Under Pressure!!!

I have had a lovely day off work today, how nice is that one day in work then a day off...total bliss, headed my little self to Manchester and spent a good while here picking up bits and pieces for my classes, finally got hold of some Gel wax to make gel candles...you know the ones that look like jelly and have little shells and glitter embedded in them, I am teaching this on Thursday and had a bit of a panic on as to how I was going to get hold of the gel at such short notice...hey I work so much better under pressure, which is damn lucky because I have a Jewellery making workshop tomorrow and until an hour ago I did not even have a piece of jewellery designed to teach!!!

Job done, have been sat checking emails and designing a gorgeous bracelet...multitasking...can`t beat it, so I will upload a picture tomorrow as the light is pants here now and for those ladies...and gent...in my class tomorrow...panic over!!!

Off to pour myself a very nicely chilled, well deserved glass of wine!!!

Monday Maunderings!!!

Okay I think I am suffering from a mild case of narcolepsy!!! I keep nodding off...literally only for ten or fifteen minutes at a time but It has happened a few times today...luckily not while I was teaching!!! What is going on with my mixed up body clock...it is certainly not running on GMT at the moment, wide awake in the middle of the night when its pitch black and snoring...apparantly according to Ella, I do believe she was lying though ;-)...at 4pm when it is still daylight!!!

So in the hope it will help me sleep tonight I spent 50minutes on Wii fit doing Aerobic exercises this evening...Rhythm Boxing, Hula, Step and Jogging and never mind Wii Fit I am quite literally Wii Knackered...and have possibly pulled several muscles, that until now I never even knew existed, whilst trying to beat my pesonal best on the Hula Hoop!!!

So it`s quite convenient that I have the day off tomorrow as it is unlikely that I am going to be able to move much although I do have to buy a new pair of jeans so will have to contort myself in tiny changing rooms no doubt...only four more sleeps until I go to Blackpool...and I need new jeans and maybe new shoes and most definately thermal underwear...Oh the shame of it!!!

Off now to decide how many pairs of shoes I can fit into my suitcase and to find out whether my hair straighteners will fit inside my cowboy boots...got to space save where you can!!!

Sunday...The Legal Day of Rest...

...Oh yes, even though I slept really badly last night and have been up since the cock crows...well we don`t have that many cocks crowing in Warrington but you get my drift...I have had a lovely day of rest today!!!

Was chatting with the girlies this morning and discovered that when they were at the Grandparents house yesterday Ella tied Mia to Grandma`s Zimmer frame...laugh, I had tears rolling down my cheeks...I found that really funny, must be my sick sense of humour!!!

Have completed this card today...shhh...Mia`s birthday is in March and I think this will be her card...fits in really well with this weeks challenge over at Magnolia Vs Stampavie I am so in love with the Magnolia stamps at the moment...can you tell...and especially water colouring them. The challenge was to use two different stamps...lovely cute Tilda and the bench.

So off to enjoy the rest of Sunday and to count down how many sleeps left until Blackpool!!!

Unwinding at the weekend...

....Totally chilling, I really have never appreciated the weekend as much as I do now I am working every day during the week...and what a week, the kids have all been ill, I have not been sleeping and I have not had a single day off!!!

Got up early though, because my sleeping is still not quite right but then spent the whole morning chilling, spent time online then sat and watched The Devil Wears Prada with Ella, what a cracking film too, Meryl Streep is the ultimate Ice Queen in this.

This afternoon I went into town to treat myself...and came home with two books on candlemaking...for work... and some moisturiser, not even the 70% off sale in Jane Norman could tempt me!!!

Have spent this evening catching up on some cardmaking though...not made cards since Christmas and have lots of birthdays in the next few weeks so combined them with some challenges.

This card is based on this weeks sketch over at Sketch Saturday which works really well with the gorgeous Tilda stamp I watercoloured and also the Basic Grey recipe challenge which was to use 2 Patterned papers, 1 Button, 1 Ribbon and Bow and 3 Brads...I cheated slightly and used a button brad as one of my brads!!!

Also made this card which fits in with this weeks challenge over at Secret Crafter also another recipe challenge: 1,2,3...1 image, 2 papers and 3 embellishments.

and just for fun I made this card...

Off now to hit the pillows and duvet!!!

Wednesday Whitterings!!!

A little late blogging tonight I have a really good excuse though...Honest...had a bit of a tidy up of my desk earlier on, bought a new drawer set from Ikea on Saturday for all my bits and bobs and needed to fit it in somewhere, so I was hauling through my ever increasing craft stash and I found a whole load of Tilda stamped images that someone had very kindly sent me and I have spent the entire evening sat colouring them with my watercolours...see I told you it was a good excuse!!! Just have to transform them into cards now but I think I managed to watercolour five of them...god that's so relaxing, I could have sat at my desk all night doing that but I have to teach tomorrow and need at least a couple of hours sleep before then!!!

So thought I would show you the before and after photos of my desk, taken about 30 minutes apart earlier on, unfortunately it doesn't look that tidy anymore but beautiful things are created from chaos...that`s my excuse and I am sticking to it!!!

Before...a little bit of a mess!!!

And after...very tidy!!!

Still not sleeping very well, hoping that because I am up a bit later I will collapse into bed and sleep for a decent chunk of time tonight, although all around me are ill...I am surrounded by sick bugs floating through the air trying to attack me...I have tried to protect myself all evening from the onslaught of little bugs but I am anticipating being up in the night with at least one of the kids!!!

Ooh and before I go the photo prompt over at her space my space is aroma...now that is a good prompt...capturing an aroma in a photograph...hope I have managed it with my Mum`s Bread Pudding!!!

Off to make hot chocolate with bailey`s...have been told its a perfect cure for insomnia!!!

Think I found My Cure fo Insomnia...

Just googled this, like I said for harry`s homework!!!

WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?

The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air.
However, much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue.

As you look closer to the horizon, the sky appears much paler in color. To reach you, the scattered blue light must pass through more air. Some of it gets scattered away again in other directions. Less blue light reaches your eyes. The color of the sky near the horizon appears paler or white.

So now you know!!!

Fruity Humbleness!!!

The photo prompt today at Her Space My Space is Fruit...now I am not really a big fruit lover unless it is in the crushed grape variety!!! But I do love Halloween and took a before photo of the pumpkin that I carved for one of my friends so here is my fruity photo...and yes I did google pumpkin first just to double check it was a fruit...!!!

Had one of those crazy days today, teaching a workshop this morning and had a couple of ladies in who are also friends and we were chatting about kids and life and one of them, who is in her seventies but very sprightly, told me a really upsetting story, not going to go into details because I felt privileged that she felt she could share this with me but it did upset me and her and we shared a little tear and a hug together...see hugs are good...anyway this remarkable lady has had several strokes and is amazing and I really enjoy her lively company, she also attends a craft club that I occasionally go to when I am not working. Anyway she asked me to go this afternoon for some cake...I am one of those truly horrible people who can eat shite and stay in size 8 jeans...sorry...and all my ladies know this and make sure there is an abundance of biscuits, mainly jaffa cakes, on supply when I teach...so anyway I said I would join them when I finished work and I headed straight there for mmm strawberry gateaux... omg...total heaven, anyway when I arrived my lady pulled me to one side and asked me if I was okay as I was not my usual bubbly self...This wonderful amazing lady who is twice my age and has been through such pain and heartache had noticed that I was not myself...I felt so touched and humbled...obviously the fact that I am suffering from insomnia is affecting me more than I thought.

So it has put me in one of those strange moods tonight I am determined to sleep sleep sleep...if only to get back to my bubbly self...off now to google why is the sky blue...Harry`s homework!!!

Love to Hug...

...is the title of the layout I completed today, and who doesn`t love a hug, to feel arms of someone who cares wrapped around you, my favourite hugs are those from my kids, you know why...because I am not sure how much longer they will last...even now Harry will only hug me if he is certain nobody is looking, the others are pretty generous with their hugs although I have started to cherish them more and more as they become less likely to do it in front of their friends...all part of watching my kids growing up I suppose!!!

Sorry for the pants picture but the light is awful...roll on summer!!!



Can`t believe I have managed two blog posts in one day, I can so tell you are all impressed...yes I can.

I did however have to endure Jack telling me some pretty awful jokes this evening though and thought why should I be the only one to suffer, the sad thing was he really thought he was funny and totally ignored me when I told him to go away while I was trying to chop garlic and vegetables for the Spaghetti Bolognase...just one more Mum and then proceeded to tell me one more...such as whats green and sits in a corner...do you give in...a stupid frog!!! How the hell do you react to a joke like that, apart from to threaten your almost 16 year old with the men in white coats...to which he replies knock knock...and yes I totally fell for it and said who`s there and he said No one!!! That's when I told him if he didn`t get out of my kitchen I would hit him with a wet tea towel...

Do they tell you you will have to put up with things like this when you find out you are pregnant...No I can assure you they don`t, or the fact that your 15 year old borrows £10 for phone credit and then forgets to pay you back or that they are insisting that you cut their hair for them in some crazy style...which is what I have to do in a minute...can you feel my pain!!! I love him really, even though he still owes me £10!!!

So after listening to Jack...who now thinks he is the new Alan Carr, tell me awful jokes, watching Mia perform a "play" on how to get ready for school...hmmm shame she isn`t that organised in the morning and scoring 100% in the Guitar solo of Killers When We Were Young I am so ready to kick back and chill...that will be after I have done my Nicky Clarke impersonation on Jacks hair then!!!

Instruct...

Is the prompt over at her space my space, not taken part in this yet this year so thought I would play along...Funnily enough I am teaching this afternoon and I am taking my camera as the college has asked me for some photographs as evidence for an open day that I am going to be involved in.

But then I remembered this photograph from Boxing Day...Ella "Instructing" Grandad on the Nintendo DS...My Dad is a gadget freak, that's where I get it from I think but unlike me he doesn`t read instruction books...Dad get the manual out that way you wont have to ask me or Daniel how to do something!!! So within about twenty four hours I think My Dad had gone out and bought a DS...that's to go with his I pod, lap top, digital camera, photo printer, camcorder and electronic blood pressure monitor to name but a few things!!!

Christ if he ever set eyes on a Sony Ebook I know he would have one before me!!! Love you really Dad you just make me laugh!!!

And here is another...yep 12 x 12 layout...staring my little gadget freak, Harry...Photo taken on Christmas day and the journaling reads...Hair Gelled (I am still not convinced that is spelt right), smart top can only mean one thing...Harry lives in tracksuits and football shirts so it is lovely to see him dressed up!!! I am loving these papers as well, only bought them on Saturday they are by Daisy Bucket and double sided, I think they are called Boardwalk but they are so great for male layouts.

Off now to make me some Marmite on toast...I love marmite mmmmmmmmmmmm and if you are a fellow lover check out this site

Sleepless in...Warrington!!!

Can`t believe I have only blogged once since last Sunday...god I have spared you all the latest waffle for almost a week, haven`t even got much to whitter about tonight really either I am all work and no play at the moment, and my dreaded horrible mind numbing insomnia is back, have been suffering for about a week so have been pretty brain dead in the evenings too.

Why is it when you are laying in bed between the hours of two and five in the morning wide awake listening to everyone snore in stereo...by god my kids are snorers too... sounds like a bloody farm yard in my house at that time of night...you have absolutely no motivation to get up and do anything but by six in the evening you are so completely wiped out and you have loads to do and struggle physically and emotionally to get through it...I really should get up in the early hours and get everything done then...maybe I will start doing that...or maybe not!!!

Not been able to go on the Wii this week either which is killing me...had to buy one of those one for all remotes a few months ago because Mia knocked the TV remote off the arm of the couch and broke it...well someone has done that again with the new one...nobody has owned up yet though!!! So we can`t switch the TV over to the AV channel to get the Wii to work...Arggghhh...was having Guitar Rockband withdrawal on Friday evening so Harry and I set it up in his bedroom which is about 3inches square...well it is a bit bigger but we couldn`t "Rock" properly...there is no way I will be able to get Wii fit in there!!! Luckily have a new TV coming this week so all will be back to Wii normal!!!

Have completed four layouts this week, from some of the photographs I took over Christmas, bit weird getting Christmas papers out when all the festivities are over though, nice to remember what a lovely time we had though, have stuck at the 12 x 12 layout size too, I am really enjoying working to this size and even bagged myself a bargain £6 12 x 12 album this week.

Angel...Mia in her School Nativity

SnowDay...Twenty minutes of snow...went outside to put some rubbish in the bin and ran back in to get the kids into their coats and hats and the camera...snow had gone within twenty minutes!!!

Christmas Angel...Mia in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

Cherish...Me and my Girls Posing for Grandad!!!

Off now to lay in a bath filled with the oil of twenty thousand lavender heads drinking from a glass of Pinot from the finest Italian Vineyard and if that doesn't knock me out and make me sleep I don't know what will!!!

I am a cover Girl!!!

....Well I wish I really was but one of my designs made the cover of this months Papercraft Inspirations Magazine...OMG...How cool is that, this time last year I had never had any of my work published and now I have a little spot on the cover Yeah me!!!

The little turquoise gift bag right in the centre of the Magazine is mine!!!

I did a feature on the Bazzil stitching templates, they were so lovely to use and everyone who knows me will know that I love stitching, both real and doodled, on cards, so the feature really suited me and I combined them with some gorgeous Daisy Bucket papers in colours that I adore. Here is the feature...think it is on sale later this week.

Here is a little card I have made for a workshop I am teaching at Edwin Allen next week too, using a adorable little Tilda stamp, I really did not like these stamps when they first came out but they have really grown on me and I would love the full collection, how cool would that be.

Off now to have a celebratory glass of wine!!!

Pin Pals!!!

Been Bowling today...my first time ever...no longer a bowling virgin!

Was invited by a friend as it was her birthday and had originally said no as I had loads of paperwork to do then I thought sod it, Its Sunday and off we went!

I can`t believe I got to the age I am without ever having been bowling before but I did it today...well I say I did it, I wore the very sexy shoes (!) I picked up the very heavy ball and I threw it at the pins...I don`t think bowling is my sport...unless its on Wii Sports...then I rock, although I do remember putting my back out doing that last year...yes I know!!!

My little bowling buddies

Hmm not sure about the shoes!!!

And rather embarrassingly I have to admit defeat and confess that the kids are better than me...even Mia scored the same points as me and she just rolled the ball down the lane, and I broke a fingernail, got my thumb stuck in one of the holes in the balls and trapped my finger between two balls...ouch...that really hurt.

Do love this picture though


We also went on the dodgems...now that is fun and I can at least drive a dodgem...Mia came in my car with me and did not stop laughing the whole time we were in them...crashing into everyone...god that should be some sort of therapy...had a bad day book half an hour in the dodgems...stress gone!!!

So although we had a great day my uncompleted paperwork still sits on the corner of my desk poking its tongue out at me and making evil muwahaha noises every time I mistakenly glance over at it...perhaps if I leave it tiny little fairies will come into my house and amazingly complete it for me...failing that my insomnia is back with a vengeance so I will probably be doing it at 3am in the hope it bores me enough to fall back asleep!!!

All Work and Hardly any Play...

...Has been the norm for me this week hence the distinct lack of blogging, crafting and generally messing on the PC!!!

I am back at work, running six courses for my local college, decorating...yep I managed to hang that wallpaper and did not even need the double sided tape, my Dad (who used to be a painter and decorator) even inspected it today and gave me the thumbs up, and the general dull day to day mundane housework means I have had little time to myself...ooh apart from the best shopping trip to Manchester on Thursday where I managed to pick up this little bargain in WH Smiths. I have wanted this book since I saw it reviewed last year because it looked so fun and entertaining...all Hail Trinny and Susanna...got this for £5...was going to pay £20 for it just before Christmas...so glad I waited, see good things do come to those who wait. The book is fabulous, really entertaining and beautifully photographed, written really well too and a must for any follower of fashion!!!

Like I said I have started teaching again for the College, running six courses that have been so fun this week, despite the extortionate amount of paperwork I have to plough through, I have met some really funny and friendly people and I am also back working in the mental health department too, which I absolutely love and am really pleased about, and I am hoping more of this work will come up in the future.

OOOH and I am going on holiday...well I say holiday...it is a weekend away, in a hotel at the sea side but in three weeks in Blackpool!!! It is going to be soooooooooo cold I just know it!!! I will definitely have to pack my thermals I think...not sure what Trinny and Susanna would say about that but I need to be warm because I am planning lots of time on the beach. I love beaches, and it has been a while since I have been to one, a good few years, I love looking out to sea and the way the sun reflects off the water I could look at water forever, it is so relaxing, I really do love to be near water. I am going to take loads of photos and possibly buy a really tacky kiss me quick hat...there is a group of us going...all girlies so whatever the weather there are certainly going to be lots of laughs and quite possibly copious amounts of alcohol too!!!

Hoping for sunny skies like this...




Okay it`s Saturday night and I can feel a stint on Rockband coming on, Yep I still rock at the guitar although thankfully the Slipknot Top is safely back in Jack`s wardrobe!!!

Bright Ideas!!!

You know when you wake up in the morning and have one of those "Bright Ideas"

Know what mine was today...to redecorate...my whole house needs doing, it has been so neglected over the last year or so what with one thing or another...so I am slowly...very slowly going to work my way through...Top to Bottom as they say.

So managed to paint the bathroom ceiling today and do all the paintwork in there, going to buy some wallpaper tomorrow and hang that...wish me luck, never hung wallpaper before but if all else fails I can always get the double sided tape out!!!

I also finally finished laying the lino that I started laying about a year ago and left to "walk in" ha, it never did but I can highly recommend an exacto knife to cut lino...bloody blade wont cut anything now, It was already blunt enough!!!

Finally completed a layout of Mia last night that I have been working on for a few days...saw the idea in a mag and wanted to have a go, going to teach this next week on my scrapbooking class at Edwin Allen too.

The pictures are not that hot but the light has been pants today...

The journaling around the circle reads...

"When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time in my Nan and Grandads garden, making up stories and playing make believe games, picking flowers having fun..."

The circle opens out to reveal another Picture and some more journaling... Which reads...

"watching and listening to you in the garden reminds me of happy childhood memories...making daisy chains and picking flowers for my Nan"

Also bought myself one of those "decorate yourself calenders...hmm... cost a fortune and I have to decorate it myself...bit ironic as all the calendars are now half price in the shops!!! But am running a "Calender Club" at Edwin Allen throughout the year...no not naughty pics with carefully places 12 x 12 papers, punches or card, although we did discuss this!!! No a club for my regular ladies to decorate a calendar page a month...and then they have a lovely keepsake at the end of the year.

So here is my January page...

And I have been "On Tour" tonight with my band...On the Wii Rock band that is...Jack insisted that we not only play but had to dress up like Rock Stars too which explains why I am wearing his Slipknot T shirt and have scary Rock Star hair...complete with Insette hairspray...ooh that was a blast from the past, my bedroom smelt of that stuff when I was a teenager!!!

I am off now to massage my guitar playing hands and wash this crap out of my hair!!!

Rant Alert!!!!!

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!!!

I am having one of those evenings tonight where absolutely everything I touch goes wrong...I have just spilt half a bottle of 3D glaze onto my craft mat and that was the straw that broke the camels proverbial bloody back!!!

This is after my craft knife wont bloody cut anything and I cant find any spare blades...I know I have some somewhere, I have run out of my beloved Blue glue...sounds really sad but I really love blue glue and use it all the time and PVA is just not the same and I put my double sided tape down on top of my open box of chalk and now all the little applicators are stuck to it!!!

1..2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10....Okay I am calmer now!!!

Had a great day today though, started teaching another jewellery course at my local community centre, and it was so good to be back at work...does that sound sad too...I love work and after being off for two weeks with the kids arguing over Rockband and Wii Fit it was so nice to have adults to converse with again!!!

And the kids are back at school tomorrow...finally feels like they have been off forever, I don`t ever remember having as much time off as a kid as they do. So packed lunches are made, uniforms are cleaned and ironed, school bags are ready, all I need now is to wake up on time!!!

I am off now to clean up the 3D glaze of my craft mat and try not to cry into my PVA!!!

De Glittered and De Christmased!!!

Yep...Tree is down and packed up in the loft with all the other decorations and the bloody glitter!!!

Managed to break my hoover earlier in the week so had to go out and buy a new one, got one of the bag less ones...yuck how disgusting is that being able to see all your dust and hair mixed with glitter...lots and lots of glitter!!!

So I feel like I have been hoovering for hours and I can still see specks of the stuff that's it though until December...NO MORE GLITTER!!!

The house looks really bare though, had to fill the living room with the Rockband Instruments for the Wii just to make it look lived in...Oh and I Rock on the Guitar...I am officially a Guitar Rock Legend...simple things huh!!!

I realised last night that although I have five new courses starting next week and I still have to plan and prepare these...Gulp...I am not back in Edwin Allen until the week after so I have two days off next week...Yeah!!!

Managed to complete this layout this morning...been up since silly o clock again, that will teach me for sleeping for most of the day yesterday...this layout has been sat on my desk waiting to be finished for most of Christmas!!!

And this is a layout I completed just before Christmas but whenever I tried to photograph it it said uh oh!!!

Off now to fight over the guitar with the Kids...muwahahahaha!!!!