Will it ever stop raining....

...even though I have a lovely new umbrella, that I am certainly getting my moneys worth out of and means I don`t have to parade around the streets of Warrington with a High School Musical one that I borrowed from Mia, and I have two new pairs of boots that don`t let in water the minute I step foot outside I am beginning to think it is never ever going to stop raining, and straightening my hair every morning just seems like a complete and utter waste of time...I need some sunshine, I need to be able to walk outside in my shades without fearing Mia is going to attack me with her umbrella like she did this morning, or Harry is going to jump in the puddles and splash my jeans...!!!

Rant over!!!

Even though it seems it has rained for forty days and probably forty nights I did have a good day, despite seeing every hour on my clock last night and feeling like my whole body had been wrung out this morning!!!

Had two great classes, one finished today and one started, I have the day off tomorrow although starting a new class tomorrow night and I have just sat and planned all my lessons for Thursday and painted my nails...for the first time in a week!!!

I have a new Christmas crafts class starting on Thursday and I am really looking forward to it, I love Christmas, I love the glitter and the sparkle and decorating my house and I am going to be teaching all this...my house does not smell of cinnamon or Christmas pudding during the festive season but usually of hot glue, where I have just created one more centrepiece or arrangement...baubles beware the glue gun is ready and firing on all cylinders...am going to do bows, wrapping and decorations on my first class....





Can see us getting through several glue sticks on that, and would you believe the Christmas package is an empty washing tablets box!!!

Also planned my jewellery class for Thursday evening...had to be good because my boss is enrolling on the course!!!



...and then had a play with some buttons, been meaning to do this for a while and I quite likes it!!!



Off now to pick up the jump rings that flew everywhere earlier on!!!

Only Monday...

...Feels like it should be at least Wednesday, although saying that if it were I would have blinked and missed my day off!!!

Had a sad day today, my two regular Monday classes finished, and had to say goodbye to lots of lovely people, I have two new ones starting next Monday though...and funnily enough I can`t see me getting the Monday morning blues as my morning class is based in the community room at a local fire station...can see a lot of ladies turning up for that one too!!!

Got another course finishing tomorrow and a new one starting in the afternoon, can`t keep up with my timetable myself at the moment, got another new Jewelery making class starting Wednesday night in a new venue too which I am really looking forward too, I did the promotional work for that myself last week which was a great opportunity and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Managed to create a scrapbook page last night too, had this one "in progress" for a while, I had no copies of the pictures so had to work with what I had, but loved the cheeky faces Mia was pulling in them...the pictures are from 2005, so she would have been about 4...aw bless



Close up of the cluster...I like clusters of embellishments...



Have a layout ready to start on my desk at the moment, Mia and I from Halloween last week...got some gorgeous spooky papers to work with so I am off to have a play with that!!!

Weekend Winter Wonderland!!!!

Had the busiest week and the busiest weekend, spent the day in Lancaster yesterday over at Cardcraft Uk demonstrating the Cricut machines for Kars...had a fabulous day, as I always do, been to Lancaster a few times and love it, Sandra and Paul are lovely people who always make me feel very welcome and more importantly supply coffee...and lunch!!!

Met some lovely people too and displayed my samples for all to see....

Winter candle.....



Winter Notebook....



Christmas card...

Winter Snowflake display...



Winter wall art....



Loving the blue snowflake paper so much, I don`t usually do Blue at Christmas but love the texture and glitter.

Finished at 5pm last night got to Lancaster station only to be told that there were no trains to Warrington....had to get the train to Preston then get a bus...yes a bus from Preston to Warrington....spent an hour and a half on a bus in the dark on the motorway...finally got home about 8pm...three hours to get from Lancaster to Warrington...is that a record!!! Thank goodness for the grandparents though who had the girls this weekend and meant that I could just slob out when I got home.

Had a wonderful day of rest today...not...obviously had to catch up with all the housework and washing, you know all that exciting stuff that keeps us ladies going, that and planning my lessons for this week and catching up on paperwork...roll on Wednesday...Day off!!!

Okay its only 7pm but I am seriously thinking of hitting my quilt and hiding under it until Monday morning smacks me in the face!!!

...and Breathe...

...Tonight is the first night I have had this week where I have actually had a chance to sit down and even think about writing a blog post...wow what a week!!!

I have taught 10 separate classes this week, done an evening of Marketing for the College, managed to fit in a days shopping for course materials in Manchester and had to prepare samples for my Demo in Lancaster tomorrow...if you are in the area head over to Cardcraft Uk I am there all day demonstrating the Cricut machines and other Kars products.

I will be glad when Sunday arrives and I have a whole day off to...erm...well I would like to say chill but unless the fairies descend upon my house I dare say I will be washing and ironing etc etc!!!

I am off to chill out with the several thousand magazines that have arrived at my house over the last month or so!!!

All Spooked out...

...every day for the last three days I have had to help Mia get dressed as a little vampire, to backcomb her beautiful blonde curls and paint her face into a horrific sight...Friday night for a Halloween party, last night for trick or treating and again today for my friend`s son`s fourth birthday party...Halloween theme...poor child has to keep "cleaning off her make up" before bedtime and I have gotten so used to her having an unhealthy pallor look about her that tomorrow will be strange when I just have to plait her hair and not have to "make her up"!!!

She is busy winding up Jack, Harry and Ella at the moment as she has an inset day at school tomorrow and they all have to go back, not sure about a vampire she can be a little witch sometimes!!!

So I am completely and utterly spooked out, celebrated Halloween in true style this year, love it myself as we never celebrated as kids really, think it is far more commercialised now, probably like everything else...although have to say that the pumpkin I bought last week...Est trying hard to be organised, is still sat on top of the microwave...uncarved!!!

Got the busiest week ahead too, think I have 12 classes this week and even have to work on my day off, doing some promotional work in the evening for the college and I am working next weekend too demonstrating the Cricut Create for Kars in Lancaster at Cardcraft UK...I have four kids each with Christmas lists as long as my arm, luckily I love working!!!

Off now to slide into bed with a nice glass of Pinot and my new book...got to see out the weekend in style!!!

From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggedy beasties And things that go bump in the night!!!

Yep seen it all tonight!!!

Took the girlie's Trick or Treating and bumped into a plethora of Little Vampires, Worst Witches and Friendly Ghosts, and while I am sat here chilling my little devils are are busy going through their stash of E colours and sugar packaged teeth rotting candy whilst watching the crap...sorry I mean the X factor...

Almost time for little ones to go to bed me thinks muwahahaha!!!

I have had the busiest day today, those who once said the weekends are for chilling obviously didn`t have kids or at the very least had Nanny`s and Servants!!! Spent the whole day...yes the whole day, washing, ironing, cleaning and food shopping...would rather be at work if I am honest at least then I get the opportunity to sit down!!!

Although I did spend an hour in Hobbycraft today...although I was shopping for work, class materials, I did have vouchers from my birthday burning another hole in my purse....picked up these little beauties....

12x12 K and Co Charlotte pad...some really scrummy papers in here, all double sided too mmm....



This cute little book that I have already skimmed through and planned a whole heap of lessons from ....



...and this book, Jesus I am turning into a book nerd....because I couldn`t resist it...



Off now to enjoy the peace...kids have finally gone up to bed exhausted from their sugar rush...listen...its oh so quiet!!!!

And again it`s Friday...

...And I can breathe a huge sigh of relief....Why...because I don`t have to set my alarm clock in the morning...simple things huh!!!

Half term...I am a teacher and usually have the week off...but worked straight through and have had something on every night this week, my poor muscles are screaming at me to take it easy and relax...hmmm chance would be a fine thing...it is Halloween weekend and the kids have me all booked up, already took the girlie's to a spooky party tonight where we all had to dress up so had to dash into town this morning before work to buy our costumes, had a great evening though and the great thing about children's parties is they finish early!!!

Ella decided she wanted to be a Skeleton this year and luckily Asda obliged with a bargain dress up outfit, that she wore tonight and will wear trick or treating tomorrow too...yep I get roped into doing that too!!!



And my little Mia, pretty little girlie girl wanted to be... a vampire...no pretty glittery make up god no look....



Took me almost an hour to make her look that scary...approximately the time I spend doing the opposite to myself in the morning!!!

I love Halloween though, I love dressing up and getting the kids dressed up too...Harry and Jack have both decided they are too old this year so grasping onto the last few years I have with my girlie's.

Took a gang of teenagers, aka the local youth club, to Spooky World last night too...Oh My God I have never ever been so scared in my entire life...there are three main attractions...the Haunted Hayride...not all that scary although did manage to sit on the side where everyone jumped on...werewolves, zombies, and chainsaw wielding psychos...and have bruises on my arm from the poor girl I was sat next to who gripped me so tight I think she cut off the circulation in my arm at one point!!!

Then we ventured to the Field of Screams...which I can only describe as a combination of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw and Jeepers Creepers all rolled into one...we were terrified...it is made up of a corn maze with pitch black huts along the way with "people" inside...managed to get chased by another chainsaw wielding psycho in the pitch black....and finally we queued for almost an hour to go into the Haunted House...not for the fainthearted or claustrophobic...pitch black again....people pretending to be dummies until the last minute and scaring the shite out of us....would I do it all again...Oh god yes definitely....loved the adrenaline...loved the thumping of my heart in my chest and loved screaming my lungs out!!!

I think a quiet weekend is on the cards...need to recharge those batteries..Oh and have a heap of lesson planning to do!!!

Birthday week....

...I am sorry for being such a bad blogger lately, can only blame my Birthday and not the fact that I have been up every night drinking and celebrating but I have had people round every night this week, not complaining though, it has been lovely to catch up with all my friends and family and I received some lovely cards and gifts too. Had a lovely Birthday on Monday, was off work in the morning so got a bit of a lie in and had time to open cards and presents, which mainly consisted of chocolates, alcohol, jewellery, perfume, vouchers and money...perfect!!!

Been off work today and managed to get the whole day to myself even though it is half term and I have a houseful of kids off school/college...thank god for grandparents...obviously had to hit Manchester, had a purseful of vouchers burning holes...After spending them all, and then some...I wandered, well I say wandered what I really mean is dodged pushchairs, kids running amok and teenagers screeching, around Primark. I picked up a few bits for myself then hit the queue for the tills... I think half of the Northwest was actually stood there in temperatures that probably broke every health and safety law in the book!!! Will have to return next week as I dumped my goods on the nearest shelf and escaped the mayhem back into the fresh air!!!

I am off to Spooky World tomorrow night with some friends for Halloween, thought it best to leave my kids at home though, not sure I can cope with the nightmares I am going to have over the next week or so let alone theirs!!! And have three Halloween parties to attend this weekend and not one outfit sorted...nothing like leaving it to the last minute!!!

Off now to decide...hmm shall I be a Devil, Dracula, Witch or a Ghost!!!!

I am totally in love.....

...with Adirondack paint dabbers, never used them before and I really don't know how I survived without them, have always loved acrylic paint and have used it forever, but loving the sponge applicator...I need some more...Urgently!!!

Have been playing with them all day...yep all day, done nothing apart from craft my sexy little pirate socks off...my socks have pink skull and crossbones on them!!!

Completed three layouts, one 12x12, one 8x8 square and one 8x8 circle....

Love these pictures of Mia, caught her dancing in my friends garden in the summer ...

This is an old picture of Mia, from 2007 but feeling very "Halloween" at the moment, probably because I bought a pumpkin yesterday...organised for me, usually leave it until the last minute, and because one of my students wants to do a Halloween page at my scrapbooking class this week....

This is one of the firsts photos I took of Harry with my new camera in the summer...managed to get the "Ball in the Air" picture....

Had to make an Anniversary card too for Tuesday....

Which inspired this canvas too....been meaning to do one of these for a while, have hundreds of blank canvases lol and only takes half an hour to actually decorate them...going to do some more of these and decorate my house with them....

And finally...Made this little cracker up for my Christmas craft class tomorrow....

I am almost all crafted out now...phew!!!

Enjoyed my day so much though, been through half a roll of double sided tape, three glue sticks for my hot glue gun and have gold acrylic paint welded to my nails....job done!!!!

Have just had the most delicious roast dinner too, cooked by my own fair crafty hands...you know the really sad thing that we realised today, Jack has never had one of my Sunday dinners, now I learnt how to cook from the experts...my Nan and my Dad and my roast potatoes are quite possibly the nicest I have ever tasted...sorry Dad but you know I am right and Jack agrees now...Date for the diary....25/10/09....Jacks first ever Sunday dinner cooked by his Mum. Now don`t feel sorry for the poor neglected lad, he is usually at his Dads every weekend and misses out, until now...and apparently he is going to stay home at the weekends more often!!!

Off now to celebrate my "Birthday Eve"

Saturday Night...

....and the kids are all glued to the X factor so I thought I would take the opportunity to have a little me time, blog hopping and generally browsing the Internet...not done that for a while, just chilling out in front of the PC checking out latest crafty offers, techniques and what everyone has been making...me I have been making a mess...done a couple of layouts today...

One of Mia, called Angel Eyes...



And one of Ella, called Girl....

Had a great day off today chilling, lunching and shopping...proper Saturday, and I got a phone call from the caretaker of Harry`s school this morning to say he had found his phone...Harry extremely happy as not only has he got his phone back but he doesn`t have to walk around with the Nokia Brick we found for him.

Off now for a bit of a blog hop.

TFI Friday!!!

Oh yeah have the weekend off, and have no plans, well apart from the Indian Head Massage I am booked in to have in about an hour, hoping that it clears the niggling headache I have had for a couple of days, I am planning on collapsing on the bed in a floaty state afterwards so thought I would do an early blog!!!

Had a lovely day today, saw a friend this morning who I haven't seen for a long time and she came armed with scones and jam...for breakfast yummm...she also bought me some flowers and a scrapbook kit for my birthday, was lovely to catch up with her and while she was here I had a parcel delivery from Kars with all my new kit in it...lovely new inks, dabbers and card stock and look what else...



How lucky am I, I love my job, the Mia is busy sat popping the bubble wrap that my Making Memories Organiser and Revolver lushness arrived in!!!

I have also completed a scrapbook layout tonight too, had a picture of Mia "bouncing" that I have wanted to scrap for ages and got a little 6x6inch basic grey Lime Rickey pad in my parcel and the papers were a perfect match....



Very Citrus don`t you think, that has got to count for one of my five a day at the very least!!!

Off now to prepare myself for the ultimate relaxation...can`t wait.

Run Run as fast as you can....

...You can`t catch me I`m the Gingerbread Man...!!!

I didn`t even realise Gingerbread men could run...any that come into our house usually get their legs bitten off!!!

Mia did develop a bit of an aversion to eating them though a couple of years ago after she had watched Shrek...she thought it was cruel to eat them!!!

Luckily my little gingerbread man can niether run or get his legs bitten off as he is ready to hang on Mia`s little Pink Christmas tree that she has in her bedroom at Christmas!!!

Here he is in all his little festive glory ready to come to work with me tomorrow to be used as a sample of what we will be creating. I actually used the FaLaLa cartridge for the Slice machine to create the template for this proving just how versatile a die cutting machine can be!!!



Also doing "Thongs" tomorrow night lol, well teaching how to work with cord and thong anyway and also a little bit of macrame...just what you need at the end of the day a nice complicated knotting patern...muwahahahaha!!!



If you happened to walk into my studio at the moment you would swear I had been robbed, the only clue to suggest otherwise is that my Cricuts are still there....





Yep it still looks like that too and I have to tidy it before I go to bed because half of what I need for my lessons tomorrow is all over my desk and the floor...I even had the cheek to lecture the girls earlier about the state of their bedroom, which now looks like every fairy from fairyland went in and waved their magic wands....I am a terrible example but luckily the girls are in bed so havent actually seen my "creative disarray"

OOOOOH and look what I have got



No its not a sexy new purse, its my new tool kit.....



Picked it up today from The Bead Shop in Manchester....have seen it advertised in a couple of magazines and obviously I need a decent kit, the pliers in this are all box jointed and are fabulous to work with and they are pink!!!

Off to try and create at my desk...wish me luck, my mission should I chose to accept it and all that!!!

Toy Story...

...I loved that film when it came out, Toy Story 2 is just as good, especially the "outtakes" at the end of the DVD...that is the great thing about having kids, you get to watch all the Disney films and not look like a complete Muppet in the cinema...although the Toy I am referring to is my new one...
...Ooh baby
...its been plugged in
...stroked
...and
...played with

I got the whole family now look....



This is the Mummy Cricut...The Create (please excuse the state of my desk...it is a tip and really needs a thorough sort out...that's the job for this weekend...honest)

I already have the Baby and the Daddy and now my little Cricut family is complete...as a Demonstrator I have to be able to demonstrate either one of the three which is why I need them all...I am not complaining though, they are all fabulous, ingenious little machines and I wouldn`t be without either one of them.

I will be demonstrating the Cricut in Lancaster at Cardcraft UK in November, check out their site here for more details.

Have a couple of pictures of some of my samples from the weekend that I thought I would share, got the chance to use some of the new release Cuttlebug embossing folders and Basic Grey Wassail, although released last year it is still a very popular paper collection this year, I love it too, good quality, gorgeous designs but keeping with a traditional theme...

Little topper ready to mount on a card...



Card using one of the new Kars Brass stencils...

12x12 layout of Mia using the advent embossing folder and wassail....



Okay...have worked six days on the run...I am wrecked, but at least I can honestly say I love my jobs...both of them...however I have a day off tomorrow and I really can`t wait, can feel a retail therapy day in Manchester coming on but for now I need to sleep...and may have to borrow Mia`s eye mask as its is just so cool.....

...and how cute is that...and yes she really was asleep how sweet does she look...I even have the scrapbook layout planned...Is that sad or dedicated?

Well, Ah'll go to t’foot of ahr stairs...

...Is apparently number five in the top ten Yorkshire sayings!!!

Well I have spent the whole weekend in Yorkshire and I spoke to many Yorkies (is that what they are called lol) and I didn`t hear that once...But would like to say that although not all of them drink Yorkshire tea lol they are a friendly and hospitable bunch...and I have decided even though I am a city girl at heart I love Yorkshire.

Had the most amazing weekend working for Kars demonstrating this...



For Samuel Taylor

Stayed for the whole weekend in a hotel, could get used to hotel living I think, no housework, no kids and and total and utter peace...honestly Skipton is so quiet...that quiet even when I was outside the hotel having a crafty smoke a little bunny hopped past me...stunned because we don`t have many rabbits in Warrington, well I presume we do in hutches but...well you get my point. Met lots of lovely people too, fellow demonstrators and hundreds of crafters and just had the loveliest time.

So that is the reason I have been such a terrible blogger recently...been busy making demonstration samples, have the next couple of weekends off from Demonstrating although my timetable looks pretty busy for the college.

So off now to plan some more classes and try and plough through the housework that built up whilst I was away...fairies missed me again!!!

Weekend...wow what a weekend!!!

Celebrated the beginning of the weekend as I do best...

Partying!!!

Oh yeah, hit the streets of Manchester...in the dark... to watch my Selfish Lovers perform and what a performance, the best ever so far I reckon, then we all came back to Warrington to dance baby dance, the evening was a little emotional though as we lost a really good friend last Saturday and the evening was dedicated to him...honestly though he would have loved it and was probably looking down on us all...RIP Jim love you man xxxxx

So finally arrived home at about 4am Saturday morning...in true rock and roll style...hit the quilt only to be rudely awakened by the Argos delivery men with Jack`s new mattress at 7am, then the postie knocked on my door at 9am...can`t handle this rock and roll lifestyle if the world around me wont let me have a lie in!!!

Then...and wait til you hear this, Went into town to buy new quilts for the boys and thought may as well buy new bedding too...which meant a new blind to match and some curtains and then thought may as well redecorate their bedroom while I am at it...so I did, started at 4pm and finally finished at about 10pm last night, looks "mint" though...I would have loved a bedroom like that when I was a teen, white walls, black blind, curtains and bedding....very teen looking, Harry loves it, Jack has yet to pass opinion as he is not home yet!!!

So after that was planning to chill out today, enjoy the last of the peace as the girls stayed at the grandparents all weekend (thanks Mum and Dad btw)...but had to get all my lesson planning done today...Job done...

Christmas Crafts class tomorrow...
Funky Tree decorations....



Scrapbooking class for Tuesday....
Using corrugated card, hidden pockets and paper tearing...

Jewellery class for Thursday...

Using chain and beadalon and some gorgeous handmade beads mmmmm....

So that's me all organised for my teaching this week, scary or what but and its a really big but...I have to work all next weekend...no nights out, working all day Saturday and Sunday at Samuel Taylor and am so looking forward to it but have to work every night this week making samples for that so it is a good job I am so organised!!!

Okay so the weekend is almost over and just had to leave you with this gorgeous picture....I am a little biased obviously...of Mia in her new winter coat...



Isn't she the cutest!!!