I live one hour from here (lots of pics, prepare to fall asleep)

one stinking hour from home is all I could ever need to recharge my batteries.
The land ranges in lush shades of green from small hillocks to the highest peaks in England. The roads are fraught with hairpin bends and flowery country lanes. There are miles of hand built stone walls that divide small and large boundaries. And pretty little cottages nestle cosily on hill sides and on lane ends.

The place?

Oh man, the place I wish to visit forever (and possible see out my greying hair days) is The Lake District. From Coniston to Bowness to Ambleside to Kendal, these heavenly nooks hold so much beauty that you couldn't think it was possible to embrace it all in a day. But you can and we did. Well, actually 3 days and two nights. This was our holiday this year and yes, it was small but really, its all we could afford as Mark is still in redundancy mode. But you don't need to go abroad to be thrilled by the natural beauty on your very own doorstep and you can always strike a bargain with hoteliers in this season of financial despair thus making your pennies stretch and your heart leap higher than the thrill of a cheap sangria with a free cocktail umbrella!

I have always loved the Lake District. this stems from when I did adventure training in the RAF. We would book groups of 8-10 people to go fell walking by day and pub crawling by night. Ambleside is a particular favourite of mine because its plentiful in pub life and hill side alike. It also boasts a cute little novelty (pic to follow, below) which brings curious tourists in their thousands to adore. Id also come here with the RAF Mountain Rescue team to enjoy the spoils of the hills and the dangers of how fell walking can lead to requiring such a team. These hills call to me as do the lakes and perspectives of this beautiful land.

Mark, as you can imagine, was in his geocaching element. At Coniston he grabbed his first webcam cache where CCTV takes your image to prove you were there. We had to co-ordinate the picture snap with my mum on the phone who was also on the internet and had to capture the image. All very techy and such like but we got it! Ellie and I are in the picture too (just behind the car on the bend - yoo hoo!) He was a real happy camper with that baby!
Coniston village is a real gem hidden in the hills and side streets are bedecked with courtyards and side alleys - all glorious and pretty
Corners and bends reveal exciting scenery
Bridges of every kind hang over swollen streams
The rain, which was pretty much the precipitation for the three days made streams like these look like rapids
Beautiful slate churches clung to each village centre
My dudes enjoying a chat whilst waiting for lunch in a pub (we were more excited that we could take the dog in!)
The sun did rear its head from time to time which made for this pretty picture, a view from yet another bridge!
We then drove to Kendal to check into our hotel (that allows dogs - yahoooo!). It was a beautiful stone structure set on the corner of a road, called the Damson Dene and as soon as we unpacked our short stay belongings, we went on a discovery.
Belle got tired with all the hills and stairs but the promise of a swim and spa pool retreat after the adventure soon had her on the go again.
The view from the wee pond at the bottom of the hotel grounds
He he heeeeee, Ellie couldn't resist. Obv she is far less naked.
More pondy viewsAnd so for a swim and a relax in the spa afterwards (minus the dog of course). We went into Bowness on Windemere for tea and we were surprised at just how many pubs allow you to take your pooch in for a meal. Eddy was well behaved and scoured the floor for scraps, of which many feel from our plates.

The next day we went into Kendal itself. Its not soo nookery nickety knack as the smaller villages but its still full of character and great shops. mark went caching so that Belle and I could leisurely take in the full extent of the boutiques and arcades without incessant "tutting". As much as Mark and I would like to roam the hills, its just not possible with Ellie in her wheel chair. But we don't mind really as we much prefer coffee shops with charismatic charm and shops strewn up and down cobbled streets. Ahem! However, Ellie thought she was having convulsions as I lead her down this cobbled street in her wheelchair and she asked me stop once or twice just so that the noises in her head would stop! We did laugh.
Look how tiny that shop is below this pub, we had to crouch real love to get in!
More lovely side streets
Secret gardens at the end of long arcades
tired munchkin in a beautiful cafe.


Lots of beautiful summery flowers cheered grey walled buildings on the high street
Pubs that mark how far from London they are

Mark and his bloody caches. This was a travel bug that likes to have photos taken on post boxes along its travels.
We didn't really buy much but I stretched to buying some yarn from a little wool shop in some really pretty colours to help my hat making go with some va-va voom. They should be on sale in my Etsy shop pretty soon.

On the way back to the hotel form Kendal, I stopped down the hill and gazed at this view but in haste of getting out of the way of oncoming traffic, my focus set to the stones.... but I quite likes it! LOL. Scafel Pike (the highest peak in England) is beyond in the blur.Then it was back to the hotel for an evening meal but not before another swim and a spell on the spa.

We checked out the next morning to spend some time in my favourite place in the whole wide world - ever............even above Florence and Barcelona - Ambleside. Every corner poses breathtaking decor, houses decked in flowers, hedges all neatly trimmed, bridges with perfect views, shops sympathetically blending into the slate and stone charm of the town houses, hikers and yompers in gaited boots and gortex jackets. Its a wonderful towny village.




I could have sat on the bridge all day long.
My guys, my patient guys waiting for me as i enjoy every inch of my favourite place.
One lady has acquired a very expensive taste in Kettle chips. They are divine, without question they are perfect crisps but they cost almost £2 a bag!
And this is what makes the place eccentric and charming. The bridge house. Its all crooked and dinky and oooooooooh, i dont know. I just love it.
Its now the worlds smallest tourist information centre and is preserved by the national trust

And after that we went home.
Did some washing, caught up, slept because of the purest of fresh air we had consumed and life got back to some sort of normality.
The end.

Life is a tad cruel

It is, you know.
Really.
Out of the blue this morning we received a letter from Alderhey hospital explaining that Ellie has a high deficient level of Vitamin D.
**slump**
We never saw that coming.
But sitting back and thinking about it, it makes sense.
She has been diagnosed with osteoporosis as it is and with the onset of scoliosis it explains her weak bones let alone her weak muscles.

She needs sunshine - really, thats what the doctor ordered!

Funny, though, because she rarely ventures outdoors either as her photophobia prevents her and because, quite simply, she never "plays" outdoors (unless she is outside with us). My heart does break that she never gets to hang out with kids her own age otherwise Im sure she would be outside more PLUS the school have a habit of nurturing her indoors at break times in fear that she will fall over or become disorientated in school. That is soooo going to stop in light of this news.

She also needs to be prescribed a daily dose of Vit D for the coming 6 months which should improve her bone density. Im glad in a way as I was against the hospital faffing with science by giving her Oestrogen to improve her bones strength which may have accelerated her scoliosis.
Are you lost with all this? I am!

In the same postal drop, Ellies monthly subscription magazine arrived so we set the garden swing up with comfy cushions, banged a hat on her head, donned her sunnies and she sat in the sun for an hour so her body could drink up that vitally precious vitamin D from the sun.

Off on a tangent again, it would be mad for anyone to suggest that if this is her overall condition after years of fighting for an answer! I swear that if this is the case, ill do my tank in. Simple as the answer may be, it should have been detected YEARS ago.

But still, we are taking positive steps to get her some glorious sunshine over the next few weeks school holidays - please pray for sunshine. - Yeah, I know! lol

Anyway.
Ive made some more cards today using Craftworks Cards products which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ellis is rather struck with this one so Im going to let her have it in her room (on loan) for a few days. If only those crystals would glow with vitamin D!!
I printed my own paper on the white sheet using the stamps from the Chandelier set. Its ever so pretty.
Ok, bed time.
Or maybe not, Ive lots of fun things to tinker with. I can sleep when Im dead.

Back and forth

I have done some travelling in the last few days and my bum is really numb!
Armed with Off the Wall, Bad and Thriller (singing out of tune and loving it), I set sail to Worcester on Thursday, Leeds on Friday to pick up my Belle and then Leeds again on Saturday to teach papercraft projects at Craftwork Cards. I really enjoyed my day and met some new freinds as well as old and we made these fun projects below.

Now, the keyring? The keyring I made at home using a cool laminator but Sues lmainator was a hot one and it melted all the glue on the crystals and not one of them came out right. I never realised mine was a cool one until someone pointed it out - I mean, just how many types of laminators are there? It was a real palava but luckily the girls saw the funny side, thankfully. I was tearing my hair out and even more so when Gill's project got jammed in Sue's laminator for good. I think I'll skip on laminate projects from now on.

We created this fun backpack together that secretes a mini book inside. The pocket would house extra bits and pieces too!The cards were focussing on the brand spanking new chandelier stamps that are exclusive to Craftwork cards. If you head over to their website now you might buy be in time to buy some of the first batch. They are simply scrumpsh and create a lovely impression on card.

Its almost reveal night again at Studes. In the meantime here are a bunch on my projects from last month using some of my favourite products Ive used all year. Im always wanting that little but more when I get a kit becuase I use it to death. But then, when I think I can't hold out for much longer, another kit comes winging its way to our front door (even if its always late because my postamd in a der der dorky head)I did a whole lot more but I cant find where I put the images. DOH!

Trashing her dress - part 2

Jo deserves an encore for yesterdays hard work.... I hope you like this bunch as much as yesterdays. Ive played with a number of finishes and can't decide which I like best. Im sure Jo will pick her faves :)

Click on the pictures to enlarge :)

With clever lighting equipment (NOT FLASH - Ugh, I hate flash) you can get full facial features on a sunny day without hideous shadows.

Something ethereal about this picture

We found this beautiful house enroute which you are allowed to pass through the garden of on the way to the secret meadow. This rustic corner provided a perfect backdrop.
This is my abso and final favourite out of the whole lot.

It kind of reminds me of this shot here. Ok, not EXACTLY the same but the feeling, I guess!
If you want to book a shoot similar to this, please contact me via my website here.

Happy Sat xx

Princess in the hills and SC sneaks

I travelled down to Malvern in Worcestershire today to treat my friend, Jo, into trashing her dress. Trash the dress is a website where brides revisit wearing their wedding dress again and opt to trash their dresses....crazy crazy girls! Jo's dress is so precious to her that, in the end, we thought we would do a gentle take on it and bring her personality through the shoot alongside making that dress look completely opposite to what it did on her real wedding day last May. She is such a wonderful soul that she deserved a day to wear her dress again in a real arty fashion. But from the demure Jo I have come to know and love, I had reservations that she would really rock it out. WRONG! She sure turned out to be a real vamp in the meadow where we pretty much had 100% privacy, the run of grassy fields, wooded areas and a fabulous stony bridge (and rain, believe it or not!). Its hard to tell which photos look best in colour or b&w so Ive got a mish mash to show you.
This was she last year
You want to see the little vixen now! I love her new hair style and I love that she totally went with every idea that ran through my head. So without further ado, here is Part One of the shoot in various colour mixes and finishes.
I think this is my most favourite moody loody shot (click on the pictures if you want to see the enlargement)

Oh cripes, maybe this one too?
This playful pose ended up staining her dress on the bodice. Thank god for photoshop for the rest of the pictures!

This is a lovely angle to shoot with

She looks like a proper Vogue model in this picture - check out the boot (totally Jo's idea!) I love the angle of her pose here.

This shot was catching her laughing from fright as she almost fell off the bench at this point. those killer heels and the smell width of the bench was NOT a good combo!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this next shot

There are even more beautiful shots of Jo to share tomorrow but for now I want to thank Jo for such a great time today. We laughed, almost cried and got saturated in a freak downpour (believe it or not!) and walked up steep hills as she wandered through the muddy lanes with her dress hitched up to her knickers to save the dress from a proper thrashing!

Finally, here are my Studes sneaks which I managed to take pics of at 0745 this morning before leaving for Malvern (I love summer mornings!). The kit this month took me by surprise and there were a few papers in the kit that I couldn't possibly cut into because they were delish. In the end I decided to hack them all but one to death. Here is what I made:













Have a great Friday - Im off to pick up my lovely little girl who I haven't seen for two weeks. Great reunion plans ahoy!

Injecting new life

Into my website.
Ive been experimenting with colour (my favourite thing to do) and have a new look website. Although I did manage to break the shop links in the process.... LOL.

No matter, there is new life in that there website.

Blog and photo website is next............. hooray!

A cute little "titfer"

When I grew up, my mum used to call a hat, a "titfer"
A "titfer" tat.
Rhymes with hat.
My mum is flipping bonkers and it also happens to be her 61st birthday today - Happy Birthday Momma xx

Here is my card to her in two of my fave colour combos right now.

So.
Hmmmmm.
Titfer..........
I made a hat with some leftover wool and knew exactly the person to send it to because happiness needs to spread around this miserable little planet right now. Maica is my favourite online baby that I haven't even met but I have read her Mummy's beautiful, raw and honest blog for a long while now. Maica is a stunning child who I would dearly love to photograph and get lost in her chocolly coloured eyes. And her curls deserve a cute little "titfer" do jazz them up a little. Her mum, Suz, was someone I took a shine to a few years back on UKScrappers. I loved her style of scrapping and she was a popular soul on the boards. Time moved on and she went through all sorts of highs and lows and I went through them with her, if only on her blog.
So here it is.
This hat is called Fenella and its on its way to Spain.
But this poor little sod ain't going anywhere!
This is Marks phone that did a cycle in the washing machine on Saturday. Its drying out in a bowl of rice and looking so sorry for itself. But you know, this phone really does have a mind of its own. Because before we knew that it had gone into the washing machine, we received a call on our home number. Mark answered the phone to the sound of swishing. He thought it was most odd. He put the phone down and he did 1471 on the phone to realise it was his mobile - calling from the washing machine. It was as if the little love was dialling for help. Worse thing was is that we couldn't stop the machine in mid cycle and we had to wait for it to finish before we could retrieve it and dry it out. But sadly the 100 year old phone is kaput and Mark is now in receipt of a Samsung Tocco thingy which he has played with for almost 2 hours solid getting to grips with its gadgetry.

I daredn't throw the old phone away, it might go all poltergeisty on us. Fancy it ringing us up in the wash! Freaky bloody thing. I'll put the lottery on, just in case its a sign. You never know!

Sunday Fun

I honestly thought I would wake up dead but I didn't.
My viral hoo-haa has been and gone and I woke up feeling pretty geared up to sell some unused craft supplies over at my friends table top sale.

My table was set up next to Christine who Ive met before and who, in a short space of time, really gets my sense of humour and I, hers. Our tables were next to Janes who was selling old craft supplies and THE. MOST. AMAZING. HAND. MADE. BAGS. Ive told her she should go into business with them, they are absolutely beautiful. What made it even more a fabulous day was that she gave me one of them, pic below (obviously for being such a brilliant friend...lol) in which I replicated the honour with taking pictures of her beautiful girls.The day went quite well despite the downpour of rain. There were stalls selling art and beauty products too in addition to craft wares. There was a raffle with lots of prizes (I won a fab coffee mug with coffee beans), tea and cakes (the best part, of course) - it was a fun, fun day. I met lots of UK Scrappers and shop owners **waves hello**. It really was an enjoyable afternoon. I think she is going to run one again of which you MUST come to although the location will be in Wilmslow town itself on a Saturday which will mean more human traffic to sample the delight of hand makery.

I didn't plan on going back to Janes house but when her girls BEG you to come, you cant say no. Lady K thought she would direct me home in my car with me. Do I trust 8 years olds directions? Yes, of course I do - Sat Navs are for wimps..... no, really. Well, we circumnavigated the entire planet before we got on the right road. The Eiffel tower was looking grand, the Taj Mohal so proud, the Pyramids so majestic, The Sydney Opera house was breathtaking, The Inca Trail was tough going, Disney world was a blast, The Empire State was crowded, Iceland was cold before we touched down back in Wilmslow and on Janes street. That was a wonderful detour, Lady K. Lady K pointed out this little buzzer sheltering frm the rain in their lavender as we walked up the drive. Isn't he a beaut?
I was secretly happy to be at their house as I was missing some girly fun time as it was as my Belle is still at my Mums (being thoroughly spoiled and not missing me so much....sniff sniff).
Janes house is MAD. Two lively girls, two crazy dogs and husband who cant quite locate his mud flaps.
I took some pictures of the lil lovelies with Little Miss C throwing terrifically funny tantrums every two seconds and flouncing in every direction that her emotions would allow. The picture below shows her in a very grumpy mood but I actually adore this photo. She did make me laugh.

She began to warm up between shots and proper flounces where she would jump off the sofa and declare that life was horrible and it wasn't fair being this cute
Now we did get round to some beautiful shots and this is my absolute fave of the day
Jane has her giggling like a cheeky monkey and in no time, flounces were forgotten

And belly laughs were plentifulAnd yes, Little Miss C is still cute as a button underneath the pet lips, chocolate chops and fierce eyes....

As for Lady K, she is a natural - an absolute frightener for Stu who will never let her out of the house as she will no doubt be the apple of every young suitors eye. Just look at that young thing! I see children's catalogues, Tv adverts - the lot.

I wish all kids who sit for me would be as naturally composed and up for it.

I just love this next shot - love love love

And this one - gosh, what a great kid!

Then came the "sisters" shot. Oh no - Im not sitting next to HER! UGH, don't touch me. Mum, she is looking at me. SCREAM!

Ok, Ill do just one photo but Im still going to be grumpy

Well, seeing as there are jaffa cakes as bribes, I will do just one nice sisterly shot.

MUM! Stop it! Stop making me laugh. I wont have it!
Ok, I will!
Oh, Im enjoying this. My sister is actually quite nice and after all, Im pretty cute
She's lost it, she is going to crack up.

She's gone - she can't control the giggles. I love my sister!

Phew - Im glad thats all over. I **actually** enjoyed this shoot despite Little Miss C giving me the run around. And in spite of it all both of them give the the most cuddles - enough to break my heart but even that had shattered when Lady K announced that she loved me. **snot ensues, tears stream down my face and lumps as big as cows gape in my throat**

A scrumpsh Chinese dinner rounded off the day before settling down to watch the end of Hairspray where the girls gave fab dance offs in front of the TV. I just didn't want the day to end.
I came home to a rather excited sausage doggy who then became very suspicious as he could no doubt smell Janes dogs, Harvey and Nicks on my trousers. Plus I arrived home in time to watch Kinky Boots (typically tacky but watchable) before retiring to bed with dogs bum in my face..... charming!

YUKS

Since tea time friday night I have felt like I have gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. My body aches and feels really bruised, 5 ulcers have appeared in my mouth and all day Saturday I kept swanning in and out of consciousness, dozing on the sofa. I perked up for two hours after tea and felt fantastic but now I have flushed cheeks, a raging sore throat and my ears are on fire. Fortch I have no temperature so to speak, I just feel pathetic and unfocused.

Im getting stuff ready for a table top sale in Wilmslow tomorrow (12-4 if you are free to pop in and have a gander. Stamping up demos, Clarins gifts sets, hand made bags and crafts, craft supplies for sale etc. The address is here: Morley Green Club, Mobberley Road, Morley Green, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5NT) Im so excited about it, I can de-clutter this room and give somebody else the benefit of some nice craft goodies; so no time for Swine Flu!

My belle is at my mums and I am missing her really bad. She actually went and stayed there from Monday last week. Everyone knows the last week of school is all about games and DVD's and I wasn't going bring Ellie back from Mums to go back again this weekend - so she stayed. School gave their permission (thank god) and she has been in the care of my mum all this time and its really tough on me. That sweet girl is my absolute air and I choke without her. She is back next Friday though and I have some great things planned whilst she is off 6 weeks school hollies. I collected her school report yesterday and Mark and I are absolutely blown away by all the quotes from teachers saying that she is a pleasure to teach and that she has impeccable manners and behaviour. What more could a mother want? I also took her 3 favourite teaching assistant a gift each from her yesterday but if I am totally honest, this buying a "teacher a gift" lark is costing the earth, especially with secondary school where she has 13 teachers. We never did it in my day. I mean, we are truly grateful for everything they do but the sheer pressure on Ellie to conform is unbelievable. It costs a bomb when you do and if you don't, the other kids show disdain that you didn't provide. Seriously, its almost a mob culture.

Im going to finish up gathering supplies to sell tomorrow and get a good nights sleep and hope this fatigue vanishes overnight. In the mean time, here is a little card I made for my girl tonight which I will post to my Mums and surprise her. She is having a wonderful time by the seaside. Her appetite is immense whilst she is there and she gets spoiled rotten with affection. Thats totally what Grannies are for, you know?And finally a little soupcon of a mini shoot I did of my preggo friend, Sharon. She is about to burst that tummy into life in two weeks so I offered her a gift of before and after pictures of her bump and impending girly fluff ball.I love little Harry's excitement for the arrival of his baby sis, which he sweetly named "Love Baby". Sniff sniff.

Hugs and snots x

Suddenly, Im a Milliner ;)

Before I die I want to do one of everything.
Obv I won't ever be able to read every book ever written or pick every wild daisy on every hillside but things like knit and crochet and dressmaking Id like to try once or twice or thrice. My next adventure is actually making a skirt and then after that Im fully committed to making a bloody scarf and finishing it! Ive got some drawstring bags to rack up and also I am going to make a few jewellery pieces. This is all for my Etsy store which I intend to fill in the coming weeks. Im ever so excited but also ever so worried that nothing will sell. I think I need to take heed of the bracelet that my dear friend Traci gave me last year which reads "Believe in yourself". Trouble is, you can hardly do that when sneaky little rat bags put you down every now and then. The bad stuff is easier to believe.

Any old how....these last few days I have become a Milliner. Phillip Treacy can be restful in the knowledge that I am not about to push him from his perch but you know........ I made a friggin hat - OK??!! I love this colour combo and she is called Betty. I have mustard and reds coming next along with greens and oranges. These do not take 3 minutes to make by the way. More like 2 hours of solid finger bleeding and double knitting whilst watching a movie, which I am honest, is a perfect way to relax and be productive at the same time.

Just need to buy myself a crochet book to make some of those easy peasy flowers and get cracking on some wild decors for some other beanie hats in the pipeline. Im certain Ill get sick and tired of them eventually but for now they are making me smile and knitter-ish.

Good news/bad news?

Political but not political - it depends on how you perceive it. This is not meant to look like a soap box blog entry but then again........

I just started to subscribe to the Daily Mail as my home page. Its read not just by Brits but by many readers abroad, probably ex pats. I honestly do not think that my choice of newspaper reflects on my views on politics or which football team I support. Most people avoid certain tabloids just in case their friends think they have certain agendas. To me, that's load of cock and bull. A newspaper is a newspaper if you can just avoid the smut/slurs and put downs from time to time. Anyhoo, I read it because its "just news" and Im always keen to read what is going on all around me. Never do I read the papers and be influenced by the judgmental way people in the news are perceived by some jumped up journalist trying to fill a column with some tatty tid bit that may or may not have come from a sensible source. Showbiz news is superficial, nasty and unnecessary to a certain extent. Sports news sends me to sleep and gossip columns are all made up nonsense that you cant help but read and laugh about. But the kind of news I like is hard fact and issues which may concern me.

Yesterday had me in a tizz about the poor 6 year old girl who complained of a sore throat and her Doctor prescribing her meds for Tonsillitis. The next day she died of swine flu. This concerns me as my Belle is a high risk candidate because she suffers from a neurological disorder. Those with ashtma are high risk as are the elderly and anyone currently ill ie: their antibodies are on low alert. I find myself biting my nails wondering if I should broach this subject with the Doctor because a: I don't want to waste his time and b: worry that I'll make a wrong choice. As I have been informed of this story I talked to my girl and asked he if she felt poorly or dizzy or unwell that she was to let me know in the first instance. Had I of not read that story in the paper, I wouldn't have been this prepared. Ellie is usually fighting a cold or cough and never seems to mind. But Ive warned her now and Im so grateful I read that piece of news.

I also read about those 8 amazing soldiers returning, sadly, in wooden boxes from Afghanistan. Politics sway you to either be for the war or against it. Me? Im for the soldiers bravery but Im not too supportive of why we are there. Im supportive of taking orders and doing the job Im enlisted to do (I did it for 9 years myself) and even if I or even the serving soldiers don't agree with this dirty war - they are highly trained to fight it regardless. Not so long back I made blog post about how much I admire our armed forces and how they get the best training and equipment. I supported the fact that now is a good time to join the armed forces because the job is secure and the pay is attractive and also, not all soldiers go to war. They do get the best of everything and are treated well. The next thing I know there were a bunch of people slating me that I should stop encouraging people to join the armed forces because that was like I was encouraging them to die. That was the most uninformed remark I had ever heard because its just an absolute insult to those fighting their guts out over there already, doing something that these slaters would probably not have the heart to do themselves. People forget that our soldiers are fighting a war with cowards who play unfairly by leaving IED's here, there and everywhere plus suicide and roadside bombs at every opportunity. Casualties are bound to happen but its not taken lightly in this house. And yes, some of our soldiers are coming back cloaked in the Union Jack and its heartbreaking that they have lost their lives but unless people start supporting those poor sods we will end up in a conscript state or even worse; a call for National Services to be resumed (we are one of the few European countries that do not have it anymore). Seeing the pictures in the papers yesterday broke my heart and I am informed.

I could go on and on about what is concerning me but hose two things I just needed to get off my chest. Going to make lunch now and walk the sausage.

Fanciful

Fanciful is a word I have loved forever.
It conjours up images pretty little birdies and ribbon and distressed french furniture in my head. It makes me want to wear 1950's style dresses and netted hats. I dream of perching on the edge of a rattan chair and sipping tea from rose printed tea cups whilst gossiping with my friends on a veranda of a house in the deep south (USA, not UK!! That would happen to be Southampton were it the case!)
Fanciful?
Its just a fabulous word.
Its also the name of my Etsy shop which has absolutely nothing in it right now. Ive had this shop 2 years and have not yet put a bean in there to sell, until now. Ive made up a bundle of yummies to sell which should top up my craft fund - you know, sort of make some, sell some, buy some more kind of investment.
Put it this way, it isn't Harrods but it will make do for now.

In 2 or 3 days time there will be a few things in there but I think they are more likely to be one off little bits and bobs. The first item is sat right next to me and its a bonnie little sage coloured beanie hat with a red hand fashioned woolly rosette and black and yellow buttons. I am tempted to keep it but have promised myself that it will go on there.

Going to go and collate some more fancifulness, will get back to you when its live :0

Makes and breaks

Ive been making and Ive been breaking (as in.......been away!)
Ive taken so many photos that I don't know where to start so Ive picked a few for now until I can get up to speed with the gazillions of emails I need to catch up with.
On Friday we went over to my brothers for the weekend. The weather was fantastic and the company was the best. We ALWAYS have such a good time and a good laugh. On the way I started one of 4 beanie hats. The first one? UGH - your first one is always rubbish, isnt it? It can be salvaged and I'll probably salvage that late this week. The second one was much much better but my third one was this one:Isnt she a beaut? I gave it to my sister in law and with the left over wool I made a hat for a collection I intend to make for babies in Africa. Since this new obsession I have bought more balls of wool in really BOLD colours to make more crazy beanies in time for winter and to hopefully make some pocket money for this new found extra hobby that I dont have time for. LOL. I just need to find a website that sells large buttons in singles and the more bold the buttons the better.... do you know any?

Aside from having sore fingers from all that knittery/crochet-ery I made some cakes for my bro. I love making things, the sense of accomplishment is such a great feeling and stems from school where I struggled with a lot of things (like maths and science) and was never the academic. As I have gotten older I now pride myself on creativity, being a great mum and running a comfy home more than the anal paranoia that I must be intellectual and part of the brain supremacy. Still, I manage to get by with common sense, at least!
**sigh**
I also made a card at my mums because I was feeling paper-crafty. My mums has a ton of stuff as she teaches cardmaking at home twice a week. I just dived into her supplies and made this. My cardmaking paper-crafty moment was relieved as soon as the last spot of stickles was applied to the card.
On Sunday we went over to Whitby which is half way between Mums and my Bro's. We met my paremts, my sister in laws parents, Tom and Lil and 3 million day trippes! Why have I never been here before - its absolutely beautiful! Plus its where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula - from the very top of those cliffs, by that ruin you can see...... I mean.........why didn't I come here before....WHY? Its also the place Captain Cook set sail on many of his infamous voyages. Im so glad I went, its was just such a beautiful little port where fish and chips shops were every other shop on the high street and where thousands of day trippers enjoyed the spoils of it very presence. I thoroughly recommend you go for a day or two, its magic!

On the way back from Whitby we stopped over by Muston for the boys to geocache (much geocaching has been done this weekend and Im ready to kill). We stopped by this beautiful church which also is the burial ground of my great Uncle Don and his wife Kitty. It was an honour to visit his grave in such an amazing little village church graveyard - so peaceful and pretty.We got back to my mums and were all ready for bed at 10pm .
I KNOW!!! - 10!!!!!!?
The fresh air and excitement had us all beat and within 0.1327839 seconds I was dead to the world and catching flies. I didn't want the weekend to end but at least it ended on a high!

Lil pick me ups

I made these cards this morning after I had gruellingly killed myself at the gym and before I went out to lunch with Sarah.

I love yellow, its such a happy colour. The gingham and daisy patterned card is glittered which, of course, made it that extra blingy spesh!!Im in love with this birthday cake stamp which I printed three times and mounted on to borwn cardstock. I used my stickles brown glitter doofery thingy and added a swoosh to each of my cheeks before I went out to lunch, whilst I was at it. I looked hot!
The paper is made from a roll of wallpaper that I bought but thinking about it, Ill never use it all... will I? Anyway, its really pretty and embossed and perfect for cards - NOT WALLS!

So, my friend Sarah.......
Ive been friends with her for for a couple of years now and its one of those friendships where we can go for months without seeing each other and yet pick up comfortably each time we see other again without any uncomfortable silences. She does make me laugh! She recently bought a camera and two really good lenses the other week and my job today was to get her out of using automatic. To be honest the pictures she was taking were already pretty impressive but by fine tuning the intricate details of the essentials (like white balance and ISO) she was off to a flying start mastering aperture priority. Hooray for fast learners!
Im such a fan of her vision and Im dead envious she is going to CHA at the end of the month where she will suck up all the new supplies for her A. Mazing. Kit club. I remember her kit club starting not so long back with a few regular followers and now she has to ship in extra hands to pack them all and stack em high (it is an unbelievable operation of heights scaling floor to ceiling balancing acts in death defying proportions). Pizza box towers should be the name of her offices! Needless to say I had a good old root in the shop this afternoon after a lovely chinese dinner, coffee and apple crumbly. Have you seen the gamma stamps she has from Basic Grey? LUMMY!

I came home via Hobby Craft (dangerous mission but I only bought two balls of wool...... Im going to be making a beanie hat with a flowery flourish - more on that to come!) and into the arms of my midget dog, beautiful girl and my cricket loving man. And we all lived happily for the next 24 hours until something crazy happened (it hasn't yet but it will - oh yes!)

Randoms

Today has just been a mish mash or little things. Like tying up the odds and ends and all that jazz.

I went to see Ellie swim with the school lesson she has allocated every Wednesday. She and her BFF, Beth, are the only two students from her high school that get special time allocation for swimming. Im so grateful the school taught her to swim because we have never been able to do it (you know how kids DON'T perform for their parents). And you know, this is weird but no instructors in our area would teach her "one to one". And we had the money to pay for it. Still, she swam like a little tadpole and looked so strong. I snotted out all my tissues and wiped my happy tears at intervals. I am so proud of my girl - and her support teacher who actually fought for these lessons for her..... thanks Alison x

Today I wore a new pair of jeans. Jeans to fit my huge butt are hard to come by because I also have miniature legs. well not like 2cm long or anything. Its takes me forever to find the perfect pair and the other day I founded them. Trouble with this lens Im using it actually makes my legs look 3 miles long. Still, here is me in my jeans and slowly getting rid of the wobbles from training hard at the gym every am.

This was lunch. Can anything be so unnaturally orange (except for Jordans fake tan?) I adore Kraft Mac and Cheese and I can only buy it in Selfridges in the Trafford Centre. Whenever I am in the US, I stockpile it. Its so delish. If anyone knows any UK supermarkets that sell it, please please tell me :)

Hmmm, our hallway.
Let me tell you about our hallway. It is the hallway from hell. It is artexed with the most yuckiest bark-like effect and we have lived with that bugger for 6 years.
And its coming off.
Mark is a wreck from removing it, its taking for-frigging-ever. We are decorating the hall from a cream wall and beige carpet to a pale Juniper green wall with a plum carpet ... and ooooooh, get this - a plum patterned wallpaper feature wall. I mean - wooooooooo!

I bought this vase a few weeks in preparation for some decoration when the hallway is done. It was only £3! Im a happy little thrift buyer recently.

And that is the end of my randoms today. Im off out for lunch with Sarah tomorrow and who knows what will come of that except for a stuffed tummy and lots of crafty chatter xx

A bit o' Doirty Doincing

Said in best Oirish Oiccent.

Oh, I almost forgot...

I made some layouts with a gorgeous kit for Sarahs Cards last month.
All perfectly streamlined and together that I couldn't decide how best to use them. Rich golds and deep burgundies and strawberry pinks and oh! not forgetting the bling, the chipboard and the pom pom trim.
I still have loads left over and wanted to make more projects but time is stingy in this house so this is what I turfed out in the end.

This layout here features one of the very few pictures from my pre-married days. Ive promised myself Im going to scraps my time in the Royal Air Force; this being one of them. Its me, not fakeed up blonde and on a van. You might see it bigger if you click on it. Firefox allows you to do this, not sure if IE does.
You see the ripped buts at the top and bottom? They show patterned paper underneath? Well they are only strips and not a whole sheet - I mean can you imagine wasting a whole sheet of spotty paper? Hmmmm?Red Rock Canyon is in Las Vegas. It was a great day out between hospital appointments. Belle had a super day getting away from prodding and bloods.I think this "simples" (grrrrr, that bloody Meerkat ;)) layout below is my fave out the whole lot :)
A great way of using numbers.....
I dont normally decoupage to this extreme but the photo reflects a day we spent surrounded by thousands of wild flowers so you know - anything goes.......
I never realised it but I scrapped belle on three occasions in this session in the same outfit! This picture was taken before we went to Las vegas in the back garden - where she CONSTANTLY picks daisies. You might not see it but the top right corner is my fave little peeky bit :)
And finally the most dinkiest card i ever made - from scraps

I think there are only a handful of these kits left, so go and grab yourself a delicious serving HERE whilst its piping hot.

OH and also - I have a giveaway on my Patti blog over HERE

Lazy, chilling, dozing

We haven't had a Sunday like yest in a looooooooong time. Dozing, lazing, surfing, chatting - all in spits and spats.

Ellie and the dog in one corner, surfing and yawning. Yes, she is wearing boots with her jammies!Me and a creative photoshop magazine in another. Both in our jim-jams and unkempt hair. Mark went caching. But not in his jammies. He is up to 799 finds but he would have topped that if 3 of the intended finds had of proved fruitful.

I flitted in and out of my office as I couldn't be bothered with a full on crafting marathon. I just wanted to make something and then come and sit with my girl. Made lunch, made a card, sit with my girl. Hang out the washing, sterilise the kitchen and then laugh with my girl. Then made more stuff and come back and chat about "owt and nowt" with my girl. And of course cuddles and play fights with the dog and then oooooh ......another creative project.

Here they all are....one feels smugly productive and ahead of myself.





It was just a perfect, perfect Sunday.
Hope yours was too.

**Edited to add**
How could I forget what else "so wonderful" happened yest? Hmmm?
I had a layout featured in the BG newsletter.
BG. Even Mark knows what BG stands for. He says it will be the death of me. LOL.
Kelly Goree asked me a few weeks back to join the BG sketch challenge. I mean was I really going to say no? huh? Na-uh. So I followed the sketch as best I could (meaning: do I follow it detail for detail or do I add my own slant in hope that I don't get told off for not following suit.....sketches worry me a lot!). In the end I added and took away some detail and here is what I made.

Doesn't Ellie look a little beaut?
Im so excited I got to take part and with Kerry Lynn Yeary too, one of my all time favvos (both Kelly and Kerry Lyns links are in my side bar).

He is one hot dawg!

Cor blimey, we are having a bloody good summer thus far.
Good in the sense as in "its not raining".
Bad in the sense that you feel like you have to shower 40 times a day to stay fresh, drink what feels like the entire contents of a swimming pool (hell yeah, including people!) to keep cool and lay in bed without a stitch of clothing on and hoping that there is no call to evacuate the house in the early hours of the morning; thus scaring all the neighbours to death or worse, being harpooned because the RSPCA thought I was a beached whale.

This poor thing cannot get comfy. He sprawls all over the cool laminate flooring or in dark corners of any room to try and take respite in a less sticky spot. He gives us such pitiful looks and other than bathing in him luke warm water or putting ice cubes in his water bowl ...... whats the Wiseman family to do?

Mum, help me...Im so hotIm wilting, look........I can't cope, Im going to sleep it off with the fan blowing in my direction and hope to wake up to rain!

Today has been great. We went to town with belle to buy her a new book. Mark was desperate for a new pair of jeans and I just wanted to mooch. Before we went though, I had a quick card to make to give to Ellies sleep over buddy, Beth. Beth and Ellie were as good as gold last night, I didnt even know I had two teenagers in the house.
We gave Beth a handful of craft supplies (crafting is her favourite thing; wish that would rub off on Ellie!) and she loved her card. This was really quick to make and is a template for future last minute heart attack cards that I all too often find myself doing!

Before I go, I just wanted to wish my American friends a happy 4OJ xx

Will is my new hero!

Will is Rosies husband and he is my hero.
H. E. R. O.
You hearing that?
He recovered most of my files from the CF card that I lost last Sunday and today a disc arrived with images of which I thought were lost forever. There were some really precious pictures of my bro and sis on there and as I don't see them all too often; you can imagine how fraught I was.
Thank you so so much, Will (and Rosie).

There is not a great deal happening here other than trying to keep cool. We are having a wonderful summer here although its getting a little uncomfortable at night. The poor dog can't settle neither but I guess its better than rain so we have to muddle through :) Ellie seems to just come in from school, strip off as bare as humanly possible and lay in a dark room to cool down. She is not good with the light as it is which reminds me, we finally put a window treatment in the bathroom to stop the blinding light almost killing her in the morning. Our bathroom and her bedroom is south facing so it gets the sun ALL day so they are both bright and hot rooms.

I bought the fabric in Southport in Sunday after spotting it and thinking "That would look so lovely in our bathroom". I didnt have any swatches of colour with me....I smply knew it sowuld match. So I bought a metre and came home all excited about wizzing it up on my sewing machine. Admittedly, I'm not the bestest sewer (as in dressmaking) but curtains I can do. I even used to make my own swags and tails a long way back and I never used a pattern. Sewing curtains and frills are so so easy.

The bathroom is lovely and bright but its too bright for Ellie, poor love. This is the before picture: I did have a measurement issue for the frill (ie too long, forgetting we had a short window!)so in the end I just turned them into fake austrian blinds. Mark, I have to say, is mightily impressed and Ellie can now enjoy the tempered lighting. I have to say it finishes off the room a treat and Im so glad I didn't plum for painting it RED a while back! The blue and brown is such a welcome when i need a soak in the tub (which is hidden behind the door by the way, just in case you think I mean the sink!)

I went thrift shopping the other day and wanted to share these freaky looking tea spoons. Well, we are saying they are tea spoons but I think they are a ice cream sundae spoon. Do you know what they are? Bargain at 79p for 6 so they can stay teaspoony for now!

I also went wholesale shopping today for some odds and ends and came back with two more of these pretty little cuppies. Ellie and I only drink out of china cups (I hate mugs or pots - sorry!). I think its because its keeps the tea hotter for longer. I had bought two previously and I want to build up the collection for my cupboard. There are so pretty, aren't they?

And finally - will someone please explain my sudden and extreme liking for Soreen? Lathered in Lurpak of course but good grief, its hard to stop cutting a slice and devouring its goodness. I can feel my arteries clogging up as I type.

Well, back to drawing again. Im working on CD2 of Patti Picklicious and some A5 patterned paper pads for Christmas (yeeeks, did I really type that word?). Ive got a ridiculous deadline but then again, all deadlines are there to create mass panic!

Happy friday everyone :)

Frozen berries - er, hello?

Why have I never tried these before?
Im investing in some extra zing a ling in my life because its too hot to eat normal food and fruit seems to be refreshing and thirst quenching in an instant. I've read about frozen fruit being used in smoothies a while ago so we gave it a try the other day. Not only is it super duper cheap to buy but it wont go off neither so that gets the Wiseman thumbs up.I grab a handful of any frozen fruits (Sainsburys have a frozen fruit offer 3 bags for a fiver and you get TONNES in them), wazz them in a smoothie maker/liquidiser/blender with a fat free yog (those muller ones are pretty swish) and a smidge of skimmed milk. HELLO? This is a totally filling breakfast, icy cold, HEALTHY, cheap as chips and keeps that little hunger pang locked up til lunch.
The god of vitamins is sure to let me into his veggie garden when I leave this earth.
**feels tres virtuous and smugly vitaminny**

Got any smoothie recipes for us? No banana ones for me, those buggers make me heave.

Strange amount of blog visitor activity these past few days, can somebody enlighten me? ;)