can be all of those too. But if your are fabulous well, its fabulous!
I is not very good at self portraits in a dark car park with the glow of a distant street light to help focus! But here is fab Louisa and I!

Ok, going to swig this lemsip and have a good old nights rest in prep for another day of QVC prep.

Toodle ooooooooooooooooooooooo

If it wasn't for my dog

Id poke my eyes out with all of my brads.

I am feeling so drained today and a bit bluergh.
I haven't got time for a cold or the aches and pains.
No time to spwav neither and no food in my tummy to bring any up, anyway.

So the sun comes out 15 minutes ago and we go outside and sit on the patio.
He is just looking at me.
And I think..... what are you thinking boy, what do you see, do you love me as much as I love you?
And he comes to rest his head on my arm with those amazing chocolate drop eyes and I forget that I am feeling like a I need a weeks sleep.

And he falls asleep and I nod off soaking in some warmth.

He makes me feel so happy.

And if you are unhappy and have something missing from your life and you have to time to devote yourself to one - go and invest in a Miniature Dachshund. They are charming little characters that love you right back.

**gushfest over, back to work - trying to keep everything down**

Knacky Knoo'ed

I love working at shows.
I just love it.
So many really nice people.
People who know you. People who you don't. People who don't give a damn about about CPW and there are people who come up to you and say "Im not a stalker but I read your blog".
Through to'ing and fro'ing between blogs I had one lady bring me a Stottie (North east bread bun - Hi Beverly!) and another from Beverly (a place in East Yorks) who brought me home made muffins, a mini book for Belle and some doggie treats for Eddy (Hi Caroline, lovely to spend my lunch break with you!). There was Jozza (Wee and poo, not her but our fave words!), people from Dawns Studio, people from UKS, people from long ago forums (hi Net!), people who you adore and they let you stay at their house (Hi Dyan, kiss-kiss-kiss-smoochy-slobbery-thank-you-kisses), people who you have emailed with for months and met for the first time (Hi Louisa!) - people from everywhere including my Momma and Auntie Tracy (kiss kiss).
And I talked to each and everyone for too little a time (except Louisa who I had a meal with on the way home tonight in Leeds...YUM!)
That made me sad. Cry, Cry

Im going to share pictures tomorrow - my mum took some pretty out of focus ones which are hilarious (but then, she is as blind as a bat!).

Needs sleep, catching a cold, QVC prep work to be NOT finished (hee hee heeeee), Roz's retreat workshop stuff to tidy up, emails to reply to, mail to open, stash to put away, photos to save, need to pack for Cyprus nest week, dog to belly rub, Ellie to kiss goodnight and a wee lil cosy of my freezing cold feet on marks back when I go to bed (snigger).

OH! And you are going to love CPW's next installment who had the audacity to text me on Saturday with some hilarious cheeky crappo nutsy babba.

So we went to CWP

And we were camm'ed up, miked and carrying ammo on our back packs. I dug my fingers into brown grease paint and swooshed each cheek with a good dollop a piece. I then wrapped a bandana round my head and necked a shot of tequila - god, I looked hard. I almost crapped it when I saw my reflection in the mirror.
Mark and I got into our armoured vehicle (a Renault Modus to be precise) and whizzed into town in slo mo to the sound of painted black by the Rolling Stones. Mark reckoned the theme from MASH would have been more suited but suicide was not on my list of things to do, yet.
We entered the shopping centre and for a Thursday it was still and quiet. It was as if tumbleweed was meant to come rolling in our path to the age old whistle (ala the good, the bad and the ugly) played right on cue. For effect I had a cigarette hanging off my bottom lip and I winced my eyes as I surveyed the soon to be bomb shelled mall. I called on the mike for mark and I to synchronise our watches and that he should run in to the CPW on my call - our code word was : Knobbers
I figured if Mark came in at the rear (yeeeks) it would be all the back up I needed. He served 22 years in the army, he knows his stuff.
Ok, the plan was in place.
I just had to walk in there and talk as nicely and as calmly as possible. So I set off with Mark stood in the shop opposite watching my every move and waiting for my code. He was trying to rummage through La Senza underwear without making it look like he was on some perv drive (and failing miserably). I turned the corner and the bright lights of rip-off-dem blinded me and the smell of bull was certainly in the air. I approached the counter with caution and told Mr sloping-shoulders my sorry tale (for the millionth time). No signs of compassion or understanding was displayed and my finger was tapping on the imaginary trigger in my pocket. All the while I listened to him say that he couldn't do anything, it was up to his Area Manager and that he would try in the morning and he would call me back.
With those very words he had lit the blue touch paper and my head ignited into flames. I reached into my jacked to pull out my lipstick and told him that I wasn't afraid to use it on him. The look in his told me that he wasn't scared (hhhmm, transvestite are we?). I then threatened him with my mother but he didn't flinch. My last resort before "Plan B" was to offer him a bitch slap duel outside but he couldn't leave the counter as he was the only staff in.
Damn.
Plan B.
I screamed into my collar KNOBBERS! GO! GO! GO!.
A trailblaze of shit hot lava (Mark) entered the shop. Where on earth he got the necklace of artillery shells from I don't know but I have to say he looked fierce. He pulled out one of his old mobile phones (circa 1999) and said
"You take that phone back or I will be forced to use this phone"
The sheer size of that vintage piece was as big as a breeze block with an antenna a mile long. It scared me let alone all of the customers in the shop. Whats more the look of horror on the CPW guy was enough to curdle milk but sadly, with his shoulders sloping further to the floor he really couldn't do anything about it. And as the feds bagged us up in strait jackets I had to admit defeat.

My only saving grace (so far) is that eventually I, myself, rang the shop tonight to check on the progress and James said that CPW would finally and lovingly - no, more than welcomingly take my phone back. I think the drama and the persistence wore off and Im happy to say that CPW have allowed me to stress in ramboness fashion to which they humbly gave in at my expense. I am of course very grateful that I have been able to provide entertainment for you, for the feds, for the mental hospital and for my mother who rang me up last night absolutely wetting herself over my blog entries. I myself need a bloody good spell in a padded sanctuary and hopefully they will confiscate my mobile phone because if I ever have to use one from this day foreword - I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Myself.

I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Myself.

CPW - Grrrrrr
Orange (tonight) - Grrrrrrr

Too much blood boiling to go into specifics.
Need somebody with consumer rights advice.

Bwah :(

Operation Cancel Contract Commences

Mark is home.
He is getting camouflaged and miked up.
I have all the ammo I need (ie: phone, paperwork,lipstick).

Its all systems go.............................

Studio Calico - 1 year DT anniversary

Congrats to the DT over at SC who celebrate their 1 year DT Anniversary this month (I think minus Caroline, April and Scarlet who have been there a tinsy bit longer).
I was pretty chuffed to get my kit earlier than normal (thanks to the super duper postal system that Scarlet and April provide) - also I had a word with my delivery boy. You know, he sometimes deliver on a Sunday and Im sure its not his fault because they are overrun with parcels these days; what with the likes of Amazon and Ebay giving them extra work.
So anyway I get my kit and a hark herald of angels sing the most wonderful tune and light beams from the box and shines over my whole house. The joy is immense and sometimes I have to lay down due to the sheer excitement of it all.
Normally I have to wait to do the kit but this time I had to get the kit done as quick as poss as next week is earmarked for QVC prep work (erm, like.....no time for sleep kind of prep). But really, I didn't mind because this months kit is a tasty bite indeed. I know I say this every month but really this months kit is so much better than last months kit.
I lie to you not.
So far I have made two mini's and 3 layouts and I have enough for one more layout and a few cards (time permitting) but until now, here are some sneaks to share.
Layouts:



Minibook:

Important news for current SC subs:

There is a new payment and account systems over at SC right now making it much easier to pay and track your order. But I do believe that moving from Paypal to the new system isn't working for some you HOWEVER if you still want the option and flexibility of Paypal, perhaps you might want to read all about this.

Laugh or cry?

Ive just had the mail delivered to our house and felt the urge to log this entry like, NOW (pre-war on CPW tonight). When really I don't have any time as I have 40,000 layouts to make. Anyway, it was a summary letter form Dr Lovely and Light at Alderhey hospital who outlined her findings and referrals from the endicrinology aspect of Belles investigations.

She listed Belle as having Osteoperosis.

I do find this somehwat hilarious (its probably shock, actually) because Ellie is practically made of milk so therefore her bones should be strong as steel.

I mean, if I sat down and really thought about it I ought to be crying cos you don't Osteo until you are well in your 50's.

Mmmm, whilst I'm here I have a link to a free cardmaking paper and embelly download right about .............................................................................................................................. -> HERE

**considers plying Belle with Vitamin D - who knows the best form of it in food stuffs?**

Strength in Numbers

When an attack is launched upon the enemy, its best that a strong army be in place to make the most of blood sodden work.
A battle of wills requires the same, you think?
(I'm referring to yests post if you want to read this entry with fluidity).

I couldn't go firing off at Carphone Winehouse tonight as I was on my lonesome and had visions of cowboy retaliation launching broken phones as ammo in my direction. However, I do have a cunning plan. It's late night shopping in town tomorrow and my mark is coming as my back up. You can picture the scene.......I enter the store; my eagles eyes and my wits are about me, I look intense and beads of sweat protude from my forehead. Both Mark and I are miked up, he is in the shop opposite surveying the scene over the pages of book on quantum physics and I talk into my collar, in muffled tones
"I have a visual on cowboy, sloping shoulders and Couldn't-give-a-toss. Do you copy? Roger, out".
I go up to the counter, I bang my unused Blackberry on the counter and I give the death stare of all death stares.
Cowboy opens his bean stained mouth to say something and I say "Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me?" in my most fabulous Robert De Niro voice and scare the cowboy out of his saddlebags.
Mark runs into the shop, takes a dive, rolls over to take cover behind a Bluetooth headset stand whilst pointing his finger gun at all three knobbers behind the counter and calls me on his discreet mike over to my earpiece disguised as a q tip sticking out of my ear
"Ive got you covered bitch, go for the kill".
Feeling quite shocked he used that tone on me but equally fired up I demand that they take the phone back or Im going on Phil and Ferns this Morning show or even worse, Jeremy Kyle (bluergh), to blow the whole story.

With that they cancel the contract and we greet the feds who cuff 'em and bang them up for a very long spell in the clanger.

Its sounds so easy, doesn't it?

Really - do tune in tomorrow night for the full and frank versions of events (minus finger guns, feds and mikes of course).

Do not and I mean DO NOT buy a phone from Carphone Warehouse

I should have noticed the spurs on the boots of the Carphone Warehouse salesman who constantly "yeeee-haaaa'ed" when I signed the most disgusting phone contract (to move to Orange) ever in the world - EVER, last week.
Ok. Ok. Ok. I know I signed it at the time thinking it was a deal and a half.
That was until I rang my current provider, O2, for my Pac code (the authorisation to keep my phone number so I could move contractswith ease!). O2 asked why I wanted to leave to go with Orange. So I told them about my supposed fab new deal. O2 murmured that rather cringe worthy "oh dear" and that's when I knew I had been screwed. O2 could do the same deal for £17 cheaper than the deal I had just got with CP.
£17? I mean £17 a month cheaper. WTF?
PIGGY WIG.
So I rang Carphone Warehouse head office. I was quite delighted to be able to ring up and tell them I got a better deal elsewhere and that they could jolly well shove their crappo contract somewhere sinister until I was met with "hitch from bell". I explained that I didn't want to carry on with their contract because I had a better deal from O2 and that I'd like to cancel. And the girl answered with the following hideous line
"Dat's what you's got and dat's what you's get and dat's what you's are aving".
Innit?
Serious, the EXACT words.
I know you think Im bulling you, but really - dat's how she said it.
I actually think its funny in hindsight ....but you know, I dont take too kindly to mean girls.
Other than spontaneously combusting with rage, I threw the phone down and thought "Huh, watch this space, knobbers".
I went back to Carphone Warehouse to pick up the Blackberry the next day (I ordered in a silver one and they had none in stock the previous day). I re-iterated my dilemma to the guy in the shop who clearly has sloping shoulders and wimpered that he couldn't help but James could (the cowboy, remember?). He said he would get James to call. Pass the book, why don't you?
No.
No Call.
4 days later, no call.
So I rang the little sod today.
Told him my dilemma and he said "Sure, bring it back".
Hooray, Im £17 a month richer, I thought.
So I take it back tonight.
Oh no. Oh dear. Oh how convenient.
No James, he had sodded off to sodsville.
Sloping shoulder guy and Couldn't-give-a-toss guy pretend they don't know how to deal with a return on a phone that doesn't have a "14 day cooling off period" it seems.
They ring head office (probably not really, they were obviously ringing the speaking clock for all it was worth) who said "No - you cant return the phone. Orange won't allow it and neither will Head Office".
Allegedly, if you buy a phone from CP via a T-mobile or Orange network you apparently do not have a 14 day cooling off period to return it. Which is a load of cock and bull - actually.
So I came home FURIOUS tonight and rang Orange direct.
Orange are an AMAZING company themselves.
Very good, very informative and who said that CP are a bunch of knobbers whom are notorious for being rip off merchants. Love it when I get the feeling Im right!
They WILL allow me to close the contract but need to be authorised by CP head office.
So I ring CP head office.
And I quoted "28 days Sales of Goods Act" which guarantees that I can return my phone as its not fit for the purpose of my use.
Knob head CP guy gets all tacky and says "well if its not fit for the purpose, you have to go back to the shop and say so".

Blind leading the frigging blind?

Tune in tomorrow to hear of how the tale ends.
Hopefully not me throwing a rope around my neck and jumping off the banister.

Yest, I finished this

I haven't made a "pick me up"layout in a while that wasn't DT or such.

I wanted to do a fairly quick page to beat the monday blues and I half started this at the Crafts 4 Crafters show last week.

What made me start this layout in the first place was the Fancy Pants rub ons. I mean, forget snazzy paper or any photo in particular. I just wanted to use these rub ons. Oh and then some Prima blingfinished off with my must have Core'donations cardstock.

Quick makes using easy to use products makes Kirsty one very happy bunny.

Hop Hop Hop.

Is it wrong....

to be told and accept that you are told that you are beautiful?
My husband stopped me in my tracks tonight whilst I was doing nothing spectacularly different. My roots need touching, I had barely any make up on and I was wearing a pair of jeans, my uber fab fake Ugg's and a puffa jacket - kneeling on the floor and playing with our mad dog.
It's not everyday we exchange heart stopping compliments like this and when I do get them, they feel surprisingly wonderful.
Ive never been one to take compliments very well, not that I'm complaining but I get awful shy and try to be modest in my acceptance.
Of course you think there is an ulterior motive to such things but I knew this was heartfelt. I just knew it.
But I never sit here and think I am beautiful.
I'm sure there are people who do and are right and are brave enough to be so bold.
It feels kind of funny.
And.
I'm still blushing.

One man and his dog

It is so funny to watch our pooch run straight for the door at roughly 5.50pm upon where he greets his father with the most excited tail wagging and whining.
This could be said of the pooch if anyone ever leaves the room for more than 20 minutes - he greets you like this whether you have been away 20 minutes or 20 days.
The dog just adores us.
And we adore him back!
On one occasion, last week this mad dogster ran racing into marks arms (who came skidding to the floor to meet his boy) and they squidged for a couple of minutes before the pooch fell asleep after gentle chat. Mark couldn't bare to wake him up and they subsequently lay there for roughly 15 minutes before the dog heard the door bell go and ran to investigate with the incessant protective yapping that he likes to annoy us with.



All together now - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!

Voluntary Sleep Depravation

Nobody willingly deprives themselves of sleep, do they?
Or so I thought up until 4am yest morning.
For the first time EVER I hung around at Studio Calico to wait for their sneak reveal at 5am our time (12 midnight EST) but by 4 am my retinas were bleeding from the computer screen and the fact I needed to catch those amazing zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.
The lead up to the sneak reveal was always something Aleida contributed to. She was the naughty one, the one who dared to push the boundaries when it came to ruditries and quite so in a fun way. The team at SC owed it to her to make the night go as planned but to also celebrate her life in her absence in the way she would have seen fit. I swear I laughed so hard that the only brain cell I had split in two. The conversation was one where you had to be there and with that in mind, Im going to try and brave that again next month.
Needless to say I woke at, ahem......1145am this morning in time for brunch. Mark had been up hours and done the ironing. I would add that he did it for me but he does it every week anyway but it was lovely to wake up to the smell of freshly ironed laundry. The rest of the day saw us mill about in our own entertainment until it was suggested (quite by the little love herself) we go to the swing park that we discovered last night. Boy did that girl have a giggle or two then and I so wanted to grab her again on camera.

Its rare to get pics of Belle with her a: Eyes open and b: without her glasses. She looks like a different kid, doesn't she?

This photo is magic. MAGIC, I tell you!

Don't you just love it when kids poke their tongues whilst concentrating? She sure is a tongue poker in the extreme. Getting a little complacent there Ellie, time to go back for bath and bed - its the sunday night law!

It was really gloomy overhead for any decent shots so I made the most of the ones I got, put my camera down and had a swing myself. Well my body lurched here and there for a while until I gathered swing momentum and shortly I began to drift back into childhood to bring back that feeling of flying. It was a crazy little moment filled with even more giggles from the bellemeister as she screamed the place down on reflection of looking at my scary face pulling (I did scream a bit!).

Coming back to strawbs and meringues with cream was just the best way to round off the day only Im sat here now looking through some emails and Ive forgotten to do a layout for the Creativity Life website. Yeeks, one is yanking out the Basic Grey right now so off I pop to scrapdom.

Oh dog flaps!

I woke up this morning still feeling pretty choked.
It's all so dramatic losing somebody you know behind tragic circumstances. I think its often easier to deal with death when you know that person has been ill or, as I was discussing with my momma this morning, that you even expect your parents to go at sometime or another before you (as much as it would kill you anyway).
But losing people to shocking circumstances is like losing the ability to breathe.
Im honestly stunned that I am so affected by it.
**sad, sad days**

Anyway, my cousin managed to save his wedding in Cyprus. I was gutted for him yesterday, he really is one of my most funniest of cousins (I cant pick the word favvo cousin because all my cousins (I have7) are lovely). All he had to do was get another flight because the hotel and venue were safe out of the whole package. I had only just finished my second limited edition lemon cupcake when he rang. that means for every bit of good luck I want, I shall have to eat two cakes. Bummer.

We pretty much had a lazy day today. Mark installed two dog flaps so that Eddy can take himself outside without us having to leave the doors open (its flippin freezing of a night here, you know). For eds to get out of the house you have to go through the utility area and a back door which meant two dog flaps which meant lots of training! That fatso pooch had a zillion treats today for his efforts (make that bribery). Plus mark had to install two makeshift steps for each flap - our house is very much like an assault course just to get outdoors now and will aid in the over eatingness of my limited edition lemon cup cakes. You could say that our house has very nifty split levels but more on a "have miniature dacshund, will have lots of steps to aid his shortiness". I have to say that Eddy is a tad pleased with himself though and is incessantly showing off running in and out of the joint whilst the flaps bang like drums would sound at an Adam and the Ants comeback tour.

I took belle supermarket shopping with me to beat the monotony of the day and whilst out driving I couldn't help but be extra cautious. Aleida had been killed by a red light jumper and its been preying on my mind. In fact, someone had pointed out references to her plight HERE and whilst Im at it, look what she wrote only last FRIDAY (being that she was taken away on a Friday too :(). So anyway, we pitch up at Asda and we go trying on clothes. I think trying on clothes is more fun than just buying them. And we try on lots of different bits and bobs and we treated ourselves, each, to one top. I must admit that I wasn't speed shopping much and ended up looking at a lot of stuff - perhaps more than I would normally and the end result was a slightly shocking till total. Still, thats what you do when you try and break the boredom. Needless to say there was cake therapy in that shopping cart!

We got home to a fully trained dog flap pooch and decided that as the sun was shining (note to you all - its that yellow thing that hangs in the sky on rare occasions) that we ought to take fatso the pooch out for a walk to burn off his kajillion calories. We travelled over to Pennington Flash, a series of lakes and parkland which is perfect for warm evenings like this. Oh we did have a good time because we came across a conker tree and conker tree's and Ellie are the best mix in the world. Mark, ever the hunter gatherer and soldier he was, took the greatest pleasure in finding the biggest stick to lop conkers from their spiky grasp to which a delighted 12 year old would scream with laughter at nature's harvest. We all had to take cover with each bombing mission and poor Eddy, I think he is completely shocked with his fathers brutal attack on a Horse Chestnut tree. Belle is now sporting a fine collection of shiny conkers that in 3 days will have withered to nothing but a wrinkly nugget a piece.

Belle and I in our almost matching bootees. I love my fake Uggs. Yeah, we are total "can't afford £120 a pair of boots EACH" girls but man we rock the fake uggs on a doggy walk!

Belle likes to inspect them there conkers for potential sling shot ammo.
Am I going to carry these, she asks herself.
No! You are momma, because a massiv camera is not enough and besides, it will be fun to watch you struggle as you push me in my stroller at the same time..... mwahahahahhaaha. Halloween comes early for the little cackling witch of Wigan!We took lots of pictures but nothing takes the wonder out of these pics of my girl and our pooch. She loves to chase him around and watch him run like crazy back to us. I wish I could bottle those giggles, they'd sell for millions.

We then set off back to the car via a swing park where Ellie had a ball until it got so dark that I had to resort to cranking up the ISO to 640 just to catch some of the action - I mean, its just got to be done - grain or no grain. Love both these shots (look at Edds in the background!!) and although the second one is not perfect - just look at that giggling curly bob!Marko and the boy.........testosterone oozes from every pore (even paw!!!).You see the large freckle? Thats the offending blighter thats coming off in god-knows-when.Travelling back with pink cheeks after the nip of the night took hold made us ache for a cuddle up when we got home. How could we forget that we hadn't had tea? At 8pm? So tea was literally a quick whip of my famous curried pork burgers and spicy rice to settle down to a recorded episode of X factor.

Just another stiflingly normalish and yet possibly a little bit boring day in the wiseman household.

**sigh**

Bad things come in three's

Ok - we get busted over water pollution (not our fault but still, we get busted)
A sweet online friend loses her life (see yesterdays post).
And then.
Bloody hell.
My sister and I booked to go to Cyprus in October to go to my cousins wedding just a few weeks back.
Our holiday still exists.
My cousins holiday does not.
Thanks to the careful running of XL's business through the credit crunch and horrendous air fuel prices, their wedding looks like a no go show unless they can grab an emergency holiday.
Then, to add insult to injury they had booked their Honeymoon in Egypt a few weeks after with the same company and have lost that too.

So I wonder if its worth bothering getting dressed and enjoying the sunshine (yes, we have it today!) because with all this misery, I just wanna curl up and eat cake. Like, millions of these amazing Fabulous Bakin Boys Limited Edition Lemon Cupcakes I bought yest. On offer, so it meant I bought more.

Can cake literally cure the blues?
Tune in next time where I will have put on 40lbs and maybe have a smile on my face.

**Edited: Cousins holiday has been saved! Hooray for my good luck cakes. Must eat more. Simply MUST!

Online freinds mean just as much as real freinds

They really do.
You feel you know them through their words and actions and blogs.
You laugh with them and cry with them and you share stories with them and you don't need to have met them but you love them all the same.
And then, when suddenly they are whipped from this earth by the hands of some greater being (quite without warning and with no right to) you feel the exact amount of hurt and distress as you would a real life friend.
Today, one of our lovely forum friends, Aleida, at Studio Calico was killed instantly on her way to work.
I mean, the information was there to read on the screen and you think "hang on" and you rub your eyes but the kick in the stomach has been launched. The sickness sets in and tears well uncontrollably. God, it just doesn't happen does it? It shouldn't happen and she is too beautiful to have gone.
And what about her amazing children? Well, too adorable to have to deal with this. Her husband shouldn't have to say goodbye when there is youth and wonder in life to be explored with his soul mate.
Its sickeningly unfair.
And her last blog entry, so poignant and so tragic to leave as a last personal entry.

I don't believe in god purely because he "allows" this to happen. I'm sorry but I'm just seething that if he was good and kind, he ought not to have let this happen but I shall pray to goodness and kindness that this family will be loved and allowed to get through this with peace and with strength.

I am beyond words tonight but please, as a member of the scrapping community that you are or maybe, go and lay your condolences at her blog. Believe me, she was a truly amazing woman.

And I am, quite selfishly, devastated.

Today is plentiful

and by that, I mean.......lots going on.
I got woken by the water board who are surveying pollution on our housing estate.
Ever the grim reaper, I decide we are causing all this pollution as they came back twice to us and not to everyone else. Oh, how I wish I could predict the lottery numbers if predictions like causing said pollution was anything to go by. they go and doo a little more testing (ie my flushing the lavvy 25 times and running the water constantly).
OMG
We ARE causing the pollution along with a few other houses in our area.
OMG again.
I mean, we try to be green and are conscious of the environment but it seems the previous occupants of our house had filtered the washing machines drainage into a fresh water pipe and not the waste pipe.
Other than the fright of being banged up for such a crime (and of course the previous post relating to single photo crimes) it looks like we are going to do porridge for several years.

So I go and clean the bathroom to take my mind off the punishment to be met by Harry the resident monster spider who skitted from behind the lavvy and ran over my FEET. MY FEET! Oh, I had to wash them in bleach to de-spider juice them and let Eddy chase it around the landing whilst I screamed for what felt like an hour.

Ive also spoken to 3 people this morning; one about scrap related crimes, one about my new mobile phone (thats another dramatic storyline) and Mark to tell him about our impending prison sentence)

Ive beaten the sofa to within an inch of its feathery life, the dog took a nap on my knee whilst on the phone, ive updated my blog twice, Ive received 16 emails and replied to them all - which is rare, Ive taken a delivery of three boxes for work to be done on QVC, Ive had a knock at the door asking if we want new facias (erm, NO!) and to round it off Ive just burned my toast (Mark, please dont set it on number 4, I like number 3 which equals a light dusting of fawn and not charcoal like I got). And somehow Ive got ot fit going over to Warrington if the delivery guy doesnt hurry up with more stuff we probably don't need!

And it aint even midday.

Im off for a cuppa and welcome this afternoons shenanigans with a bit more poise!

Toodle ooo xx

Single photo layouts

Ive just got off the blower to one of my scrappy freinds (waves to Jo). And we were talking about the fact that she is cheesed off with the huge old debate about the rights and wrongs of scrapbooking.
I don't think I ever saw the law manual about how you should scrap but I'm getting a little bit perplexed at the fact that some people scream that YOU HAVE TO scrap with more than one photo.
I scrap both single and multi (in the past I just scrapped with one photo because really, that's all I had) but Im really rooting for the one photo layout girl of today! I mean, what if you went somewhere and took only one photo or you only have one photo of your momma at an event from years gone by? When I was younger, my mum would only take one shot here and one shot there because it was so expensive to develop photos in the early 80's. So come the scrapping of the event - are you not allowed to scrap that page just in case it upsets the scrap police? Just because we live in the digital age of taking as many photos as we can - because we can, doesn't mean all of them in a run are good enough to scrap.
There was this one time I scrapped a really small photo on a 12x12 page and a few people commented that the photo was too small - and yes it was. But the rest of the page had journalling and pretty artwork to weigh out the balance and besides - that page was going in my album not theirs.
I think what Im trying to say it that you can scrap how you jolly well please provided there is balance to the page or if you are artistic you pad the page with lovely embellies and paper or add multi photos if you have them or just journalling if that's what you do. And if that doesn't float your boat... do what the blummin heck you like.
**alights soap box to go and itch my freckle**

On a lighter note I have a multi photo layout as layout of the week on DO website if you care to take a 5 second break from the monotony of your day.

**EDITED: lol just read some of the comments about my page at the above link and not in relation to this original post and whoa........ don't hold back, anyone - please!**

Sneaks

I mentioned that I had finished artwork for a book that I have collaborated with Jenny Cocks with yesterday. Well Jenny has some beautiful sneaks on her blog and I have sneaks of the kit here. One is a Primitive Folk Art Christmas theme and the other is using acid brights - also a christmas theme.

Im so happy with them, they are for cardmakers and the papers will come on a disk attached to a book where Jenny shows you what you can do with the artwork. Great idea for a book, huh ;)

Just happy taking my mind off scabby freckly post from earlier :)

Its coming off

For the past few weeks Ive been fretting over a super huge freckle on my left cheek bone.
I mean, Im really freckly anyway but these past two years I have two freckles that seem to have gotten bigger and bigger everytime I look in the mirror. One in particular is now a little lumpy and itchy. Its even gone black in one curve. Fortunately it hasn't tured into a massive sore or scab YET (eeeeeeeeew).
Anyway I eventually got a cancellation with my doctors today. Ive been meaning to go to the drop in clinic for the last few weeks but I have work to do and when I work, I forget to go. So I gets to the clinic and Dr Won't-look-you-in-the-eye-as-you-are-but-a-mere-member-of-the-public takes a 3 second look and says "its gotta come off" and turns to his PC to make an appointment with the Dermatologist.
SHIT!
I mean, think about it for a minute or show some compassion will you?
It might have been much nicer to look at me straight, hold both my hands and tell me I have 3 days to live. I could have coped with some empathy and believe me, Im fit to burst with bottled emotions as it is.
What I secretly was hoping is that he would say go home little girl and stop bothering me with inane freckledom not "off with your head".

So there you have it, no tests for benign or malignant cultures - just "lets have it off".
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Digesting this is going to require cake and lots of it.

3 posts in one day - my, how novel

I have allowed myself a whole, precious day to just finish those little niggles that we all allow to build up on a monthly basis. I just feel bloody fantastic that some of those rotten old cobwebs have been tickle-sticked away. It was weird allowing myself a lie in and then subsequently nipping to town to run errands of major administrative proportions.

How virtuous am I today? I'm feeling rather like huffing on my nails and polishing them on my chest.

My main reason for my virtuous pride is that finally, last night, saw me finish a wonderful project Ive doing in conjunction with Jenny Cocks. Both she and I have collaborated together with artwork for a book coming out soony but the date has yet to be announced. What I do know is that its already earmarked for Amazon (and even TV!!) so I shall let you know about that when I know about that! I'm all fluttery light about it.

And soon you will be able to download this cardmaking kit (called Pink Cheeks) for free via Caroline's Bubbly Funk website where you can also read my article on this months chipboard showdown HERE!

And finally, sheeesh - it never rains but it pours in this house. Im about to unveil some downloadables from my Pickliscious range for paper crafters everywhere. Little Patti will come with a range of papers and cut out embellies to match. I'll even colour her in for you to match the papers that I make in the kits. Ill give you the link to that when she has been polished up and packaged nicely :)

Does she remind you of anyone?

PS: Look what I spied, now this is a nifty wee site HERE - go and click it, I know you are hovvering over it!

iPhone loses the contest

It was about 18 months ago that I raved about how exciting the technology behind the iPhone was. Apple is a first choice system I'd choose every time, especially when you consider the graphics (it helps when you are doing design work for starters).

I was going to buy it today but went to an independent dealer (Carphone Warehouse) to check the best deal on the best phone for what I wanted.

It seems the iPhone is NOT what I wanted.

I have a 30gb 3rd gen iPod as it is (it works like a business portfolio as it holds most of my treasured client images for instant viewing for my future clients). So the music really isn't the key issue on that score.

Emails are my key issue.

And the fact I get 700 mins cross network in the plan plus unlimited land line calls and unlimited access to the net on the move.

So I bought the baddest of bad boy blackberry's on the advice of some poor sod who had to cater for my every whim. I mean, you just need value for money, don't you and I can't make a decision like that in 30 seconds. I was there for almost an hour and half and not only came away with this monster but I could trade in my naff old phone for this - for FREE! And I'm not kidding, its a fabulous little limited edition phone..... the pink flowers for starters!

Ellie is so excited to be getting this brand new phone (she currently plays with one of my old ones just for the games but i think she is old enough to warrant a mobile for those little emergencies or perhaps send me sweet texts with her undying love for her lubbly momma!).

The only thing I hate about new phones these days is that you have to tie yourself into an 18 month contract by which time technology will have changed again but next time I might get a phone that transports cream cakes directly to my mouth instead of myself lumping over tot he shops to physically buy one.

Mmmmm, now there lies a wonderful invention.

I am going to the bank

Really - I am.
I can't remember what its like to make a proper transaction without it being online.
It's weird.
But whilst I am there I am going real life shopping too!
I can't cope with this antique fashion of "doing things".
I might even have to get dressed for the occasion (Im a perpetual pyjama's in the morning girl).

Thank you for so much lovely words of support in yesterdays post.
This blog is my place to delight and grumble as I see fit (natch) and having people taking the time and effort to make a comment means the world and halves my problems. It does, you know.

Anyway, Im gonna go and get me an iPhone today. My mobile costs in any given month warrant this purchase plus I can keep up with emails and freelance work even on the move.

You see, all this technology and antiquing is just too much for me to take in one day. And whilst I am out, of course I'll have to get over the phenomena by treating my thighs to a delicious summer fruit crumble muffin (the size of Mount Everest) from my favvo coffee shop.

Slurp.

She got hurts today **long post**

Last week we started another batch of hospital visits.
The joy, of course, is immeasurable.
Last week they wanted to give her "hurts".
That's blood draws to you and I.
But we saved that for this weeks visit just in case Dr Wonderful-but-has-hidden-disagreeing-feelings-about-our-actions wanted bloods too.
Which he did.
That saved on two batches of hurts.
Belle does not DO hurts without screaming her head off and frightening other kids in the draw unit.

Belle was not psyched up at all even though she knew it was going to happen today.
She was shaking like a leaf, petrified, concerned, in tears, faking a sleep in her chair, jabbering to wash over the impending stabbage of hypodermic needle.
Dr Wonderful-but-has-hidden-disagreeing-feelings-about-our-actions was running late, which added insult to injury in the waiting stakes. This doctor is ALWAYS running late and I don't mean 10 minutes. Im talking almost 2 hours.
When you are waiting in a sweltering hot hospital with kids who are poorly, you wonder why diseases spread and others mutate.
However, after countless parents complaining about the delay, i reassured them all that he was worth the wait.
Because he really is you know?
He is a neurologist at Europes top children hospital - Alderhey.
We have been here many, many times.
Thorough is not the word to describe his appointments although, to be slightly negative, he has strong opinions where NOT needed. But you take the rough with the smooth.

Whilst waiting I administered Ametol (or whatever it was) to both her arms to numb the impending needle stabbage. This required two wafer thin plasters to cover the area to provide maximum effect of the numbing. Ellie and plasters do NOT mix. She feels pain more than your average or should I say her pain thresh hold is pretty pants.
This ensued tears and heartbreak and sobbing.
People stare.
Its not good.
I allowed her to take a soft toy with her to comfort and her iPod to drown out any fears but really it was not good.
We finally gets to see Dr Wonderful-but-has-hidden-disagreeing-feelings-about-our-actions and there are other people in his office. There is a Physio, an OT and a Dietitian plus him. They are all ears as to the next step for Belles investigations.
I could cry buckets over the amount of times we have had to go over and over and over and over and over and over her case history and that how these appointments have led to bugger all. This time they didn't go over her history (we saw this Dr in March, pre-Nevada) and I have to say he was good then. He went over her notes and were rather hoping he was going to reveal some fabulous news over MRI scan that she had in May and the results of her Nerve conduction tests in June.
But Nope
Nada.
Nothing.
Not a damn sausage of enlightening information.
Our girl literally is one in a million.
There is something wrong but they don't know what.
She has a syndrome but they don't know what that is either unless they can rule out a Myopathy.
A biopsy would indicate a myopathy but they are invasive little ops and I have requested that this be a last resort.
The doctor asked me if there had been any change other than a little weight gain (big in our eyes, non significant in theirs as she has grown, therefore her height and weight ration is still on the 0.2 centile of her chart).
I mentioned that I was concerned about Ellie body hunching when she walks, like an old lady basically. And that her arms are flailing all over the joint when she breaks into a fast walk. She also has other issues too personal to mention but nothing to do with teenagerdom, if you catch my drift. You can see this as TMI or not, but a girl has to weigh at least 90lbs before she can start her monthlies.... Ellie wont reach that maturity for a loooooooooooooooong time to come.
He then spied that we had been to Nevada in her notes.
Well.
Jeeez.
He kicked off BIG style.
He strongly disagreed that we did that.
Because obviously he is Ellie's saviour and of course we were going to turn down the invite just in case he didn't like it.
God no.
When you need a lifeline, you take it don't you?
I really cannot be bothered to relay the conversation but I did ask that he had to think of the times we have spent in the NHS hospital rooms being mucked about and passed from pillar to post to clinic to investigation to x-rays to operation tables, to MRI's to horrendous nerve conductions. Why wouldn't we go and why would he disregard the opinion of another set of eyes?
Damn it.
For crying out loud, you just don't know do you, I thought.
Forget that moment of horror and cue the fact this guy is tightly intrigued by Ellies presentation. He worries that her reflexes are oddly too brisk for a child whose muscle tone is shot. He thinks that he will never get to to the bottom of the mystery because Ellie is incredibly complex. He thinks she has a syndrome which means that our geneticist, Dr Darling-we-love-her is our only hope.
The next course of action he has planned is sleep obs, gastro, I think he wants Gait Analysis again and DAFO's, like majorly fitted and moulded from her hideous weight bearing valgus heal impression. I was somewhat quite keen to learn that their concern over her valgus heels is a priority for them. her heels have been like that for years and nobody has batted an eyelid before now.
Perhaps we really have found her saviour.

So there you go.
Drama in the hospital, another hospital appointment over with (I think we are on something like appointment number 156), one broken hearted 12 year old, one distressed mommy, one mad dog and a pappa who comes in from work to hug us all.

Ciao xx

Showtime

I love working at shows, like - a lot!

They're always buzzing with people who just want to see and buy new stuff, be inspired, share ideas and jokes. There is always such a positive vibe with people who you happen upon and even more surprising when it turns out you have a connection. Not just a crafty connection but through some random link you are somewhat connected. Almost separated at birth type of thing. It just freaks me out.

Nice freak me out, though.

I was working with just the best girls at Aceville (waves to Kate, Julie and Lucy) who asked me to bob along to demonstrate both their Card Making kit magazine along with the Cuttlebug. The show subscription offer was a free Cuttlebug with every subscription placed. I mean - come on! They completely maxed out after each of my stage demo's (Mmmm, the Madonna style headset did urge me to vogue a little but I wasn't wearing a pointy bra and to be honest, I didn't want to look a total div head) and that coupled with superb demo's from Lorna (from Kars) on the stand. Doing the little demo's on a live feed gave me the practice I most certainly need for when I go on QVC at the end of the month. Plus I didn't fluff once although I kept dropping blobs of glue all over the table.

As the weekend flew by I can't recall the days in full when I look back. They just went, quick as you can snap your fingers. Luckily I got to meet another Do demo girl, Jo Austin who was warm and sunny as the thing we used to see in the sky (you know, the sun). We also had the greatest honour of meeting Helen, Alison, Liz and (sorry, forgot your name). It was lovely to have people over who wanted to spend time with us but even more specially the people who just want to get crafty and crack the most funniest double entendre's. As they we beavering away (sorry, I cant help myself) these two delightful elderly crafters came to the table just as Helen delivered some rather funny but rude punchline and I thought "noooooooooooooooooooo" (even in slow mo) thinking that they had scared off the newbies. But what made me laugh even more was when they got it too, laughed and joined in. I mean, you don't set foot out of the house thinking that you will go to show, have a comedy table, crack a few naughty jokes and make beautiful cards, do you? These things flow so easily and comfortably making for a very fun day out.

On Saturday night us demo'ers went out for the most delish Italian meal. It was a case of Lorna and I (northerners) against the southerners with our accents. The conversation was fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Julie, if you are reading this ..... your story telling is magnificent and touching all in one breath. here they all are snuggling up to Lenny Henry in his hideous yellow dressing gown.

Here we are, me with arm outstretched with wide angle mode and Im just about in the picture. Funny night, funny girls xx

We saddled on back to the pub for a jolly scrumpsh pud (I had an Eton Mess and it literally looked like someone had spwavved on my plate but really, it was delicious). Im not kidding you the conversation sailed through every topic under the sun and landed squarely on tea bagging. Then someone pipes up and tells me Im using the wrong terminology. Its tea bag folding. Oh. I mean, wtf? I just don't get folding bits of paper as easily as other people, obv. My world has now been turned 360 and 360 and 360 more.

On Sunday Kate had a few issues with her "hooker" nails (ie: stick on jobbies and her terminology for the label of hooker nails - not mine, but I agreed ;)) so we tried glossy accents which, as you know, sticks 4 ton trucks to the sides of bill boards. But no, it didn't work so my trusty double sided tape did the biz and she was back in fine hooker nail form. Love that girl, she and I are of the same weave, me thinks. Don't we look complete with the obligatory Keira Knightley trout pout?Kate is one of the most darling girls I have worked with in publishing. OH! and she is an AMAZING beader and who made me this in like 20 seconds. Im absolutely in awe of her craftwork let alone of her near deadline prompts. So inspired by her (and the stall opposite - ) I fancied my chances at making a necklace to go with my black polo neck tops that I love to wear in winter. To my utter amazement in myself I knocked this up in about an hour and it certainly brought bead enthusiasts to the table and subsequently subs to the mag itself (and that wasn't a sales ploy neither). Later, I think my papercraft juices spurred Kate to try cardmaking **stand back in amazement, the girl cut paper!**. If it wasn't for my camera nobody would have believed such a sight.

I set back off home with a lovely girl we all know and love - Amanda Bateman. I met Amanda at Olympia this year but sometimes all you saw was a streak of curls running by as her schedule was pretty tight. This show we got to chat as she was over at Debbie Moores stand. Amanda really is a darling with soft spoken voice and who lives not far from moi. I think she was getting the train back but as I was passing her area anyway and as it was a 2 hour trip, the company was much needed plus its wonderful to be able to go to Mcdonalds with and pretend that we hate the stuff but ram it down our throats furiously anyway. However on the way back - OMG. The rain came down like I have never seen it before and we crawled along the motorway with mm's of vision out the window. Seriously, the rain does not fall in Spain on the plain. It falls all at once on my car on the M1.

Got back and had no time to smooch with the family as such as I had my first Principles class to deliver. I was so excited putting it all together as the first lesson is one of my favourite design principles. The forum was set up and the gallery was begging for artwork and by 11pm I was officially done and moreover, pooped. And by the time I had got into bed, I had noticed that mark had unpacked for me and put my clothes in for washing without him having to remind me or demand a thank you. And now I feel rotten for passing him at the door when I got in with not so much as a peck on the cheek, a slight belly rub for the mad dog but a little-big squidge for my girl.

So tonight, its a three course dinner by me as slave punishment for my lovely weekend although it will be toast for starters, beans for main course and a tin of fruit cocktail for pud. **sigh** ....... Im not the bestest cook, am I? This is my wee peach the other day who was helping me in the kitchen. She is holding a pan lid and together we played a game of things you can do with a pan lid other than use it for cooking (I clearly have no kitchen sense do I?)

So - the winners of the digi tutorial?

OMG.

Picking 10 and using randomiser is like, really hard and too much work. So this time I got belle to run her little finger down the list as I scrolled and she would say stop 10 times whilst dealing with static socks from the screen (he he heeeeeeee). I was having so much fun watching the little currents of electricity shooting up her arm for a loooooong time.

But you know, I am kidding - rught :)

So you want to know who won yeah?
Really?

YOU ALL DID.

(all those that posted up to this afternoon - Becky was last!)

Ive gone stark raving bonkers - so you can all have the tutorial as I am clearly not feeling myself! To claim it you MUST email HERE and state whether you use Elements or Photoshop. You must also tell me what time you posted and your comment posting name so I can cross check.

Gotta go, pooch is staring at me with his incredibly adorable, sooty, beady eyes. That means either he thinks Im neglecting him or he just wants a love. Probably its true on both accounts but either way, he is going to get squidged to death.

I could just eat him.

With beans, of course.

PS: Thanks Crafts Beautiful for a super duper pooper scooper of a weekend :)

10 lucky commentors

on this post will receive a "Teach yourself Digi" course and then you will be able to use the lubbly kit I maded below plus many thousands of others of free and buyable kits out there.
Ill pick the winners on Sunday.

**PLUS**
Its not to late to sign up for my online Principles Course starting this Sunday :)

Ambrosia - how fabulous is that range from BG?

So inspired by Ambrosia am I that I fiddled with making a digi kit using the colours inspired from the range a few weeks back and will now share them with you this even song.
You can get the little beggar HERE
Here is a layout I made with it
Im so excited trying to find out who has the best deal on the real deal-cant-live-without BG paper packs........anyone know who has them in yet?

She is airbourne

She spent 6 weeks doing a ton of fun stuff but the last week of the school holidays she asked if she could have a trampoline. I mean, forward planning and all that darling!

Belle never really asks for anything. I think with Belle she is easily pleased with a book or her DS......even 12 hours straight of cartoons (it happens!). She asks for a drink or a sandwich but not, like - a trampoline.

So I researched the best price for one and Amazon came up trumps.

We **heart** Amazon.

And it turns up the day before she goes back to school, yest (and I would have taken first day pictures but its chucking it down here and the rain clogged garden swimming pool is back).

I couldn't lift the damn thing out of the porch when it was delivered so there was no way I was going to set the damn thing up which meant we had to wait for Mark to come home from work to build it. And when he does he is promptly passed a screwdriver at the door!

Oh, he was not happy putting it together.

Springing it 64 times almost finished him off and it wasn't until he got to the last 10 that he re-read the manual which told him he had been springing it back to front. GAH.
I was taking pictures and he said "That better not appear on your blog"

Ha!

Famous last words. Sniggery snig.

The dog even got in on the action but kept nicking off with Marks fabulous collection of screwdrivers! And you could almost feel that tension in her face as she waited for that trampoline to be comlpete

A cuppa calms the vibes - do you love our matching crockery?!!!

And now she is airborne, curls flying out in all directions and even bum bouncing to save on her ankles. Its quite funny to watch Belle bounce. She can't bend her knees because her recoil action is shot. So she bounces using the joints of her ankles and its quite the sight and she doesn't care because as far as she is concerned - she is mightily airborne.

That was two days ago and its rained ever since - the ugly brute of a trampoline is fine when its being used but at the moment, we have a 10ft wide, 12ft tall ornament getting a bit damp. Id sooner have a fake Michelangelo statue over the sight of the trampoline monstrosity.

And finally - a couple of sneaks from my Bubbly Funk's dt work using her ever famous, most profoundly delicious, uncontrollably wantable chipboard shapes.

Quick Joke

my mum just sent me this and it tickled me somthing funny, it did!

A married man left work early one Friday, but instead of going home, he spent the weekend partying with the boys.
When he finally returned home on Sunday night, his wife really got on his case and stayed on it. After a few of hours of swearing and screaming, his wife paused and pointed at him and made him an offer.
'How would you like it if you didn't see me for a couple of days?'
The husband couldn't believe his luck, so he looked up, smiled and said
'That would suit me just fine!!'
Monday went by, and the man didn't see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday went by and he still didn't see her.
Come Thursday, the swelling went down a bit and he could see her a little, out of the corner of his left eye.

See, there is always a bright side :)

Its that time again

Hospitals.

I honestly do not know how the NHS works but Ellie has been off school for 6 weeks and just as she is about to go back again, bugger me, 3 appointments for September arrive and all in school time. That's not including the one today.

I know people who read this see it as me just whining and moaning and guess what - they are right! Slurp, yes! It's my right to have a bit of a go because it something to have a go about, actually. Watch with interest readers, the blog posts about Ellie's journey is about to get really whingey.

Whilst I have issues and problems with lots of stuff in our lives and household, nothing penetrates my rag like our health service. Belle has an appointment today with an Endocrinologist (hormone's to you and I!). We have seen this doctor before (we shall call her Dr Diddy and Cute) and we had seen one 5 years ago in Leeds (we shall call him Dr Snarky) and more recently a nutty guy in Nevada. Dr Snarky in Leeds thought she had Coeliac but by reading his notes (and I have access to all Ellies notes) he wrote a pretty mean thing in there about me; basically insinuating that I knew nothing about the medical system and that I should stop interfering. How funny is that? I think as a mother you ought to stick your nose in everything concerning the NHS because if you do not ask you do not get and when you do ask - you still don't get. LOL! Dr Snarky had a sneaky hunch she had coeliac's but up until now there has been no evidence to suggest that. Dr Nuts in Vegas spieled off a ton of suggestions as to what she may have but one in particular was Laron syndrome but its quite evident Ellies doesn't have it. Saying that, Dr Fruit Loop is a very clever and interesting man and we love that he spared lots of interesting facts about our gorge daughter. Its just that, well, he is Loopy Nuts and funny with it!
Dr Diddy and Cute had previously weighed and measured Ellie but nothing really came of it and called us in again today for a follow up. Only Dr Diddy and Cute had been called away to an urgent matter in India so instead we saw Dr Lovely and Light. Dr Lovely and Light is really all her name suggests. Today she had told us Belle had put two pounds on since March (woohooooooo) and that she had read with interest all the notes from Nevada. Lovely I thought, its about time, we have been back since April. She was just perfect and nodded in agreeance and made suggestions elsewhere. Its just fantastic when a Doctor empathises with the frustrating issues you deal with, namely getting to the bottom of why Belle is like she is. Her main concern was Belle's weight and height ratio. Its not good really and to get an indication of what I mean, Belle has given me her permission to share this picture for you to get a grasp of why I whinge/piss/moan all the bloody time.
This isn't mean to shock you or for you to feel sorry for her, it doesnt shock us and we don't feel sorry for her (just want to help her and just to add - she eats like a little pigster!) but we know people nudge each other around a poolside and point at her. Some even have the audacity to shake their heads. Grrrrrrrr .

Now it was suggested in Nevada that Belle might benefit from two forms of scientific help with her growth. One is relatively inexpensive and is called Carnatine and the other, which costs almost $30,000 a YEAR in the US (not sure in this country), is Growth Hormones. I know that to receive growth hormones in this country it is based on a case in the most highest extreme because they are so expensive (and of which we are prepared to part or wholly fund from her sponsorship). Apparently, the most affluent of our nation can buy these privately for their children who they fear their kids will not be of acceptable height! We think Ellie is just grand as she is but the choice of whether she wants this is purely hers - she can decide if she wants to by a little tiddly wink or mainstream like you and I. It also depends on the next step with is gastroenterology (that is most deffo spelled wrong!). If that does become fruitful then growth hormones are likely to be offered to her which surprised me a great deal because they are not given our willy-nilly in the UK. Dr Lovely and Light gave us a wonderful run down of her thoughts and intended processes, quite unlike any Dr we have ever seen before. You know, it kind of makes me beet red when I think how lovely it would have been to have met her years ago. Her processes means investigation which leads to wanting blood. They are going to once and for all check fully for coeliac and enzyme deficiences which may be causing her dietary issues (and then thats only a weight query becuase she really does and actually eats - actually!)

But Blood? From Ellie? Oh bollocks.

Too late, Ellie had heard the word blood.

and strated freaking out in her little chair and sweat dripped from her hands like water from a tap and hysteria set in. Oh god, I thought..... Not today as I promised her that there would be no hurts today. I asked Dr Lovely and Light if she could defer the samples until we meet with Dr We-have-never-met-such-a-fabulous-Neurologist-in-12 years next week, which gives us time to psyche Belle up for the draw.

Its all good in this house, really. Maybe frustrating at times but when you have Doctors on your side for a change, it has to be good - doesn't it?