He made the News.......

...............Jack!!!

At 5pm tonight we all watched Jack on the Television, he had been selected to be interviewed by Sky News at Warrington Collegiate today in response to the proposed cuts in student`s EMA payments, Jack believes that EMA allocation should not be based on parents income (he doesn`t receive it) but that students should receive travel and equipment resources, currently he relies on a part time job for his funding, and he came across as articulate and confident...so proud of my little guy.....look.....

Not sure that he is going to be able to deal with the fame, we keep asking him for autographs!!!

And after all that excitement I had to sit down and relax so I made this little pretty with some gorgeous crystals and pearls, I am really liking pearls at the moment...not so much that you could call me a Pearly Queen, more a Pearly Princess, I am loving the whole vintage jeweled look and am running out of arm for my pearly bracelets!!!

I am off to fashion a V.I.P star for Jack`s bedroom door!!!

Blackberry Bathtime!!!

I had a little accident this morning involving a Blackberry and a bath...you can pretty much guess the rest...its currently drying out on the radiator...luckily I got the back off and the battery and sim out straight away before too much damage could be done, I know it still works because I sneaked a peek about an hour ago and to my amazement its okay, a little water damage to the screen but considering it had a good soaking I am impressed with Blackberry technology!!!

I'm also impressed with Ipod too...I finally went wireless yesterday...I know I was probably the only person in the world without a wireless Internet connection, so I am all geeked up now and managed to install it almost by myself with a little phone support and now can access the Internet on my Ipod....sad aren't I!!!

I have a card making class on Thursday and my students wanted to do valentine cards...so here is a heat embossed card that I whipped up this afternoon...

Off to tend to the Sunday roast mmmm and marvel at my lil Blackberry!!!

Midweek Mutterings!!!

So it is Wednesday and we are halfway through the week and I am six classes down three to go, but I am bone weary tired, don`t get me wrong I have had a fabulous week: I have met some wonderful new learners, caught up with some familiar faces and managed to successfully teach all the lessons I had planned...which is always a bonus but I am so tired I am planning on hitting the quilt in pure indulgence with a glass of wine and a box of chocolates and my blackberry close to hand so I can text the kids should I need anything...obviously they will stay up because to them an 8pm bedtime means punishment!!!

I did however come home today to these little pretties...sent to me from Kars for my next lot of Demos....

These Creatable`s work in all manual Die Cutting Machines and are so intricate and detailed and when die cut they produce that lovely bevelled edge that manual die cutters give...I cant wait to have a play with these at the weekend...

Birdcages....

Birds...

3Dimensional flower templates...

Gorgeous frame...

Off to hunt out the last of the Christmas chocolates!!!

I`m Ready...

...My bags are backed and I am ready to go, I found "Work Clothes" under a pile of jeans and jumpers, my paperwork is all ready and my timetable printed out so I don`t meet myself coming backwards this week...Back to work...only for five weeks then I have two weeks off, I love my job, and I have also managed to sneak in a day off a week too so I am only working Monday to Thursday until my demo's start again.

A couple of people have asked me about the classes I teach so here is my timetable for the next five weeks, the classes are run by Warrington Collegiate, and are free if you are in receipt of certain benefits, otherwise they cost £30 for the five weeks, most materials are provided although you may be asked to bring something particular in for a session, for example in a couple of weeks I am teaching the canvas wall art I posted a couple of days ago so I would ask my students to bring in their own canvases.

My timetable is...

Monday 6.30-8.30pm: Jewellery making at Great Sankey High School.

Tuesday 1-3pm: Scrapbooking at Fairfield and Howley Community Project.

Thursday 1-3pm: Card Craft at Museum Street Campus

Thursday 6.30-8.30pm: Jewellery making at Orford Day Centre

The rest of my classes are referral only, here are some of the other course the college is offering.

Made this little gift box last night, it only measures about 4 inches and nestled inside is a birthday gift for someone....told you I was organised this particular birthday is not for another couple of months...

Off now to laze about for one last evening!!!

Saturday`s Dilemma...

....Okay so if you are very good and very bad in one day does the good cancel out the bad!!!

I will start with the bad...I was supposed to be doing the weekly food shop, you know descending on the aisles of Asda living through the torture of a dodgy trolley wheel, several thousand people greeting each other in the MIDDLE of the bloody Aisles, and kids running riot everywhere...however I slipped into TKMaxx before I could muster up the courage to place my pound in the trolley.

and look what I got....

Nestled in that cute retro plastic shopping basket is an 8x8 scrapbook album lots of papers, die cuts, letters and bling...all for an incredible £4.00...!!!

Then my beady crafty eyes spotted these We Are Memory K page kits....

Not sure of everything that's in them yet as I haven't opened them to stroke the papers yet, I am saving myself until after tea...but they were only £3.00 each!!!

And finally this...which just reminded me of Mia....

And was a bargain £2.00

So if you love a bargain get yourself down to your nearest TKMaxx for scrummy drooly stash!!!

Okay so that was my bad now for my good...after negotiating my trolley around the awful aisles of hell on earth, I mean Asda, I got myself a Christmas Saver Card!!! I know I feel all sort of grown up and responsible, I have never saved for Christmas before but am planning to whack a couple of quid on it every week just to make this years festive season a little easier on the pocket, I have also picked up a couple of birthday gifts in the sales and wrapping paper too, tell you this is the time to do your Christmas shopping, I am going to be one of those awfully smug people that by October say oh yes darling I have all my gifts and they are all wrapped and ready!!! Or maybe not!!!

I am off now to stroke my lovely new papers and flick through the Christmas Magnolia magazine that arrived yesterday before the kids drag me on Just Dance!!!

Oh just to let you know that said Magazine has had a price increase to £7.99....shocking but if you head over to Craft Obsessions they are selling it at the original price of £6.99...I have just ordered my copy.

Its Friday....

...and I want to say wow I got that Friday feeling but all I can think of is I only have two days then I am back at work...I love my job don't get me wrong, really love it, but I have had FOUR weeks off work and I have so got used to being at home, I say being at home what I really mean is shopping, and I want to decorate my hallway apple green and work some magic on the rest of my house...well actually I don`t, I want Laurence Llewelyn Bowen and his team to come and work some magic and make my house beautiful and colourful instead of beige and boring whilst I am at work and while he is inside I want Alan Titchmarsh and his gang to come and work the outside while Trinny and Susannah are clearing out and re-organising my wardrobe and Jamie is cooking me enough 30 minute meals to last me a lifetime... don't want much do I!!! But just how weird would that be if all those makeover marvels were there to greet you with their bubbliness when you came home from work and all you wanted was a cup of coffee and a cigarette!!!

Made this card last night for my Card making class...Quilling...I know!!!

X-Cut have some amazing new quilling dies that work perfectly with the Cuttlebug and had a couple of these for a while but finally got round to having a play with them...

And I am a little bit excited...because this came today....

Had a quick peek and it looks beautiful and I cant wait to have a play with that...got to love Online January sales.

Off now to email Lawrence, Alan, Trinny, Susannah and Jamie!!!

Landing Lights!!!

Well Hallway to be precise but you get my drift...spent the day shopping for the house today and got myself some cracking little bargains including this gorgeous chandelier style lampshade which sparkles beautifully...

So along with that I bought some Black filigree panelling to hang on the outside of the dining room door...facing into the hallway, a new doormat and some big fat fake black Gerberas.....looking very funky now but a little shabby...not shabby chic either shabby screaming I need a paint job shabby...I have asked the kids what colour they think and not too impressed with Harry's suggestion of grey...so I think I will decide then at least I can say I consulted them...Im thinking a nice fresh apple green to go with my striking new black accessories!!!

Spent a little more time Lesson Planning last night, I am very nearly done now, I don't think I have ever spent this long planning before but all my courses are brand spanking sparkling new ones...

This is a basic stamping and watercolouring card for my card making course...

And this is a basic vintage page for my scrapbooking class...the photograph is of my Nan and Grandad on their wedding day not sure of the year but their anniversary was on Boxing day, going to have to check with my Dad on that one.

Going to have a mooch on the Dulux website now and try to convince Harry that Green was his idea!!!

Sleepless in...Warrington!!!

Two nights of chronic insomnia are finally taking their toll, I could fall asleep standing up right at this moment yet if I go to bed you can bet your bottom Dollar....Or last quid...that I will lay there tossing and turning listening to the noises of the night...mainly cats and dogs where I live...willing sleep to come only when it does to be disturbed by my insanely loud Blackberry alarm, that not only wakes me but half of Warrington, and thinking and feeling that I certainly didn`t get in my eight hours!!!

However I have been productive and actually got out of bed whilst suffering this latest episode of sleeplessness...I have almost completed my lesson planning for the next term...I am teaching 45 classes for the college between now and the February break and I have 31 of them planned and prepared for...I know shock...I`m actually organised, I have even wrote my lesson aims and objectives!!!

Here is a couple of cards I am going to be teaching to Adults with Learning Difficulties in a basic Craft class...Iris folding and Tea Bag folding...wow took me back a couple of years I can tell you, It has been a while since I did either of those but actually rather enjoyed it...shhhh!!!

Tea Bag folded gate fold card....

Iris Folded card...couldn`t resist putting a little Tilda on there...

And a layout for my Scrapbooking class, using glitter, acrylic paint and chipboard...pretty brave for me because I HATE glitter, but it looks so pretty ...

Got another day of lesson planning tomorrow but had a nice day today shopping in Manchester, mainly for class supplies but it was nice to wander round the shops without getting elbowed by bargain hunters or my toes run over by granny shopping trolleys, I love the Sales!!!

We very Nearly....

...Had a "Snow Day" today, it was this time last year that the country stood still for a week...remember...So it was slightly amusing this morning to wake up and find someone had very gently sieved snow over Warrington...what was funny was waking Harry up telling him it had snowed and then listening to his reaction when looking out the window...(not happy)... obviously he too was anticipating a snow day...despite that all my little guys looked so smart and happy this morning...albeit a little early....but they seemed quite happy to pose for me...

We all managed to leave the house by 8.30am in a flurry of hair product, girlie and guy smellie stuff and the poor hair straighteners begging for a rest...and the great thing, we get to do it all again tomorrow morning!!!

Its a Wrap....

...Quite literally in two senses....

My ever increasingly beautiful Mia eating tea...A wrap...

And the kids are all back at school/college tomorrow...so that's it the Christmas holidays are officially over... what's that...oh yeah I forgot....I still have four days off with no children muwahahaha, they are not happy about that I can tell you but hey there's nothing I can do to alleviate their pain apart from send them back to school with Walkers crisps instead of Asda Smart Price and Sandwiches made from Warburton`s and not that see through cheap stuff that pretends to be bread...somehow I really don't think that this will make the pain any easier to bear when they have to get up at 7am but hey I tried!!!

I completed another two layouts last night, sat up until the early hours again, I cant believe that I have to go to bed before midnight tonight my body clock is going to well and truly ticked off when I am up before brunch time tomorrow...

Harry and I from the day out in Blackpool we had on my Birthday...

And my Boys being Boys in Liverpool in the Summer....

I completed this challenge after visiting The Colour Room yesterday and loved the latest challenge colour scheme, it suited this picture taken in the summer so well too.

Okay that's me done, with the lunch-boxes all prepared, the uniforms all clean and ironed and various different Sports kits distributed to the right child in the right bag....I`m off to French Manicure Ella`s nails(!!!)... Sometimes I`m sure I have "MUG" stamped on my head!!!

It may be the New Year but....

...I`ve had one of those funny "old days"...New year or not!!!

I have spent the entire day Lesson Planning for next term but haven`t actually achieved much, normally if I sit down for a couple of hours I can have my entire course outlines wrote and have an idea of each lesson plan...but pah...nothing...I`m about half done which is not good as I wanted a couple of days next week to enjoy the last of my holiday but looks like I am going to have to spend another day at it tomorrow...:-(

Did manage to finish this layout, started it last night just before I got my backside kicked by Ella on Just Dance!!!

And made this card using my new Paisley Cricut Cartridge...how cute is that little doll...

This is however for one of my lessons next term...little shabby chic heart with buttons sewn on trimmed with lace, ribbon and a pearl pin and scented with lavender...sweet or what...

And this is for another class...a canvas wall art, using all "up-cycled" or found objects and materials...I quite like this and am thinking of hanging it on the wall with the little heart next to it on a shabby style hook...well until my lesson anyway...

I`m off for mince pies, custard and cream...before they go out of date...honest ;-)

Is this the Beginning...

...Of things to come? I spent the day "Spring Cleaning" and its not even Spring!!!

I have de-Christmassed the house, there is no more sparkle, no glitter and the Decs are all stored back up in the loft until next year...So that's it then... Definitely all over for another year and I am starting to worry myself by considering saving for shopping vouchers and heading to the sales for Christmas cards and Wrapping paper!!! That wont last thought I can guarantee it, as soon as I am back at work and have no time to think of ridiculous whims like that. I still have another 8 days off work though, even though the poor kids are back at school on Tuesday...Muwahahaha.

I have even managed to make Mias birthday card and considering her birthday is not until March I am pretty scared...

Its a 20x20cm gate-fold card so quite a big one but managed to pick up some of these sized envelopes when I was in St Helens a couple of weeks ago...

I`m off now to print out my timetable for January and get some lesson planning done....or maybe I will "Just Dance" with the girls because quite honestly I need all the practice I can get!!!