Home Sweet Home...

Wow what a weekend. I am shattered, but we had a fab time. Learnt lots from both Kirsty & Natalie, and I am no longer scared to take my new DSLR off Auto. I still have loads to learn, but I am getting to grips with the basics of it. Now all I need is more time to practice.

Took us approx 3 hours to get there on Friday evening, and a little under 2 hours to get home...what a difference that hour makes.

Will share a picture from the weekend. The first part of my morning was spent with Kirsty where we learnt about Aperture Priority. The picture of the flower was taken indoors under flourescent lights. It is dull, and not very good. Now the same picture taken with a lower aperture, allowing more light in...and the results are a huge improvement. I love this kind of picture, the subject of the picture in focus and background is blurred. The colours in the picture are now a true reflection of how the flower looked in the hall we were working in. I know the knowledge gained from the course is going to help improve the quality of my pictures. If anyone is thinking of taking the course...do it. I know Natalie is running one in the South of England, so go along, you won't regret it.

In the second session we worked with Natalie on Shutter Priority. We took some photos moving objects. The first we had to keep the background in focus and have a moving object go through the shot. I had mixed success with this indoors as I couldn't keep the camera still enough without a tripod. When we went outdoors, the results were better. We certainly got some strange looks. There was a group of us lined up along side the road waiting for the cars to pass by. Some drivers were speeding, and were perfectly safe from our camera...we would not make a good speed camera. Others slowed, and some even honked their horns... Here is my favourite

The next thing we had to do was take a picture of a moving object, keeping it in focus, while blurring the background. This was impossible for me, not sure about any of the other ladies, but the cars were going to fast for me.
I will have to try again. Maybe I can get David to drive pass the house a dozen or so times until I can get it right.

After lunch we had two fab classes one by Kirsty and the other by Debbie. I will take pictures tomorrow. I also took delivery on Friday night of new Troll Beads, will also show pictures tomorrow.
Caz
x

Off on a Photography Adventure

Well we set off tomorrow afternoon for Crewe where we are staying the night before Kirsty Wiseman's Creative Photography Course...cannot wait. My scrapping stuff is all packed...an as usual I have overpacked, but I have no more time to whittle it down. Anyone who has seen me go to my local crop can confirm that I cannot under any circumstances travel light...so what is the point in even trying.

Before we leave I have 2 clients to see, then I have to go and see Georgia and her class perform a Chinese New Year Dragon Dance, have coffee and biccies with her teacher Mrs Kirkpatrick...who is lovely. And then we have promised Georgia a McDonalds for tea before we set off...so not much to cram into the day.

I am expecting a parcel in the morning before I leave containing my Troll Beads...cannot wait to add them to my bracelet...there are going to be a few Trolly/Dolly Beads girls on Saturday, so cannot wait to see all their lovely bracelets in person.

Anyway, enough for now, but get ready to see some fab pictures on Saturday/Sunday, depending on whether I can get internet access.

Nite
Caz
x

Little Crocs...

Finally managed to get back here with a picture of Georgia's little Purple Mary Jane Crocs. They look so darn cute on little feet. She was over the moon that she now has some shoes like Mummy.

She especially adores the large flower Jibbitz. I have some butterflies on order, and I don't expect to get a look in.

I also got another cute parcel today....My Momiji Dolls. They are so flippin' cute. It is all the fault of Tracie Hudson...I saw them on her Blog and fell in love...and got myself 2. These are the sort of little gifts my Mum would have bought me, had she still be alive.

I really miss the little things at the moment. My Mum & I would often buy little gifts for each other for no reason at all. I would be shopping and see something that I knew she would like, so I would buy it for her. Never anything really expensive...usually silly things like a little bracelet, keyring or a funky pen to put in her handbag.

Whenever I visit my Dad, I still see so many of those little trinkets. There is even my Mum's work ID card on a chain, still hanging from the cupboard where she put it almost 4 years ago. It's been touched, but nobody ever moves it. And also a little heart post it note with a message for my Dad saying that she loves him. It is almost as though time has stood still.

I remember the final gift that my Mum bought me. From Christmas to March, she teased me about already having got my Birthday Pressie. She was so excited to see my face...it was as much as she could do to hang on and not give it to me right after the New Year...anyway March rolled up, and when I opened the box, it contained 2 Nao figurines, that completed a set that I started years before. They were the playing cards, that had been retired, and I had search and searched for the missing pair. I had the heart and the spade, and she managed to get me the diamond and the club....I treasure those gifts, and they are one of the few ornaments that I have in my lounge now..and they are kept safely away from little Georgia fingers behind glass in a display cabinet.

Wow, I went off on a tangent again this evening. This happens to me each year as my Birthday draws near. Oh well, off to bed, I can hear it calling out to me. Caz x

Finally...

I can show you the work I did for the Design Team work I did for the February ScrapaGoGo Kit. I absolutely loved the kit, and am really pleased with the stuff I did with it. For me they are layouts I am pleased to have in my album, rather than layouts done just to fulfill a design team commitment. So here they are...

This one is a mini canvas that I got from Poundland.

The final pictures are of my Lippy Chick Flip Book. I really love these little books, and this one now lives in my handbag.
I hope that those of you reading my Blog that subscribe to the ScrapaGoGo Kit are as pleased with the Feb kit as I was.

Caz

x

More from the JB Kit...

Went back up to my craft room and played with my Jenni Bowlin kit...it is so fab I couldn't put it down. Have done a LO using all elements from the kit. Here it is...

Half Term is over and Georgia is back to school this morning, so normality returns to the household. It has been fun having the time off, but I have so much to do now that I need to get back to it.

We are going away next weekend, and we are already starting to look forward to it. I plan to be organised...now stop laughing...I really am going to be organised this week...LOL

Well, better get ready for school/work. Will be back later.

Caz

x

Hand a lovely play this afternoon, and finished the project I was doing for March ScrapaGoGo kit. Then came some me time....I received my February Jenni Bowlin Kit earlier this week, but had no free time until today to play. I was so inspired by Jenni's & Emily's Galleries on the website that I decided to use my MM Chipboard LOVE first. I started off covering it as Emily did, but decided that I wanted to change it a little. So here it is...
I have to stop for a while now so that I can get Georgia into bed, but I already have another LO in the planning, using the JB Kit...
Don't know about all the other subscribers, but I am loving the Feb Kit. I sadly missed Jenni's Feb Kit from 2006, but if it was as good as this years...it must have been lush.
Caz
x

What a Croc!

Surprise knock at the door yesterday, Mr Postie bought me three more eagerly awaited parcels. My Bam Pop papers arrived from the US, so I am planning a LO using them. I also received a parcel from Memories & More containing my Upsy Daisy - Oodles of Doodles Papers...they too are lush. The final parcel was my new pair of Crocs. I saw the new Mary Jane Crocs on Elsie Flannigans Blog....and it was love at first sight. I love my original crocs, but the front is high and I prefer lower fronted shoes....so the new style are perfect...here is a little picture.

The little embellishments are called Jibbitz, and they pop in an out of the holes. I think anyone who has a pair will agree with me in saying that they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. It is like walking around in bare feet...but with shoes on.

Today is a lazy day, I am finishing my DT work for ScrapaGoGo and then I have to make some ATC's for a swap I am taking part in.

Laterz

Caz

New Dolly...

Well I got home yesterday evening and found my lovely new "Mint Julep" Dolly Beads had been delivered by Jacquie's Husband...and the bead is stunning. Take a look...

It is the one fifth bead from the left...and it is beautiful. It has a translucent quality with the green colour in the top....very pretty. I think I need a couple of silver ones to balance out the glass beads. I have already decided on Mermaid...Georgia picked it for me for Mothers Day, so now I just need to order it...but it seems such a waste to order just one, and I need to chose a birthday pressie from my Dad and one from my Sister, and from my in-laws...so another 3 to chose.

Had a bumper parcel day yesterday. Received 3 parcels all from the US. One was my Jenni Bowlin February Kit & Project Kit. The next was from A Million Little Things and contained my Basic Grey Phoebe papers and some of the new BG Rubons. The final one was my MM 8" Chipboard "E" that I had to get from eBay US...I am waiting for a couple more including the BamPop papers that I saw Tracie Hudson showcase on her blog...fell in love with, only to not be able to find them anywhere in the UK...sound familiar.

Tomorrow we are off down to Surrey to visit the family. I am just processing some photos to take to Costco in the morning for printing. I have finished a LO with my March ScrapaGoGo kit....I love it, but it had me sobbing. Can't say anymore right now, you will have to wait until March. The February kit is being received all over the country today...everyone is loving it. Good to know I have good taste...as I loved it too. Can't share my work on here until the 20th...so you will have to wait until next week.

Have a fab weekend everyone...this time next weekend I will be in Crewe, as the following day I am taking Kirsty Wiseman's Creative Photography course.

Caz

Mid Week Update...

Have been having a fab time with Georgia during half term. On Monday she went to play at a school friends house, as I had a client to go and see. On Tuesday we had such a brill day. First we went to lunch at McDonalds, which is something we do very rarely. Then onto the Cinema to see Charlotte's Web, which was absolutely brilliant. I can clearly remember reading the book as a child, and I am pleased to sa the film is just as good as I remember the book being. The sad part went right over Georgias' head, but had me in tears. After the film finished we popped into the centreMK, and into Claire's Accessories....Georgia does like all things pink and girly don't ya know. Finally we stopped by Krispy Kreme to buy David some Valentine Donuts....which were delish! Today we have been house bounds as David's car is in the garage and he has pinched mine. We spent lots of time tidying my Craft Room/Office, and although not finished, there is a huge improvement. While I was tidying Georgia was surfing away on the cbeebies website...such a talented little madam playing all the games. Tomorrow I am expecting the hand deliver of the Dolly Bead I ordered. Jacquie and her Husband will be in Milton Keynes, so are popping it through my door. In the afternoon Georgia and I have a tripped planned to Gambado's...which should help her to burn off some energy.

I received my March Design Team kit from ScrapaGoGo yesterday. It contains some lush DaisyD Modern Romance papers. Now these papers are not my usual style, so it took a bit of time to decide what to do with them. Anyway I sat in bed looking at them, and inspiration hit. The Layout is almost completed, I just need to make a trip to Costco to get some pictures printed. Tomorrow is operation send the kits out for Lorraine, and I know all those who subscribe will not be disappointed. I have subbed to the kit for almost a year, and February has been one of my favourite kits.

Anyway enough, I am sure I can hear my bed calling me. This is what happens everytime I tidy my Craft Room.....I want to stay in it and play or surf!
Nite
Caz
x

7Gypsies Lushness

I have always loved the 7Gypsies range, but until recently was too scared to use it. After watching the 7Gypsies hour during Craft Day on QVC (actually called Crafting Journeys) I decided to order some more bits, I ordered from UKScrappers Sponsors though as I didn't want the bits QVC put together. I ordered mainly from The Craft Emporium as Lyn has a fab selection of the 7Gypsies range. I had been wanting to make David a little brag book to carry around in his work bag...something he can look at when he wonders why he works so hard.

I used the teenie weenie book, plus lots of other goodies...
Mainly 7Gypsies products including...97% Complete Tags & Stickers, 7Gypsies Classis Paperie 6x6 paper pad, Pebbles Inc Real Life Stickers (Dymo style ones) plus some sticky red bling hearts.

Here are some pictures of the inside...















There are a couple more pages, but blogger seems to have reached it's picture posting limit for me, so I will upload the final few pages shortly.

David was really pleased with it...as was I...I love it, and want to keep it...LOL

Today is the first day of Half Term, I have to work today, but have arranged no appointments for the rest of the week. Georgia and I are going to spend some fun time together, including a trip to the cinema, and to Gambado's. Hope everyone has a lovely Monday.

Caz
x

Family Matters...

Looking at UKScrappers this morning, I saw the Sunday Bloggers prompt, I haven't done a blog prompt for a long time, so thought I would have a go today. The prompt was...

"Family Matters - what is your background, are you part of a big or small family, are you close? how often do you see your family, and is there anything you would like to improve or change about your family life?"

In my direct family there was just Mum & Dad and my little sister Tracey. We are all very close. When Mum was in hospital, the other ladies in her room commented on how they had never seen such a close family, and they could see how much we all loved and liked each other. We have been on holiday together numerous times, and even though there are often little arguments, we always have a wonderful time. Now Mum is no longer with us and is just watching from Heaven, I know she would be proud. She would be pleased how we have all supported each other through loosing her. It will be 4 years in May, still feels like yesterday. Although I now live just over one hours drive away, I still see them a couple of times a month. I will drive down and spend the whole day and evening with them. We will often have a takeaway, and sit down a chat. I will take photos, and sometimes take some of my crafting bits with me as her two youngest love to make stuff with me. Now my Mum was one of nine (7 Sisters and 1 Brother) and they were not that close. Saying that Mum was one of the few of them that had regular contact with them all. She was the one who would call for a chat, email a joke, or arrange to pop around for coffee. Dad is one of five (2 Sisters & 2 Brothers) they are closer, but I have noticed that they are not as close since Mum died...I have decided that Mum was the glue that held so many family matters together. I try to be like her, but I don't know how she did it...she was one in a million. If I can be just a little bit like her, I will be a happy woman.

Yay my Valentine Dolly Beads arrived...

Well I came down this morning to see that Mr Postie had delivered my first 2 Dolly Beads. Well all I can say is they are lush lush lush....totally gorgeous. They each came in a little poink pouch, wrapped in pink tissue paper. Both pouches were placed in a plastic baggie and in the baggie was 2 choccie hearts a small roll of sweethearts and loads of confetti hearts. Georgia snaffled the sweethearts pretty sharpish, so I hid the 2 choccie hearts to enjoy later.

So here is a picture if my bracelet with the 2 new additions, they are located one on each end.How lush are they?
Caz
x

Thank Crunchie it's Friday...

Well I have now typed and tried to post this twice, and Blogger has lost it on both occasions, so here is the shortened version.

It stopped snowing, Georgia went back to school, the snow is now slushy and dirty.

I received an order from Artbase....but wanted the L,O,V & E letters in the Making Memories 8" Chipboard, but it seems everyone in the UK that sells them is out of stock of the E, so I have ordered from a US seller on eBay. I have a canvas project in the planning stages. The canvas is on order from The Works...and should be her next week.

All the UKScrappers and Troll Bead collectors reading this will know about Jacquie and her fabulous Dolly Beads. Well on Wednesday Jacquie released some Limited Edition Valentine Beads. I was lucky to order 3 (or so I thought) but sadly Paypal was going so slow that the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" bead managed to sell twice and the other purchasers payment arrived approx one minute before mine.......Darn Paypal. Anyway Jacquie was very apologetic and offered to make another for me, or I could have a refund, or chose a different bead from this weeks released. Well I chose to wait for her to make another...so fingers crossed she will manage to do it over the weekend. I could have cried when I read her email, as I had set my heart on that bead...so when she offered to make another I was over the moon.

Anyway, bed is calling. We have a quiet weekend planned after all the rushing around last weekend. But in my usual style, I will leave you with something to look at. Here is a cute snow picture taken of Georgia yesterday morning.

More Snow Fun...

Georgia and I went back out into the snow late this afternoon, as we wanted to make a Snowman in the garden. As were were finishing the Daddy Snowman, in walks David gave me the scare of my life and then helped us finish Georgia's Snow Family...and here they are.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring on the weather front, and if the school will have re-opened. If it has I am back to work, and if not it's another day at home for me. Better get to bed...just incase.
Caz
x

Snow, Stash and all that jazz....

Well I prayed for snow, and boy did we get some. Woke up this morning at 5am and there was a light covering of snow. I went back to bed and at 6.30am we had about 1.5 inches. Well it continued to snow all morning and through lunch and has only stopped in the last hour. We ended up with about 3 inches in total, which is already starting to drip....but it looks like it will be around until the morning as a heavy frost is predicted tonight. Georgia had no school as it was closed because of the weather, so we went and got dressed up in our warmest clothes. I had her rugged up so well she complained that she couldn't bend her legs properly...LOL. I got some fab pictures of her playing, and we made a small snowman. Here are a couple of them...

This was the view from the front of the house across the park. It was taken at 9.05am, when the snow was at about 2 inches, the final inch fell between then and midday.

Well before that I was having a little surf on www.amillionlittlethings.com and they have the NEW Basic Grey in stock...so I ordered myself the Phoebe Papers only, and also the 6x6 Phoebe paper pad. Then I got 3 packs of the new rubons and a Narratives acetate...It was all Lynseys fault...she made me look...honest.

We are waiting for David to come home (hopefully early) so that Georgia can have a little play in the snow with Daddy. She wants to make a snowman of her own in the back garden...we'll see if they manage it.

Caz

Valentine Dolly Beads...

Today was the eagerly anticipated release of Jacquie's Limited Edition Dolly Beads. The teaser picture looked fab, and at approx 7.30pm they appeared on the website.....As luck would have it, I just happened to be looking at the site as they were made live. There was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Bed of Roses, Queen of Hearts & Lucy in the Sky.
I managed to get myself the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Queen of Hearts & Bed of Roses...here are the pictures.

The Lucy bead is a stunning black colour with sparkly bits and 3 cubic zirconia embedded in the glass. It is totally gorgeous and I cannot wait to get it. The next one is the Queen of Hearts, a stunning red bead with a pink/white heart, and the third is the Bed of Roses which is a pink swirls colour...and looks just like a rose head. I may give one to my Sister, but until I see them I am not sure...They may be too lush to give up.

Tonight we are praying for snow. If we get a reasonable amount there is a good chance the school will be closed. I was chatting outside the school to some of the other Mums, and there are lots of us hoping the school is closed so that we can play in the snow with the kids before the snow melts...we will have to see what the morning brings. Off to bed now...just incase I have to work tomorrow.
Caz
x

New Troll Beads...

The Postie bought me a parcel this morning.....yay my new trollies are here...all 5 of them. Here is a picture of my bracelet now, I love it. I have placed a back order for some stop beads....hopefully they will come back into stock soon. The one on the left is the aquarium bead, next is the infinity knot (3 knots) then is my rose ribbon, followed by the zodiac pisces/cancer bead, then comes the pink bud beads, then my mocha bead, and last but not least the cappuccino bead. I think I got all their names right. Will be back later with more...but just wanted to share the picture.
Caz
x

Dullsville Milton Keynes...

Nothing very exciting happening her today. Started the day on catch up after oversleeping. Why does my daughter Georgia sleep in on the day we need her to actually wake up early...when all weekend she woke us up just after 6am??? I wish someone could tell me. Georgia and I took a quick trip to the local Poundland store and came away with three carrier bags full, and my purse £34 lighter. I got some bling hearts, mini scrapbooks, mini staplers with coloured staples (just like the Making Memories one, except they only cost £1)plus a few girles pressies for my pressie drawer...I do like to have a few cute things in reserve...you never know when you will need an emergency pressie.

The Postamn in the morning will see the arrival of my new Troll Beads. I have 5 coming....I ordered early for March....and just need to persuade David to let me have them early.

Tomorrow I am working out near Banbury. While on the quest for Troll beads I found a jewellers that sells them in Banbury, sadly I have so much to do at my clients, and not enough time...so no trip to see them all up close and personal.

Time for bed now, but I will leave you with another piccie. I bought a 7Gypsies Portfolio Kit from Art from the Heart when I was at Thorpe Park on Saturday, and covered/made it up yesterday. I am going to use it to keep all my business receipts in before they are filed with my accounts. I always end up with a purse jammed to bursting with them...and this way they will be safe.

Time for bed.
Caz
x

Been Croppin'...

Well after a day of cropping, I came home to a wonderful homecooked meal, lovingly prepared by David. We had Beef Stew and veg....and scrumptious it was too.

For the first crop I can remember I didn't do a single layout. I did however make 3 coasters, 1 canvas, 1 7Gypsies portfolio, and 1 small paint can....not bad for a days work. I have also been asked by Jay (CraftyWotName) to do a paint can class for the next MK Crop...nervous and excited at once...and we still have 4 weeks until the next crop...LOL

Here are some pics of the coasters, they are so cute. Got them yesterday @ Thorpe Park...and now I wish I had bought more. I have email the store that they came from to see if they have some left. You put your picture/mini layout inside and clip the back on...approx size is 3x3 inches. All three are done using 7Gypsies papers, with added Pebbles Inc Life stickers. I am determind to get more, as I also think they will make great little gifts.

I also did a small 8x8 inch canvas using the last picture I had left from our mini photo shoot, the canvas was done using 7Gypsies papers, Jo Sonja acrylic paints (which are lush), L'il Davis chipboard swirls & Polar Bear Press rubons. When David saw it he said he thought that he looked gormless....and my quick response was that, that is how he always looks.

Will save the other pictures for tomorrow as David is hovering, so I think it means that it's bedtime.

Nite
Caz
x

Thorpe Park - You Can Make It...

Well, I went with good intentions. "I won't be spending much, honest dear", and I spent too much...LOL I came home with a wonderful pile of stash, haven't had a chance to take a picture...will do it tomorrow when I am back from the crop. I did however come home with some Rebecca Erikson papers and rubons (if you haven't seen/heard of her, she is Australian and the stuff is lush), lots of 7 Gypsies bits, Blonde Moments stamps etc, Heidi Swapp Iron On Flock Alpha (they were half price), Pink Martini papers (only 3 sheets) and matching rubons, mini clear paint can....and more, but my brain is fried. I also saw a little something for all the members of my UKS Team ATC Swap.....not going to say what they are, as it will spoil their surprise. It seemed a little empty in places as it seems some of the attendees were unable to make the rescheduled show, but there were also lots more 12x12 papers than last year...and some that I have never seen before...which surprised me.

We had a lovely Indian takeaway with my Sister, Brother in Law, Dad and the kids, really enjoyable. Just a Tesco takeaway, but it is always nice to all sit down together.

I have almost finished packing my bags ready for the morning, but now I can hear my bed calling me. I will post a picture of my haul tomorrow, together with pics of the stuff I do at the crop.

Nite
Caz
x

The Road to Recovery...

I am feeling much better today, so much better that I actually went out to work. Today it was a small motorsport company based out near the Althorpe Estate in Northamptonshire. It is about a 45-50 minute journey out there. but when the weather is as lovely as it was today...the journey is very pleasant.

My Nikon SD800 Speedlight arrived from Amazon this morning, cannot believe it got here so quickly as I only ordered it on Wednesday evening. David is busy playing with it, trying to find out how to get the best out of it...looks like he will be reading up on it tonight.

I tried to get Dolly Bead from www.astringofbeads.co.uk today, but they had already sold out by the time I managed to get online. It looks like Jaq's beads are the hottest thing around at the moment. I believe she released a new set of beads each Friday, so next week I better be on the ball if I want to add one to my rapidly growing collection. I say rapidly growing, as my Valentines, Wedding Anniversary, Birthday and Mothers Day Troll beads have already been ordered and will be with me next week. I did consider a themed colour bracelet, and then saw Jo's (BallooBear on UKS) bracelet and loved the eclectic mix of colours that hers has....so watch this space.

I haven't managed much scrapping this week, considering half of it was actually spent on the sofa, so I will do my best to remedy that this weekend. Tomorrow I am going to visit my family down in Surrey, but not before I make a quick trip to Thorpe Park for the rescheduled "You Can Make It" show. I am not sure that I actually need anything, but want to get a look at the Stamp making systems and also the Wacom graphics tablets. The Sunday is the monthly Milton
Keynes Crop, I always enjoy the day, and come away with some lovely layouts.

Tonight I am going to try and finish the 7 Gypsies mini book that I started for David during the week. I will have to put the DVD back on to remind me of all the things I wanted to do with it.

I am going to leave you with another layout, as I do love to add a little colour to my Blog. This is a layout I did as part of the ScrapaGoGo Design Team. I had a Hambly Screen Print to use, and the rest was my own stash. The screen print was white with a silver outline, and I wanted it to be pink like cherry blossoms, so I tinted it with Pigment Pearls given to me by Kate (formerly of Scrapcanvas). Hope you like it.
Caz
x

As Promised...

Here is a picture of my new Troll Bracelet, it is lovely, but I think it needs more beads....and soon. David said I can order one for Valentine's, so I need to choose and fast....I have already decided which one I would like for my Wedding Anniversary, now there is just my Birthday and Mothers Day to choose....

Which ones will it be.....suggestions on a postcard please.....LOL
Caz
x

Ahhh...a full 7 hours of sleep

Well I woke feeling a wee bit better, still rough, but some improvement. I managed to get a proper nights sleep, which is probably why I feel better than yesterday. I think I will still stay at home today, as last time I rushed back into working, I ended up making myself ill again. I learnt my lesson when Georgia was a baby. I went back early from Maternity Leave as my cover left and it was easier to do it myself than try to train a replacement. I worked in the evenings when David woke (he then worked nights), anyway I became exhausted and a chest infection turned into Pneumonia. Since then when I get a cold, I try to slow down and make sure I take care of myself and only go back to work when I feel better...much easier when you work for yourself.

Today will be my last day positioned on the sofa, so I am going to make the most of it and scrap. I want to make a teenie weenie 7 Gypsies book up for David to keep in his work bag, so that he can think of us when he is at work or working away from home. His mates from work are always asking to see new piccies of Georgia. I have painted the cover in Blonde Moments Suet Pudding Black paint, and put a 7 Gypsies sticker on it so far. I think I will put the DVD of the QVC Crafting Journeys hour on that I was sent by mermaid on UKS....that will give me some more ideas.

Just answered the doorbell and my Troll Bracelet is here. I got a phone call from County Jewellers (where it came from) and they asked whether I really wanted the 21cm bracelet as they said the fish clasp was big and made the overall bracelet length 9.5 inches. Well I do have a larger wrist, but that may have been a little big, so I changed to a 20cm. They also said that once it is filled, if I find it too small, they will swap it for the longer length...can't ask more than that. So I have the big fish clasp....I am a Pisces after all. I also ordered a coffee bean silver bead...do love my coffee, and finally I got the rose ribbon bead, which I think of as pink ribbon, and reminds me of loved ones who have lost the battle to cancer. I am now looking to order some more. I am having one for Valentines (much cheaper than roses...lol) and my birthday, wedding anniversary and mothers day are all next month. I have fallen in love with one of Jaq's beads (Sgt. Pepper) I am hoping she will have some soon...will have to email her and ask.

Ok, will try to update with pictures later, but I need to get dressed and get Georgia off to school.
TTFN
Caz
x

From the Sofa...

Still feeling cr*p, was up most of the night being sick...everytime I lay down I felt sick, and made the dashing the dark to the bathroom. I think the sum total of my broken sleep amounted to less than 4 hours.

I did however manage to get Georgia to school on time....just. I am not known for ever being anywhere really early, so just in time is good enough for me. I drove home and parked myself on the sofa and apart from the trip to the kitchen to make a drink, that is where I stayed until it was time t go back to collect Georgia. Although sat on the sofa, I did manage to file my self assessment online, and due to an overpayment of tax....I am due a few hundred pound refund. I decided to get a SD 800 Speedlight for my new D80.I checked out the prices online, and ordered. So it should be here at the beginning of next week...can't wait.

Off to have a soak in the bath, and then bed to see if I can catch up with some sleep.

Feeling Poorly...

Had been feeling the early signs of a cold, and when I woke up this morning my throat was sore and my nose was streaming. I must have blown it a million times today. It made me think of something my Mum used to say to me. I would say "Mum, my nose won't stop running" and she would say "Tell it to walk". I really do miss the silly things she used to say to me. So hard to believe that she will have been gone for 4 years at the beginning of May. I miss her every day...just talking to her, hearing her voice. Anyway before I have myself in tears, back to business. I managed to drag my sorry self off to the school to drop Georgia off, and on the way home felt incredibly sick, and decided to cancel my appointment for today. Bearing in mind that I had trouble making it home the mile from the school, I decided that a 70 mile round trip was not the most sensible thing to do. So I spent the day feeling sorry for myself and scrapping on the sofa. I had a little 6x6 canvas given to be by a team mate on UKS, and decided to make it for Georgia.
So here it is, when Georgia saw it her exact words were "Mummy, it's fantabulous", she is such a cutie. Knowing how poorly I was feeling she was such a little angel here this afternoon.

Anyway, I think I can hear the shower calling me, and then I am off to bed to watch the new series of CSI on Five.

More CHA Sneak Peeks...

Well CHA is in full swing now, and more pictures are appearing on forums worldwide.

I have been looking to see what all my favourite manufacturers have in store for me. I have started to make a list of things that caught my eye from the pictures, but like most scrappers, I would like to see better pictures before I decided for sure.

I am loving all the new stamps by Autumn Leaves, particulary the seals and the barcodes pictured here, there are also some fab new overlays as I mentioned yesterday, they are great for easy to do pages.

The florals still seem to be popular, so anyone hoping that trend was over will be disappointed. As usual there are an abundance of "girly" papers and embellishments, with fewer aimed at the "boy" market. Saying that Junkitz have a new "boy" range which looks great, as does Creative Imaginations, and of course as I mentioned yesterday...there is also a "Toby" range from Love Elsie by KI Memories.

Bazzill have bought out some new Bling Colours, and also some new shapes and colours to the "With an Edge" range, here is a picture of one of the new shapes, I like the look of the tag....it will make great not so mini albums, or just an interesting change on layouts, think I will put a couple of those on my wish list.

Also by Rhonna Farrer and Autumn Leaves is a fab new line of papers, French Twist, they are also on my list.
A couple of new books in the Autumn Leaves Designing with range...Designing with Details, and Perfectly Clear Stamps. The list really does go on and on. Like majority of Scrappers across the world I will be searching out my favourites.

As a self confessed stash addict, I really do not need any of the items I have listed, if I carried on scrapping for the next 5 years I would barely run out of some of the items in my stash....but I still NEEEEEEED them!

On a more personal note, after much umming and ahhing, I have finally ordered myself a Troll Bracelet. I ordered a nice long length of bracelet, so that I have enough room for my chubby little wrists once it is laden with beads. I only ordered a couple of beads and the clasp, I opted for the fish clasp...I am a Pisces after all, then came a Coffee silver bead...I do love my morning coffee...finally came a Rose Ribbon...which I think of as a Pink Ribbon and reminds be of loved ones who lost the battle to Cancer. I have also commissioned a "dangle" to be made by a lovely lady in the US ( Thanks Vicki for her details). With Mothers Day and my Birthday around the corner, I am already making a list of ones that my family can buy me. I will post a picture of it as soon as it arrives (hopefully later this week). What Troll Beads are on your wish list??

CHA and the new stuff...

I am sat here browsing through the sneak peaks posted on many of the US & UK Scrapping Forums, and I wonder where it all ends. It seems like every manufacturing is coming out with a different cutting system. We have the CraftRobo, Cricut, Pazzles, and Quickutz have just announced their new system...The Silhouette. With so many different manufacturers and systems coming onto the market, how do you decide which one to get?, and will there be a better one on the market only moments after you have made your purchase? With a price point of between £370 & £270 there are many things to consider. With the CraftRobo the initial outlay is the highest, but then you don't have to pay for cartridges, or downloads, but then there is the steep learning curve, and it needs to be connected to a PC. With the Cricut you have a price point of £265 with many online stores having special offers on at the moment. You don't need a PC, but the cartridges are in the region of £50 each. I am told it is very easy to use. I don't know anyone who has the Pazzles, although I see it regularly advertised in the US CK magazine. The Silhouette says that it will have downloads available, but whether they are free remains to be seen. It also says that it will cut any true type font, but again, can they be ones you already own? So by the time the next show happens later in the year, how many cutting systems will there be?

I also saw another new gadget from Making Memories....a Tag Curler, I mean, could they not have designed one tool last year...instead of giving us the Tag Maker last year, and the Tag Curler this year? Or is it just a ploy to part us with our hard earned cash.


I am loving the look of the new Love Elise range introduced by KI Memories. I think there is something for everyone. I know many people are frustrated at the lack of "boy" stuff, with so many manufacturers adding flowers & hearts to green/blue paper ranges. I am sure Elsie's line will be successful, and hope we see many more lines from her in the future.


For anyone who has been getting the Jenni Bowlin kits this past year, you will have seen her line of journalling cards. Well Autumn Leaves are releasing them as clear stamps. Also be Autumn Leaves are some fab Overlays by Jackie Eckles, I have recently purchased some digital overlays of hers. There are also some fab seal stamps and barcode stamps both by Katie Pertiet, which I quite sure will end up in my stash at some point.

For a stash addict, the trade shows are a glimpse into my future purchases, and while there is plenty that I won't be buying....there is plenty that is already on my shopping list.

New Header

Well, I did manage my lie-in, can't remember the last time I got to sleep until 8am...LOL Since having breakfast I have been busy cleaning and tidying and I decided to take a break from housework (I know...dirty word to a real scrapper) and made a new Blog Header. David took this picture of me last week during our little photo shoot, when I was looking up at Georgia's balloon....and I kind of liked the lost look....contemplating, what I am not entirely sure.

Took delivery of some 7 Gypsies papers from QVC yesterday. Now QVC really could learn a thing or two from the Online Craft Stores. They sent them in a corrugated envelope...which is an improvment on their previous packaging. Sadly as the weather had been wet all week, they arrived a little soggy. Ironic really when Creative Imaginations Foam Stamps that I also ordered arrived packed in the same corrugated envelope, but also had a plastic bag around them. Anyway, back to the papers, approx half were beyond use, but the ones in the middle faired a little better. When I called QVC she wanted me to send them back, I explained that it wouldn't be worth it as most were a soggy mess, so she finally agreed to send me out a replacement pack...yipee.

David has just taken Georgia off for a walk, so the house is totally peaceful. I cannot remember when it has been this quiet...no tv, no music, just the gentle hum of the fridge/freezer. Well that didn't last long, no sooner had I typed it, than they walk through the door, leaving a muddy trail on the carpet in the hall.....arrggghhh, MEN.


Will leave you with more layouts done earlier this month. I took this picture of Georgia with Jody (my step niece) during a quiet moment in the afternoon. They look so comfy and cozy snuggled up together.
This layout was done for a Design Team call by Ribbon Mad on UKScrappers back in October, I think. Sadly I was unsuccesful, but I really loved the page, and that is all that matters in the long run, and I am on the ScrapaGoGo one now, so maybe these things happen for a reason.

Well back to the housework, as sadly it doesn't do itself.

Another week flies by...

I cannot believe another week has passed. Not the best week for me. I have been run off my feet with work, and feeling tired, stressed and snappy. Georgia has come home from school with nits again...despite my vigilance. I treat her, and she goes into school each week nit free...but she always seems to come home with them. I have never in my life had nits, and cannot believe common they are in kids these days.


Wednesday saw the arrival of snow here in Milton Keynes, sadly is was gone before the day is over, but I did manage to take a quick photo before breakfast. Georgia and I had a quick snowball fight on the way to the car...she managed to hit me on the back twice.

Thursday after school we took a quick trip to Gambados, where Georgia ran around, bounced, slid, swung and generally had a great time with Katie/Katherine her friend from school. Georgia has finally found the courage to go head first on her tummy down the wiggly slide. Once she started she couldn't stop. David came and joined us, and we ended up staying there until almost 6pm. Once home Georgia soon flaked out and fell asleep in my arms. I really miss her snuggling up on my chest, just like she did when she was younger. Like all children her age she is becomine more confident and independant. All too soon she won't be needing me as much, can't bear to think about that.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am determind to stay in bed until 8am....a lie-in.

{Smile for the Camera...}

Well the weekend is almost over, and sadly no craft show as due to the foul weather on Thursday, the marque was damaged.

Instead David, Georgia and I had a mini photo shoot in the lounge. Before Xmas I ordered a pop-up background to use with my new Nikon D80 (one side is black and the other is white). I spent just over an hour beautifying myself (David's choice of words not mine....LOL) I changed into jeans and a black t-shirt (ala Venture style) and off we snapped. We bought a remote to take picture as it means we don't have to run back to the tripod to press the self timer. The reason for the pictures was that I desperately needed some photos of us both together for my February Scrapagogo Design Team work. Obviously there is a romantic theme to the kit...it is the February Kit after all.

Ok, so the pictures were all taken and this morning, I played around with them, coverted them to black & white and coverted them from RAW into JPegs...and then dashed over to Costco to get them printed out. I was pleased with how they turned out, and even more pleased with the finished projects I did with them. Cannot show pictures until the kit is out in the middle of next month.
I will however share a couple of pictures that I took yesterday. First is of David & I, adjusted the brightness due to indoor photography, changed to black & white, and also changed to hi key (think that is what you call it, please leave me a comment if I am wrong).

The second is of Georgia & I, when setting up the picture, the cat knocked the tripod, so we are not in the position we planned...but I liked the shot, so kept it. It is what I call a "Happy Accident".

Mid Week Moan!

So we are halfway through the week and just over halfway through January already. Can someone please slow time down a bit for me, as it feels like I have been put on fast forward.

Today was a bumper parcel day for me. My new camera bag arrived....now at least my camera is protected...I hate to leave it out on the side as the cats have a habit of climbing and then things just seem to jump from the table. I also got my January & February kits from Scrapagogo, and also my layout back from Creative Scrapbooking. I was pleased to have it back, plus angry that it was only sent second class regular mail, when they specifically ask for you to send it to them either recorded or special delivery. Why do they not treat our layouts with the same care that we treat them...In my opinion it shows a complete lack of respect. I was also disappointed as it means that it will not appear in the February issue....as there will not be a February issue....or any other issue come to that.

I am off to Thorpe Park on Sunday for the craft show with a group from the Milton Keynes Crop that I attend. Not sure what I want to buy...not sure that I really need anything. But when has that ever stopped a scrapper from buying more stash. I am semi interested in the imagepac system that allows you to make your own clear stamps. I had a go at Bonanza last year and was very impressed with the results, so that may be considered. I know that I shouldn't buy any more patterned paper, blossoms, buttons, stamps, alphabets...the list just goes on. But who decides how much is too much? Can there ever be such a thing as too much? When someone works it out, could they please, please let me know the answer.

Tonight I am working on my DT work for Scrapagogo....I have a project underway using the January kit that Lorraine is going to add to the site later this week...just as soon as I send her some pics...hopefully tomorrow. Once that is completed I am free to play with the February Kit...cannot wait. I totally love the Bo Bunny Heart Throb collection. If you haven't seen it check out their website www.bobunny.com

OK before I go off to create, I thought I would leave you with something to look at. I did this layout earlier this month while cropping at a friends house. While sticking the buttons down, I dripped Diamond Glaze onto the photo....seeing that everything was stuck down fast, and thinking on my feet, I decided to just stick a crown on her head and stick a couple of diamonte's on it...Voila!

Ok, just one more picture, I do love to add some colour to my blog...well surprise, surprise Blogger is being a pain in the a*se and won't do as it is asked...just like my 4 year old...LOL

Enough from me for now...off to create.
C
x

Yippeeeee the weekend is here...

Well The last couple of days have gone by in a huge blur. Thursday morning Georgia woke up at 4am with a stomach ache, and by 5am, she had manage to cover us and our bed in vomit...what a lovely start to the day...covered in blackcurrant juice vomit. So that meant me having to cancel my appointment and stay home with her. Poor little mite lay on the sofa. I told her she had a stomach bug, and her response was "Mummy, Do I have an Ant in my tummy". I tried to explain that it was a virus/germ, but she wouldn't budge from the Ant comment. I explained we have to starve the bug to kill it, and her response was..."If I don't eat or drink anything but water, the Ant will die?" I really tried to stop her calling it an Ant...but gave up trying as it didn't work...LOL

I also have other news......I am finally on a Design Team. I am now an official member of the Scrapagogo Design Team. Having subbed to the kit for almost a year...and loving it, I was so honoured to be asked to join their Design Team. I start from the February Kit, and cannot wait to get my hands on it. If you have not looked at the kit before, check out www.scrapagogo.co.uk, or click on the link to the right of this post.

David got his settlement from General Motors yesterday, and we wasted no time dashing off to Jessops to get our grubby little mitts on a new DSLR. We had decided to get a Nikon D80, with a couple of additional lenses, and we came home £965 the poorer...but oh so happy. David could hardly wait for the battery to charge before playing. We intend to take a few pictures today to give it a good road test.

We are about to set off to visit my family down in Surrey, and tomorrow David's Mum & Dad are coming up to Milton Keynes for the Caravan Show that is on in Middleton Hall this weekend.

Anyway, better leave you with a couple more layouts. This is a picture of my nephew Alex who turns 16 in July this year. Like almost all teenagers, he does not like having his photograph taken. This Christmas I persuaded him to let me take lots of pictures. In all of them he was smiling, but that didn't look right. I mean do you know a teenager smiles? So I asked him to give me his "normal" stroppy teen face, and this is what I got. I did play around with the colour saturation of the picture, so that it is almost black and white, with just a hint of colour in his face and the red hat.
Not sure what he will think of it, but I am pleased.

Anyway, enough for now...better get ready to hit the road.

New Layouts...

As promised here are a couple of layouts that I have done so far in 2007. The picture was taken a couple of days before Christmas when Santa dropped in to make sure that Georgia had been behaving. We don't know how he found the time in his busy delivery schedule to drop in. Thanks to Sasha and Paul for arranging it, Georgia was so excited, she felt so special.

The second layout is of my Niece, Hannah, she is such a poser in front of the camera, always happy to have her picture taken. I love the way David caught her in a more natural pose with her new puppy. Both of these layouts were done using my December Scrapagogo Kit, which containted the Blonde Moments Festive Feast papers amongst many of my own bits and pieces.

Happy New Year....even if it is a little belated...

Well, as usual I am a bad blogger. I really was never that good at keeping a Diary/Journal up to date, as you will probably have already worked out.

So what has been going on in my world you may or may not have been thinking. Well December went by in a huge blur, I left all my Christmas present shopping until about the 14th December, and then had a mad week getting everything organised. Well I got there, and we had a fab christmas down in Surrey with my Dad, Sister and her clan. Boxing Day was spent with David's Mum & Dad. In the afternoon a short walk in Bushy Park, and then a trip to Hampton Court Palace to see the ice skating. We had wanted to skate but it was very busy and Georgia was too nervous, so we just sat and drank hot chocolate and watched.

David finally ended an 18 year career with General Motors on 31st December, and for approximately one week he was unemployed. He has now started a six month contract with Comau in Luton, and seems to be enjoying working days again, after over 8 years of permanent night shift.

I have been busy scrapping away so far this year, having completed 11 layouts so far in 2007. I will upload a few each day over the next week. Like almost everyone else in the world, I have made a couple of resolutions. Nothing to serious, although the first is to live a more healthy lifestyle, including more exercise and a more healthy diet. The second is scrap related, 2005 saw me published in a scrapping magazine for the first time, 2006 saw me published twice with three different layouts appearing in two editions of two different magazines. In 2007 my aim was to become a member of a Design Team, and although I cannot mention which team I am joining, I can confirm that I have been offered a place on a Design Team....I will give more details as soon as I am able.


Well enough words....onto a picture. I took this picture on Christmas Morning, just after Georgia had opened her presents and before she had a specially prepared boiled egg breakfast lovingly made by her Grandad.

Well surprise surprise it has been almost 2 months since my last update. I am not sure where all the time went. Life around here has been hectic as usual....and that is not set to change anytime soon.

A couple of weeks ago, while in the car with Georgia, I commented on how bad the blue car next to us had parked. Georgia pipes up from the back seat "What, the blue car on the left Mummy"....I stop for a second and realise that she got it right. I ask her a couple more questions and soon realise that she now knows her left from right....I was so darn proud of her. Then later that day while sitting in the car waiting to go into an appointment, we decided to read a couple of Georgia's reading books. It is amazing how they suddenly seem to pick up things...and make huge leaps in their learning.

Christmas is almost upon us. The past weekend we have put the Christmas lights up outside and the tree inside. Georgia is very excited...but still does not understand Advent Calenders and keeps eating all the sweets. I have not even started my Christmas shopping, so now have a full scale panic on my hands. I have made all my Christmas cards, but now have the onerous task of writing them all out. Oh well....a wife and mothers job is never done!

Time for a Quickie...

Update that is.....get your minds out of the gutter people....

Life has been hectic around here lately...I feel like I have been running around like a crazed woman. Had a fab day at Ally Pally on Saturday 30th September, at "The Big Stamping & Scrabooking Show" with Sue affectionately known as "Lumpy Sue" due to her lumpy style LO's....and nothing more. Spent loads of money on beautiful stash....I have even been using it....miracle of miracles. Then last Sunday was the Milton Keynes Scrappers October Crop, which was great fun as usual, I actually managed to do four...yes four LO's. I will post pics another day as I really cannot be arsed to get my camera out...LOL

Today Georgia has come home from school singing a cute song....I'm being eaten by a Boa Constrictor. In typical fashion I have been humming it all evening, so decided to do a "Google" search and find out the rest of the words, so here they are...

Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper & Row, 1974

Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it--one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,It's up to my knee.
Oh my,It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . .

It sounds so cute when sung my a 4.5 year old....but can you imagine a whole class of them singing it....too cute for words.

Thank goodness it is Friday tomorrow, I have decided to work from home tomorrow, as I need at least one day this week when I am not running around like a headless chicken. Can't believe we are almost at the weekend again, this time last week I had a weekend of scrapping bliss to look forward too...this weekend I have a weekend of chauffeuring my Hubby David around....what an exciting life I lead.
Oh well, off to bed for me, have been up since 5.30am, took a nap this afternoon as I felt so ill with what I thought would be a nasty migraine...but thanks to my fab pills was just a nasty headache instead.