Scorchio

Aaaah! Muchas scorchio in Lancashire these past few days.
Hot hot hot!
Saturday took us to Uppermill (again!) which is on the way back to Leeds from ours as MB was going home (cry cry cry). We took the dog, a bucket load of factor 15 sun cream and a picnic and roamed aimlessly down the canal path to enjoy the sun. What I loved most about today was actually watching the barges change levels at the locks...I have NEVER even seen this happen in real life, like EVER. I was so so excited for Belle and for me and even for MB. Mark of course has seen everything including Elvis on the Moon, nuclear explosions in Manchester and Michael Jackson wearing high heels and a bra. Its true - Mark has seen everything, you just can't get him excited about anything new, cos it isn't new because he has seen it. Even things that haven't been invented yet. But I don't mean to be so hard on him, really. He got made redundant on Friday, again, from the firm he has been with almost a year. Nice, don't you think? We like to think so. He is not unemployable though, Im certain he will find something around the corner. either that or I get the dog to dance on street corners for coppers.

MB watching a Barge come into a lock.
The barge had now lowered but I rather like the dandelion weed in the foreground!The pooch gives Marko some lovinAnd here is the smug little sod - all regal and refinedBelle takes respite amongst the buttercupsI love fernThis is my favourite shot of the day **to achieve the blue of the sky being so blue, invest in a polariser for your camera**Obv the polariser not on for this shot but I love love love this series of arches going onbelle is forever picking daisiesI love this little girl so much. She doesnt normally venture outdoors in bare arms (purely because of the FILTHY looks we get from passers by). Today we ignored the stares and got on with tanning them ;)MB and the dog overlooking the edge of the canal. Mark was down there trying to find a hideously placed geocache. We reckon its been muggled.Uppermill certainly has its charmWe enjoyed a picnic in a beautiful sunny spot where the dog fought for shade and crumbs. The walk didnt last for miles and miles but it was just a beautiful place to enjoy the sun on the way back over the Pennines. We loved it! On the way back to the car we stopped for ices and the ice cream vendor made an ice cream foe Eddy and put a dog chew in it instead of a flakey choc. I was so excited I even forgot to take a piccy.

Today we went for a BBQ (I bet 40 million of those buggers were lit today) over at Marks cousins house. Its was such a great afternoon catching up with them and their lovely little girl, Sienna. I took my camera but didn't use it...sometimes I just need a day off. But I tell you, I haven't stopped burping sausage juice all afternoon and night! When we got home we took the poor dog out for a walk as we had left him for 6 lonely hours (cry cry cry). The little love forgave us immediately. When we got in we watched the most crappest film I have ever seen in my life. It even won four Oscars (clearly picked by the blind and deaf Oscar committee members) and I ought to have known that being directed by the Coen brothers; it would have flown right over my head. I mean, it didnt have any shops or high heels in it or anything pretty and spangly. When it ended like it did, i wanted to put my foot through the TV; what a waste of two hours! Im not letting mark forget about that- EVER. poo poo poo film.

Finally here are some layouts I did for this months Studes kit - the best one so far and I really mean that. It sold out real quick but April and scarlet are getting more in; fear not kit revellers.





Oh, check me out with a double. A DOUBLE!
Gotta go veg out and cool down :)

a trip to the seaside

We only live a good half hour away from the coast and yest afternoon was earmarked for a trip to Blackpool. Its not the most picturesque of places, in fact its looking a bit rough at the moment. But that would never stop us going there for all the variety of things you can do. You can skim over the cosmetics when you are out to while away the day with two over excited teens.

MB has never been to Blackpool before and she couldn't believe how big a resort it was. It stretches for a good mile with amusement arcades, attractions, donut stalls, piers, hamburger stands, pubs and all sorts of other kiddy activities you might expect at a seaside. We got there mid afternoon and did a little Primark shopping. The girls had pocket money to spend and pocket money prices can only mean a bargacious trip to Primark. Ive never seen Ellie so interested in clothes before; she barely gives a damn about fashion but in she went like a whirlwind picking up brightly coloured little tee's to jazz up her love of wearing jeans. MB picked out two tops for herself whilst I stood there watching them enjoying being the crazy teenagers they are.

Eventually we moved by the toddlers section on the way to the changing room and Ellie saw a beautiful little skirt and tee ensemble and blurted out "This would look so cute on Harper". Well I was floored, I didn't think she even really cared about another kids wardrobe so much and besides she had never met Harper. Let me explain. Harper is my friends Stephs little girl. I have a ton of scrapbook friends with kids and Ellie reads blogs with me, picking out pictures and gasping at layouts etc. But what has struck Ellie recently is how those pictures of kids come alive when people share videos of them. And Ellie seems to have fallen for little Harper. It must have stuck in her mind until yesterday when she picked out the outfit for her. So of course I had to buy it as I, too, agree it would look rather deeeeelish on her. And Harper has a sister so I got Ellie to help me pick out a dress for her too. Im so excited about Ellies new found fashionista styling!

We pretty much mooched about the shops after that until we decided to hit the North pier. The north pier was erected in 1863 and has some beautiful features to it that echoes some pretty cool art deco. The girls were fascinated by peeking through the cracks on the pier looking down to the incoming tide below. MB was eating an ice cream and thought it would be cool to eat through the bottom of the cone to which she regretted as her ice cream fell through and into the sea as she leaned over the side of the pier. This made my Belle scream with delight as they both watched seagulls fight over banana ice cream in the surf below. My flaming camera not to hand at that moment - typical! Shortly after they took a ride on a very old and very traditional carousel. I don't think you are ever too old to go on them! My favourite carousel, though, is the one at Mon Matre, just below Sacre Couer and features in some scenes in the film Amelie.

At the end of the pier lay complimentry deck chairs of which the girls took a moments respite and Belle offered me an unsolicited pout.On the way back up the pier we spied this little fella taking a rest on the decking

We then took a walk down the loooooooooong promenade and into the amusements where the girls delighted in the slots and two'penny shovers. Between them they racked up sizable ticket wins to turn in for prizes to take home as a memento of their day. On the way home we were going to stop off for traditional fish and chips but to double treat them I thought we would fore go on the expense and go the the cinema to watch Night at the Musuem 2 thus opting for a burger tea instead. this went down a storm with them both and by the time it had finished it was 11pm. we were home 3o minutes later catching up with Britains Got talent (Hasn't it been obvious which contestants would get through on each round so far?) and then bed for them as I stayed up to watch Greys. **sigh, I love Greys**

During the night I was burning hot and yes, yes, yes.... I now have a stinking cold which I have no time to deal with. So Im in a bit of a bad mood about it because today (friday) is lovely outside and Im too hot and bothered to enjoy it. **cough, sniff, cry, cry**

To ease my pain, Im munching on this discovery of Greenand Blacks with Gingerbread....erm, hello?!!!byeeeeeeeeeee xx

An extremely eventful day

I said we wouldn't lie in again in yesterdays post.
Erm, tum ti tum ti tum..........
We watched Juno until 2 am and then I worked for a bit because Im such a worky worksvilles and bills ain't going to get paid if I don't. The girls went to bed at 2 and I went to bed at 3 and Mark got up at 6 and went to work at 7 and I didn't move a muscle nor was aware of the time until 11.47am. Even the dog was in a tight and neat slumber with his nose attached to my feet (poor little bugger but he must like it down there......vom).
When I woke up I almost died when I realised the time. The girls were fast asleep too; please feel free to report me to the feds for being such a bad momma. Although thankfully I woke up to some lovely emails which staved off the guilt, at least.
First off, my article and project for the UK Fiskarettes blog (27th may entries) went live. I think I am the first Uk guest designer for the Uk Fiskarette blog which is a sweet honour. Fiskars sent me a lot of product to work with and you can't deny they have a very successful scissor phenomena! I got punches and papers and set to work immeeeeeeed. I love this layout I made, especially using the ribbon slot border punch.
I used their Christmas line of papers to make the project (which you can see full over on their blog) even though its not a Christmas layout. Ive got another 3 weeks of projects to make for them; Im so happy about that and have a fun project coming up next Wednesday.

Then I got my official order from Personal Impressions/QVC today. I was that surprised (even though I kinda knew it was coming) that I went into the lounge to see the girls, I looked at them to gain their attention and without warning I stood there and screamed.
They didn't like it.
I was wetting myself laughing at their shocked faces; I want to bottle that moment forever!

I also want to share this card with papers I made from this site HERE and to which I will be making cards weekly as part of their challenge team. I love making cards, they are so much quicker and easier than scrapbook pages and also I get to build up a bank of cards for those last minute emergencies for birthdays and notes to accompany parcels etc. Niks (who owns the blog) well, her stuff is going on Create and Craft; I mean come on......tv shopping wars or what?!!

As for the rest of today? Guess what? I organised myself. I mean, shut up! I really did. I got my diary and mapped out my life between now and whenever....slowly filling my time in hopes for if I get my dream job. Still a long way to go on that front and my time has to be spent wisely. I have more workshops coming up in Leeds, Harrogate and Burnley if you are interested but will give you dates in due course :) I just need to de-clutter some more to ease the pressure and re-energise my mojo, which sometimes I feel likes to bugger off and leave me from time to time.

And my dream front cover came true this week in the form of Crafts Beautiful. This mag was one of the first ones I bought in 2002 and was like my bible just as cardmaking was exploding way back then. I made a mini using BG Urban Prairie with quotes about love inside. Its filled with my absolute favourite quotes about dealing with Love. When it comes back from the Mag, Ill share the photos in full. Its for Ellie of course; lord knows she is going to go through what I went through in those crazy teenage years. I would have dearly loved something like this for me.Also I made the free papers attached to the magazine and made the projects in the first few pages PLUS I have a feature on a stand alone Polaroid printer that is an amazing little tyke which prints via bluetooth and also I have my monthly page article on there as well. **I don't normally have that much stuff in there, I think it was just a one off but hey, its gives Ellie some excuse to take it to school and share in her circle group**
I have had front cover projects before on The Scrapbook Mag, 12x12 mag (do you remember that from years ago?) and Simply cards and Papercrafts plus the front cover of a Scrapbooking book of which I have saved for Ellie for her "Im proud of mummy " moments. She loves that she sees herself in print at times and after all the scrapbooking is for her to keep when I have given up the ghost and finally decided to take a long rest, six feet under. But for now, my proj being on the front of Crafts Beautiful is my most favourite front cover, ever. EVER.

Right, thats my day crammed with goodness. just watch something crap happen tomorrow to steal all the glory from my heart. Like the saying goes, where there is pleasure.............

Me and my cous

Today we didn't do much.
After getting up at a reeeeee-dick you las time this morning the rest of the day was off balance.
By 6.30pm one lady was suffering with cabin fever whilst Belle was happy to stay up in her room to try and conquer Animal Crossing on her DS. Although to be fair, belle was out of it after giggling her curls off on the trampoline tonight with MB and I. My poor bladder and chest anatomy are both weak and sore. I laughed so hard too that i dont know whether the stomach pains are a hernia or stretched!
After that both Mb and I set sail for the Three Sisters country park with the pooch and camera. It was a glorious evening even though we were watching one fat, juicy cloud hovver over our heads for an hour whilst the sun tightened its grip over the blue sky just for our walk.I didn't want Mb to pose so much for the pictures; i much prefer her doing her own thing. And as the meadows are pretty much strewn with gorgeous wild flowers, I couldn't resist just a few shots to help me get used the frikkin nightmare weight of the 24-70mm lens.
MB likes butter, I have the evidence!
Forget me nots. **sigh, so pretty**
The meadows are bursting with curious adventures; I love this shot of MB in a world of her own.I love how Eddy adapts to our friends and family. My whole heart belongs to him throughout the day when we are alone and I dont mind sharing him with MB.
I saved this shot until last. I purposely reduced the saturation of this shot which intensifies MB's piercing blue eyes. She is such a natural in front of the camera.

MB and I chatted a LOT on the walk, she has such a sweet spirit plus a wicked sense of humour.
I can't wait to see what other adventures we will all be enjoying together this week including our mad old dawg.

Here come the girls

Unusually I have my Belle home with me for the school hollies. She usually goes to my Mums but this term Belle wanted to spend it with Marybeth (MB for short). MB is my super cute cousin but is exactly the same age as Ellie so I see them two more as cousins to each other.We love having MB here even though she eats a whole bottle of Ketchup with every meal and has 3 sugars in her tea. That girls uses it as rocket fuel for her jet propelled energy! Before we took MB away from home I wanted to update my pictures of my gorgeous cousin Emily too (MB's sister) and whom happens to be my god-daughter. Aren't these two girls beautiful? And so grown up and oh, it just makes me want to cry that they are not babies anymore.Many adventures we shall have this week including a day drip to Blackpool and a day trip to the Lakes (I LOVE THE LAKES). Marybeth has been to neither so its going to be a cool adventure all round. Now I love Ambleside for its famous little housey bridgey thing and I also love Windemere. Can anyone recommend any wheelchair friendly things to do up there? I want to get up early and catch a sunrise over Grasmere but with my girl Ellie loving her pit so much there is fat chance of that.

The school holidays in this house are going to be action packed at least......

**Home**

I go away a LOT.
I love working away, I love seeing friends and family and I love meeting new people and doing the things I love such as photography and teaching.
But this weekend I missed home so much I felt completely choked by it.
That's not to say I didn't have a good time though but being 220 miles from the ones you love sure is heavy on the old heart.
I shot a wedding this weekend up at Chatelherault which is next to Hamilton (Glasgow-ish) which is a stunning venue for a civil ceremony. The Bride wanted seriously traditional photos which I managed to deliver plus we were at the mercy of the heavens almost bursting open. Couple that with little flower girls who hated having a camera in their mush and high heels digging in the grass and yes, you have lots of erm, fun.
Ive only processed a few of the bride shots. And by processing I mean empty from the camera and onto the mac. If you want to see a larger image, click on the picture to see :) The difference with my new lens means I have very little editing to do; the least editing I need to do the better. I'm getting seriously annoyed with photoshopped pictures that really don't need to be. I very much prefer natural looking shots which I want to become my niche but that's not to say that post processing can be fun; they just don't need to be, you know?
It was also my friends Roz's fortieth birthday bash where a ton of her friends piled into a lovely and private part of a good food pub. I met a number of Roz's friends of whom I have not met before but one of them I was completely charmed and enamoured by. Her name is Dawn and she is totally off her rocker. She has a way out dress sense but I love that; I love individuality. i love that she see's the beauty in expression and creativity. I also loved that she was the best fun. I also sat next to Elin, a girl I met some years back though scrapping and whose children were my first official photoshoot. Elin is a gentle soul and I was nestled right in between the two. The variety of personalities was like nectar for the soul; I wish I got out a lot more!
I travelled to and from Scotland with Janet (one of roz's oldest freinds from years gone by) and boy did we have so much to talk about the whole way up. Almost 4 hours travel time in a car on a hot day is enough to drive anyone bonkers but we managed to stay sane. Roz had planned a lovely chicken salad for tea where I got to completely adore avocado in the mix. Avocado is my new fave salad ingredient next to pomegranate which I always try and include (when the bugger is in season). I have some pictures of the party to empty from my camera but seeing as its almost 2am, I shall leave that for tomorrow.
Finally, did you watch the semis of BGT? I thought Susan Boyle was dreadful; the woman has peaked too soon. I desperately adore all that she stands for but sadly she was overshadowed by Diversity tonight. SEE THEM HERE. They were the best thing I have ever ever seen, dancewise :) Also, that poor little girl, Natalie, was given the wrong song to sing too and the violinist was outdone by the loud backing orchestra. Mark and I quite liked the two fellas who danced with masks on. But Im over the Susan Boyle thing, really. I think she should let other people in the competition have their moments to shine. Just sayin'.
Night xx
**also big cheers for Hull City (my dads football team) who managed to cling onto the premiership today and also a HUGE happy birthday to my brother who is 33 today (25th))**

Studes Sneaks

Its that time again and this month I am in creative heaven. Imagine a cleverly put together kit with an impressive collection of collage press, cosmo cricket and Studio Calico's own line of loveliness. My fave kit so far, far outweighing Garment District which I loved from 2 months ago.











Love love love.

Sun worshipper

Man we have had some crappo weather these last few days.
Its strange sitting in my office without looking to my left to see the boy laying in the sunstreak that pours through the back door/utlity area between 10.30 and 12.45, well until today anyway!He absolutely loves the warm sun streaks and I mean absolutely LOVES them. He wont budge if the door bell goes or if I open the fridge to get a drink and let me tell you, if the sun ain't shining he is in like flynn when that damn fridge door opens. He can smell ham at 500 paces!Its been a funny old week because Ive been off colour and not motivated to take pictures as such. Ive taken them for an assignment but I mean more of the spontaneous kind. I have two very beautiful cameras with two spellbinding lenses and no - not feeling the love on them whatsoever. Perhaps Im saving myself for the wedding im shooting this Saturday in Scotland (And yes, Ill sneak an up-the-kilt-shot for you all ;)).

But one thing did make me grab the camera off the shelf this afternoon for an absolute "record the moment type of shot". My belle came home with the coveted yellow enamel sports badge that she gets to wear for a whole week. We all know this kid isn't an athlete but her PE teacher nominated her for attempting to jump over hurdles (she actually strode over them!). Ellie was chuffed with herself when she came out of school. I saw her approach the car with her hand over the lapel of her blazer and I knew there and then she had been awarded a badge but I acted surprised all the same. You need to bottle moments like that, you think?

Prior to picking her up from school I had a call from her Special Educational Needs co-ord. She expressed concern over Ellies swimming and lack of hip movement. She also expressed how concerned they are about the way her feet are forming. Now I look at this two ways. I see it as sweet and kind and caring. But I also see it as "What the eff can I do? We have been to hospital over 170 times in 13 years and we are still non the wiser as to what is going to be done". I explained to her that I will mention her concern but doubt that anything would be done because every time I express my concerns actually nothing is really done about it. All we get is "See you in 6/9/12 months". I begged the teacher to write to the hospital because a formal letter from a place of authority (such as her school) might have some bearing on the matter. Because I sure as shit sit there every bloody time and talk, talk and talk and its like im saying "mworhakjhdah dasjhgf dsjhfjsdfq lqweuerhj". You can see the specialists thinking "you're just a mum, shut up - you know nothing. We are the experts and we can choose whether to take an interest or not. We are gods, we have the right to take pity or not, to treat or not, to like you or not - your daughters life is in our hands and we wonder if you think its YOUR lucky day?".
God, its driving me up the bloody wall.
So, anyway, she has a biggy hospital visit on the 9th June....like a really big "biggy". Hopef I will come across as not speaking Mongolian to the doctor and that he might sit there, holding my hand and professing all his undying adoration into the welfare and health care of Ellie. But this was the doctor whom, last year, gave us a right ear bending for going to the USA for medical investigation. He was very upset that we went at all - he said that we hadn't given him a chance (understatement of the year) But you know, when someone offers you a lifeline, you take it. That Someone was Nurse Rooty and dr Denton in Nevada. But he sat there and was really spitting feathers about the whole adventure and although it wasn't funny at the time, it was worth watching the blood vessels on his head almost exploding with rage.

So yep, really looking forward to that treat of a hozzy visit. I might take armoured plating to protect me when I tell him to shove his Neurology where the sun don't shine. We are binding our time, time is good...we have lots of it. Its a shame Ellie doesnt before she reaches adulthood and still have to deal with all her ailments, undiagnosed.

Still, on the pozzy side she got her enamel badge. She is the most beautiful caring and loving creature I have ever set eyes on and she is loved more than anything and anyone has ever been loved in all the time that love has existed. And whilst I'm being a big soppy Momma, I want to share you something really personal about what Ellie said to me once or twice when she was about 8 years old. Ive only told one person, outside my family, this before but one day I was feeling all sad and was laying on the sofa. Ellie came into the room and she came up to me and cupped her hands round my face and she looked me straight in the eyes and she broke my heart when she said "Mum, I love you so much it makes me want to cry".
sob, sob, sob.
So you see, underneath all my doom and gloom, lays a heart etched with those very words; that's what keeps me going.

I lied

I said yesterday that I would share photos today.
SOZ.
I haven't had the inclination to take any photos at all; its been a weird day all round.
I wasn't feeling so good this morning. I think it was because I had two coffee's yesterday and I haven't had coffee or tea for a few weeks now. Bad drugs, man....BAAAAAAAD drugs. Im never drinking them again. Water is far more sufficient and healthier.

But what I did do was have hunt around gift sites for a few birthday pressies Im after and found my one stop shop right HERE
Im a sucker for vintagey, country craft and frenchful things - truly.
Best thing is, their P&P is only £2.95 p&p matter how much you buy..... that's cheaper than me hopping into town and paying for parking and petrol.
I loves comfy home shopping...saving hard for the Chateau ornaments. Lush lil shop, go see :)

Oh! and gimme this little bugger here.... SLURP. Perfect for cream teas and dainty little butties
That is all I am looking at for now...I cant bear to look at anything else without wanting to smash the screen in and grab them for me me me!

No photos

Ive not taken any photos today.
And normally I take a photo, even if it is of the dog.
Or a sneak of some work Ive been doing.
Or a macro shot of a spiders ass.
Instead I spent the morning at Crab Apple Crafts in the kindest company of Rosemary, Nigel and Debbie. Its the kind of scrapbook store where you just feel real comfy in and of course it has all the eye candy yumminess you would expect from a well stocked crafts outlet. Before I knew it I had been there almost 4 hours and I thought "Holy crap, my poor dog!". But we have dog flaps in the house and he can wander in and out when he needs, erm, you know..... And although I dont need any new papers you bet your shiny butt I came away with papers that will just end up being licked to death because its less effort and cruel to cut them up into smithereens.

I got home in time to collect the Bellemeister and in time to say au revoir to all my Nikon equipment in the post. **sigh**. I didn't even take a photo of that either; perhaps I was just being secretly evil as I lovingly stroked my canon 5D like I was Dr Evil with is hairless freaky looking rat cat. I then took the dog for a walk and yes, you know it.... I didn't even take the camera. Then I had a friend come round to decorate a guest book for a wedding this weekend and nope, no proof or evidence by way of a photo.

But tomorrow I will take double the allowance and bore you all senseless.

Until then, bloggers.... sweet nightmares about my blog overload of photos :)

I know you are.......

(but I am not) bored of my walks with the dog - so be warned, pics to follow below!
Tonight we went on a long walk in the hope I could shake off my terribly foul mood.
Its my own fault, to be honest but we don't tell the hubbies that - do we?
I went to bed at 4.30am and by 9am mark was nagging me to get up so that he could clear out the attic. To be honest it is full of absolute garbage that we haven't set eyes on in 4-5 years, but still.
I begged him to leave me alone and at 11.20 I had to get up and be brutal with the choices on whether something should stay or go. It was good for the soul (she says, in hindsight) but it was also messy, spider-y, cobwebby, mucky and yakky.
In between mark bunging things out the attic and almost on our heads, I cleared out my wardrobe. Ive turfed out a LOT of clothes and I mean a LOT. Ive dropped a lot of weight this past few weeks from cutting out carbs and Im in all my old clothes from 2 years ago (about freaking time). Ive donated them to a charity shop for some old dear to lay her sticky mitts on and proudly show off her prize purchases to all her friends down at the pensioners club.
That took all afternoon and before I knew it I was in Asda doing the food shop and I HATE food shopping. Its so boring and monotonous. When I got back I wanted to kill myself because as much as I hate shopping I also hate putting it away. Grrrrrrrrrr.
So, like I said,I took the dog for a loooong walk and took some pictures to while away the time whilst eddy sniffed out other dogs poo (nice) and grassy clumps. I seriously do not want to come back as a dog.
I love this patch of the park where silver birch trees are starting to show their age - they need Nivea!
Sweet scatterings of buttercups adorn either side of the paths at the moment
the boy, his eyes on the prize... ie...FREEDOM
These pretty flower are only pretty to look at. Get within 10 feet of them and they reek of yuks.
The lake is looking perkier after a good bout of rain these past few days
I think this is a wild rose or clematis...who knows...its purdy

And ooh check me out - sneaks for Bubbly Funk. Ive been working with some very exciting chipboard pieces....tickled pink am I (but that was before this yuksvilles funk that i am wallowing in)







Hopef I will wake up in a better mood. I know by tomorrow afternoon it will all be gone as Im teaching over in Burnley ... pop along and say hi to us in the Craftrange, its got an ace cafe!

Right - BED.
Ganeet, ganight, ganoot

Scented Stocks

I have never seen these being sold in bunches before - ever!
Ive grown them at home and they even lasted a winter but never thought I'd see them in shops.
They smell divine and have kept up their strong perfume for a good few days now. Plus by being in the kitchen, they supersede any cooking smells. And secretly they make good practice with new cameras!
Belle and I were sat yesterday in the lounge (with dog, of course) and I loved how this lens grabbed a good wide angle of us just being us in our chocolate lime room. Its a bit dark in our room but tthen our little vampire, Ellie, is photophobic so it suits us just fine.Belle is watching the hideously oversized TV (not my thing, its Mark for all his boring crappo footy and even worse - cricket although its one advantage is that it swings out from the wall which I enjoy only to indulge in Greys Anatomy once a week). Ellie ikes that chair, I like the 2 two seater that Im sprawled upon and Marko gets a whole 3 seater. Reminds me of the three bears.

Ive got a date with Slumdog tonight and have managed to hog the Tv for me for a change as marko has gone up the wooden hill to bed. So Im putting on my jammies, making a brew and cosying on up on a cuddlefest with a handsome fella called Eddy.

Experimentin'

The bad boys (cameras and lenses) are all in the house, safely tucked up in their new cubby hole after a little play this morning. I haven't got the time today to totally experiment but here is a picture of card Ive made for my MIL.and also a picture of the boy himself (What you cant see is the ham in my left hand because he was NOT in the mood for a snap) I took the pic of the boy in automatic; can you believe it?The colour cast is doing my head in, mainly from my PC. On my PC these images are more rich in colour but on the Mac screen they are washed out. Think I need to get a new screen for my PC; can anyone recommend a GOOD one? Or does anyone have the Huey that correct screen hues? Mmmmmm? Id love your input x

She stacks

My girl...MY GIRL has a new passion.
She speed stacks at a club in school and she is pretty good. Im so impressed with her devotion to the sport. This is a girl whose fine and gross motor skills are so poor that she cant hold a pencil properly nor can she co-ordinate her hands and arms particularly well.
So when she told me about the club I bought her her own stack system and it arrived yesterday. And I saw for myself what a marvel she has become. SHE IS GOOD! I thoroughly recommend it to you if your kids have hand/eye coordination issues along with gross and fine motor skill problems. I myself am pretty pants at it so Im hoping she can teach me!

So who has been having gorge weather?
We have.
Two days on the trot with cloudless skies. The dog has been in his element because whenever a sun streak enters the back door area of our house, he lays in the warmth of the rays and moves round with the streaks until it goes past the window. It is hilarious to watch. My friend Houstons dog has a penchant for adorning his bod in the glow of the warm rays; is this a Dachshund thing? Anyway, warm nights means long walks with his nibs and Eddy boy so we have lathered ourselves in the lush green of our local park and woods. I took one of my cameras for its last outing and took these picture to make a mini book about our gorgeous adventures.

These are my boys sitting in the car,waiting for me to stop faffing with the camera! Eddy looks funny from this angle. He looks so bossy.Lots of little details from our walk tonight.
This is new shady part Im loving. Having seen the bony bare basics of winter, suddenly we are overwhelmed by springs goodness.
Deep in the shadows lay these little pretties
And in brighter spots, these yummy little darling peek out their pokey heads
And although this dandelion clock isn't ultra sharp, I love the colours in this picture which takes precedent.
Eddy runs with his tongue flapping the side of his face - such a wee dude.
Had some rather exciting news today too.
The man from QVC?
He says yes to my CD...it passed Quality Control. It was a pretty quick pass too which makes me feel a little giddy. Actually, if the truth be told - I am freaking out about it! If you go over here you have a chance to win a CD before they all get shipped to Personal Impressions. At this point Id like to thank Dawn Bibby and Kathy Walsh for the opportunity to enterprise the product and Jo Galbreith-Martin for her belief :) So here it is, Thank You xx

Initiation into Club Canon

I feel a bit sick today, actually.
With the ever growing need to downsize my Nikon collection (I really do have too many lenses for jobs that require just 2) I have jumped ship and left my fellow Nikonese to the gods of ebay in favour of a 5D (no, not a mark II, yet!) and 30D back up plus a 24-70mm L and a 50mm F1.8 (ugh not my number 1 choice but I can't afford the 1.4 yet either).
If you are after some bargain lenses and much cared for cameras (D2x, D70 and D200 plus flash gun) pop over to ebay and check out a supercool ebay seller called elliew183... thats us!
Ive got to be able to afford the transition somehow!
I think the initiation into club canon is the fear of saying good bye to my trusty steeds who have been all over the world with me, captured many smiles and memories and will be sad to be packed in their boxes with not some much as a by your leave form any of them.

**yurks two lenses were sold within seconds of going live....crumbs!**

Bye Bye Nikon

Yes, goodbye my faithful, trusty steeds.
Im selling the cameras for a new camera suite.
No, its not Hasselblad nor can I really afford Zeiss or Bronica but a girl can dream, can't she?
Ive got the following for sale (think I might pop on Ebay this evening) but just incase you are interested I have:
Nikon D2x (oh yeah, monster camera!)
Nikon D200
Nikon D70
Nikkor 50mm 1.4
Nikkor 85mm 1.8
Nikon 70-300mm 3.5-5
Sigma 24-60mm 2.8
SB600 Flash gun
Everything has boxes and leads and manuals! You bet I kept those babies
Sensible offers to my email address (on the right of their blog post - contact me button in bright yellow!)
Will swap with like for like Canon lenses, too

Purge almighty

I feel so virtuous now that we have had a purge of stuff we don't use/need in this lil ole house. That goes for a ton of craft supplies that have been donated to a local nursery plus some old mail order stationary to a local stockist in my area. The flow from our kitchen through to the utility which leads to the garage (that mark converted for me is like a free flowing river). before I would have to manoeuvre hither and dither and its stressed me out. We have re-distributed stuff we need to keep and its all neatly piled away which just leaves me the rest of my scraproom to neaten up.
To help with organising my room (for the millionth time) I bought these little babies from this shop here.
Luckily they have mail order because you will NOT want to miss out on how much they can store. You get one large box with 17 little mini boxes inside (size of a credit card about 1.5 inches deep). I have put all my embellies in them plus beads in another plus threads in another plus bards and eyelets in another. At £6.90 a pop these are going to give your craft space a much needed spruce.

In the very same shop you can buy the storage boxes from is also where I am teaching next week. The ladies over there love cardmaking so much I thought Id share some fun projects with them using papers etc from my CD. If you are at a loose end next weekend, ring the store HERE to book a place and have some fun. They are based in Burnley and Id love to see you there :) If you cannot make it, I thoroughly recommend a day trip out. the shop is heaving with beautiful supplies including a large bead selection (classes on beadmaking too, to make this yummy things below) plus if that wasn't enough there is a beautiful cafe inside the shop. Its tres swish. Debbie and the staff await you with a warm welcome.

Today I spent the day with my lovely friend Carmel and her daughter Charlotte. Ellie and Charlotte get on like a house on fire as do our dogs! They have a lovely little Cav with the most adorable cute face. Eddy of course took charge of the little mite and tried every trick in the book to get his wicked way with her. He is such a brute - you know.... such a MAN! lol. We went for a gorgeous walk along the canal at Uppermill, just on the edge of Saddleworth. It was beautiful up there, Id love to go again. If you live there I guess you might realise how lucky you are to be there. The kids also fancied a trot around the park of which housed this fella here blowing ridiculously large balloons for the kids.
Look at my belle, isnt she a dream?
Charlotte has a pretty little face and sometimes it not always essential to get your kids to smile. Kids dont smile all the time. They have looks the define their character, like this one below. Making a child smile for the camera is not real. Catching spontaneous laughter, however, is. I like shots like this :)
The girls walk ahead under a blanket of beautiful trees and blossoms
Some ruins make way for a lovely little photo op :)
This stretch boasted a hoard of duckling and goslings of which I would scream "aaaaw" every 5 minutes (much to the kids disgust)
And home again for quick cuddles before we set sail for Wigan and leave our pals behind :(
I came home with two very tired kids (Belle and Eds of course) after hating having to leave our friends. Ellie and Eddy went for a nap when we got home and I made the tea. then before I knew it, The Davinci Code was on channel 5. I must be the last person on earth to see it, Im sure and bloody hell, I wish Id have watched it when all the hype was the hype - you know? The guy that wrote that has a genius mind; I was completely thrilled to watch it. If you know any other good films with that kind of writing and twists and turns do let me know!

**thanks for tips on how to make my blog a three column job - you are all so helpful**

need 3 columns

Id like an extra column on the right of my blog page for a couple of things.
Im wondering who has experience of inserting these?
Making pretty buttons and headers I can do but adding an extra column and fearing Id lose my blog as whole, I cannot.
Can somebody help me? Id be happy to pay you :)
Please?
:)

Pick us a winner

Yes thats you RACHEL - you won'ed the glorious, never-to-be-seen-anywhere-else Studio Calico stamps!

Can't stay to blog much this avvo as I am purging and I swear to god I have chucked a gazillion things away, set aside stuff for ebay and Im giving away a pack load of card to a local nursery school. If I find anything in the line of blog candy, mark my words it will be on here laters.

I have some fab storage solutions coming up laters, which I bought yest at my favourite and best craft store in Burnley. Might take a pic of my spankingly fabbo organised room too.

Got me some makes **plus a giveaway - woooo**

Well, one make.
Honestly, I don't know how I snuck this into my life but Id taken delivery last week from Artbase and the package was strewn over my worktop and had been for a few days. I hadn't got the time to lovingly stroke the goods but from time to time I kept peering over my Mac to see products calling my name. It was no good, my finger were itching and I had to dive in. And within 45 minutes (therefore forfeiting lunch) I had wizzed this up. I love that Making Memories circle paper a LOT.

Ive been snowed under this week often trying to catch my breath. Actually wanted to cry a few times, if I am honest. Whats tipping the balance is that Im in the middle of applying for a job that has a looooooooong line of sifting and segregation and waiting and interviews. Its killing me. I cant gather any momentum in my life until I know whats going to happen. Im so excited about it but also fretting about my current work. I think I do too much. Ok, I actually know that I do too much. Buts what makes me tick. Must take time out to get my mind clear...like tomorrow! Im off craft shoppin'. Will report on my buys when I get back :)

Anyhoo. Had to go to my suppliers tonight to get more of theseI cant tell you how many I have sold since I launched them (well I do know but its like, a lot) but its kept me busy and lots of crafters happy. I love packaging these up, its the best bit. So if you have had trouble ordering them (due to being out of stock) - they are now back in stock HERE:) On the way back from the suppliers I went food shopping. That enough is a chore that could see me to an early grave. I really do want to invest in online shopping but I don't trust the way that some shops replace out of stock items with inferior products or squish your bread or give you rotten veg. Anyone have experiences with Sainburys/Tesco or Asda? Id love to know what you think. Oh and by the way, I hate putting food shopping away as much as actually going to buy it. Grrrrrr.

As we were faffing putting stuff away tonight Belle decided it might be fun to shove the camera right in my mush. I quite like it (dont zoom in on the nostrils). I have unfeasibly large ceeks, no? The girl has a good eye, mind. She mastered the rule of thirds at least!

So lets get on to the stuff you really want - a giveaway. I have a second set of Carter stamps from Studio Calico (who do the best stamps in a kit every month...dead trendy, they are). This comes with upper and lower case. The lower case are approx half an inch high each.
All you have to do, to be in with a chance to win them is leave a comment by answering the following question "I like kirsty's nostrils because.........."

Growing pains

This morning, when Belle and I awoke, nothing seemed out of place or different.
She ate her breakfast and brushed her teeth and got dressed as always.
She had a skip in her step because Wednesdays is swimming at school and the pool's just been refurbed, so it was exciting because the water was going to be fresh and, in Ellies words, "wee free". LOL
I dropped her off at school and she loved my goodbye and I came home and did my thang. I worked, I loved the dog and I baked fresh oopsie rolls.
Then at 1.20pm I got a call from School saying that Belle had fallen asleep at her desk.
Well she wasn't especially tired this morning so I thought it was odd.
They suggested she come home as it was hard to rouse her and when they said that I had a flaming heart attack. I raced to school to collect her and as soon as she came through the reception door she broke her little heart saying she didn't know why she was tired and that she was sorry.
Her teacher thinks she might have been trying to get out of going swimming and I partly agreed right there and then. Ellie seems to have lots her confidence a bit lately so when I got her in the car we had a chat.
But no, it wasn't a case of dodging the old aqua.
She was falling asleep in the car and when we got home she was straight on the sofa and fell asleep instantly.
I went to check her every 15 minutes or so and at one stage the dog had decided to join her.
My little heart broke into a trillion pieces and so I went to fetch the old trusty camera to remember this moment forever.Her rosy cheeks and beautiful lashes complete with that milky skin and ruby rose bud lips just melts my heart. Then along side her, our tiny boy who adores his big sis and protects her so fiercely you think it might kill him.

Mark and I think its growing pains. Ellie tends to "shut down" when she is growing which is reminiscent of the past. She used to have these shut downs every 2 weeks as a baby, then it petered out to 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks and so on. She probably has 2 a year now and they are not fun. Her body gets so hot (she says) and yet she feels cold. She goes clammy and sweat drips off her fingers and feet. I kid you not but there are real beads of sweat dripping off her. Its weird. and it frightens me in a way because I am scared about not really knowing all about the "unknown". I wish it would just all go away and give her a break.

Anyways, after 2 hour straight she was up asking for coffee and something sweet and Mummy obliged. There is no greater gift of treating your child to a reward for getting better! Phew, what a bloody relief.

**wonders how much she has grown today?!**

5 days from home

Sometimes I love being away from home and other times I just can't bear being without my schtuff.
My clothes, my shoes, my creams, my bestest knickers, my scrap supplies, my everything.
Im crap at travelling light as it is and I hate having to select clothes to cover all manner of weathers and in this godforsaken country it can be sleet to down right insanely hot in one day.
So here is the last minute dot come I find myself on last Thurs night.
I have to get my things ready for QVC; Im not carrying a lot as the samples were made by Lasting Impressions. I just need to take stuff to do on the train (book, iPod, lunch etc) but I also have to pack for going away to Wales (the minute I get back from London). Not only is my schtuff to pack but there is Ellie's too. I can't trust Mark to pack her stuff, he'd pack boy colours and boy looking things and belle is pretty much pink and fluff. I had to ransack her wardrobe for clothes for all weathers plus ransack mine and then raid the toiletry cupboard in the bathroom and all sorts of niff naff and trivia. I pack my stuff and Belles stuff and hope I have the right things because when my train gets back to Wigan on Friday night, we are off to Wales.
Anyways I travel to London on the 1030 train which gets me into Euston at 12.30. Can you believe I can get a train that takes 2 hours to London? That is FAST. If I drive on a normal day it would take 3-4 hours but if I drive on a Bank Holiday it can take between 7-8; maybe more. For once in my train travelling life I do not meet anyone interesting to talk to. I must have picked the most miserable friday to travel, for every face on that train must have been beaten with a wet kipper by the looks. Yawn, boring train journey indeed.
So I bought a newspaper and deemed to believe every word written in there, as is the norm? The Daily Mirror was all that was available to buy; basically it was like reading a joke book only it wasn't funny. I hate it when tabloids lay it on thick, then proceed to smear, slur and defame anyone that dares to stand out from a crown both good and bad. I don't need a newspaper to make my mind up about whats going on in the world; and making judgements needs to be affirmed by ourselves, not some journalist on a power trip. These newspapers are very one sided and it makes me sick. What makes me feel more ill is when people actually believe half the stuff written in the papers and the news, come to think.
Anyway.
it killed two hours and before I knew it I was in Euston station. I got the tube and a wee train to Battersea park to get to my final dest at QVC. The QVC studios lay right behind Battersea Dogs and Cats home. Really, it does. Its a modern building and from the outside, you wouldn't think that there were numerous studios within with electricians, cameramen, sound checkers and presenters running round in their tight little groups. I arrived in good time considering it was Bank Holiday weekend. I made my way to the green room and flumped in a squishy sofa. I think people are under the impression that you sit through various meetings and rehearsals before you go on air. I also think people also believe you have to go through fancy hair and make up and casual chats with the team before you go in the studio. NO!
Its not like that at all.
Its all very informal which is good because it makes you less nervy. You do your own hair and make up (full make up too; to prevent shine) and you don't rehearse. The whole thing is live. And you have to ad lib or have the right answer for the presenter. Gulp! No margin for error and if there is an error, its there for the world to see/laugh at/rewind and play again!
If that's not scary enough you have to think real hard about what you have to say so that you can market the product in its best light, listen to the presenter and show him a demo to his request, concentrate on making or demoing the item and listening to the producer talking in your ear AND answer the presenters questions on top - all this without passing out from stage fright! Its actually a buzz to be able to do it but very, very nerve wracking.
But on Friday something unexpected happened - my ear piece fell out.
And I couldn't put it back in as I was sat, rather un-elegantly with a lap top literally perched on the very edge of my knees which meant I needed to keep both hands on it from falling. And that ear piece is all important as the producer likes to tell you how to hold the item or to wrap to the next item or to keep your hands steady! Oh Gawd. But what made it all a tad nervy was that 5 minutes before I was due to go on air, the bloody fire alarm went off which meant we had to evacuate the building. I vacated the building with Rosemary Merry, whom happens to be real charming and tiny and incredibly friendly in real life and we tried to laugh our way through the commotion. She was in the middle of demoing when the alarm went off; she handled it better than I would have done. I would have shouted out on camera "woooo, send in the hunky firemen to come and rescue me".
Before I knew it I was back in the studio and on air. I can't remember much as it went by so fast but as I was demoing the product I do remember changing the bunny graphic to blue (why?). By the time it was all over I blinked my eyes and thought "Howay, that went super duper fast!".
I went to sit in the green room afterwards to chill out and sat with Nigel Merry who is a very kind fella and whom I spent time chatting about life and dogs and all the stuff in between, just to calm down after the buzz. Next thing I do is hop on a bus to Victoria for a bite to eat before my train left to go home. As I sat at the train station I looked around and just wondered about all the people toing and froing and indeed just waiting. And I suspect they are looking around thinking the same as me..... where are you going, who are you, what do you know? People hugging goodbye and hugging hello with tears and smiles and fond farewells. Its a fun place to hang out to absorb other peoples behaviour.
This is a mum and her daughter; crying before the daughter left. I didn't mean to watch but you just cant help it. I almost burst into tears.Anyway, I recomposed and I get on my 2 hour train back to Wigan, am collected by the fam and we go down to Wales (to marks parents second home) and vegetate for 4 days. It was perfect. No internet, no phones, no doors knocking and no agendas. Peace perfect peace. Im not going to write much else because other than veg and sit in the sun; we did little else exciting other than breathe.

Pic of Ellie from one end of the caravan to the other; I love catching her unawares.Boules; a firm favourite to catch freckles by and whoop the mens asses off - check out lil eds to the far right of the pic, he is so miniscule!
The boys on the poop deck, pooped.
This is the boy when we got back home this avvy. I caught him chewing a sock; doesn't he look awfully guilty?

**lastly**
We want to share a lovely gift that was sent by my super duper new friend, Houston. Not only has she got the coolest name on the planet but she is the Momma of mini Dachs too. Houston commented a while back on a necklace that I was wearing in a photo so I sent her one, because it didn't cost the earth to do so and was a pleasure to be able to treat somebody. And in return she sent one each of these necklaces to belle and I - can you tell what the pendant is?We love our own necklaces lots. Belle has it by her bedside for sake keeping at night and has worn it everyday since we received them. Mine hasn't even left my neck for 4 days since I got to Wales; might keep it on forever!
Thank you Houston - you are so so thoughtful :)

We have a winner

So lots of you like the giveaway, no?!
Well this fine morning I relayed the comments numbers to my Belle (randomiser no worky this moment in time) and she selected 100 out of 101 - very imaginative on your choice, Belle.
Yet still we go and look up the winner and its Kimber-Leigh (I have contacted her so hope she gets back in touch).
Thank you so so much for "entering".
When I get back tonight I have a Studio Calico stamp set to give away to complete the NSD celebrations.
OK, going to make the most of my bank holiday weekend getaway in Wales (feels weird making a blog post from a Blackberry!)