Ho Ho Ho....

...Merry Christmas lol!!!

For Jacks first Christmas my Mum and Dad bought him a talking Santa that said that...Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas, I still have it now although the batteries have run out...thank god...but loved that little Santa, the reason I am talking Santa Shite...been playing with my Fa La La cartridge for the slice, making samples tonight for my Demo on Saturday...I know its far to early to begin contemplating Christmas but hey crafters begin preparations in January I think!!!

Even I have started to think about Christmas shopping, although I have Ella`s birthday in November to get through first...and what on earth do you buy for kids that seem to have everything, they turn their noses up when I suggest clothes, and you don`t want to know what they tell me when I suggest sending what I would have spent on them to charity!!! Mia did ask me for an iphone a couple of weeks ago....she is 8 for heavens sake, when I was 8 I was still playing with Barbies and I am not convinced we even had a land line in our house let alone mobile phones!!! Oh how times have changed, is this a sign of me getting old do you think!!!

Me I quite fancy an iphone for Christmas either that or the new kodak printer, or maybe a hot fix gem tool but that is about as likely as Santa himself coming through my chimney...which would be bloody hard as I don`t have one!!!

Anyway getting into the Christmas spirit...almost...by creating these.....

Wall Hanging...



and a couple of toppers to show some of the shapes on the cartridge...





Been to Manchester today...after selling most of my bracelets I made this week I desperately needed some new beads...mmm got some gorgeous ones too, spent an hour in the bead shop stroking and choosing which ones would be coming home with me...lovely day off!!!

Back to work tomorrow after two days off...well I use that term loosely as I am completely shattered and think I actually do less when I am working.

Got to go and dole out Medication (neurofen) to Jack, who is still suffering with his "man flu" and seems to have very kindly passed it onto me...bless him!!!

It`s begining to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!!!

Yep been working from home today, catching up on phone calls, emails and making Demo Samples, and I have not stopped!!!

I am demonstrating here on Saturday and received this today to make samples with...



The FaLaLa Christmas Slice cartridge...ooh I love it, made a couple of Christmas cards and a wall hanging already and have a couple of other ideas planned for this too. Along with the new range of Kars Christmas papers and the complete collection of Basic Grey Wassail...god I love my job ;-).

Also received this through the post today...



Borrowed this off someone last year and loved it, and now I have my expression I am really looking forward to having a proper play with it, obviously after I have made all my Demo Samples, planned all this weeks lessons and rustled up some wedding invite samples that I have been asked to do...how can I squeeze more hours into the day...answers on a postcode please!!!

And if that wasn`t enough after I blogged last night, my blog posts are linked with facebook and show on all my friends home pages, I had a few people interested in purchasing my bracelets...sorted that out this morning with proper photos and now have sold most of the arm candy I made yesterday along with the two I made this morning...

Raspberry...



Turquoise



Two of them will be travelling all the way to Canada...how cool is that!!!

I am off now to check on Jack...apparently he has "Man Flu"!!!

Arm Candy...

...I had the afternoon off work today so I spent it making some gorgeous arm candy with all the new beads I have bought over the last couple of months, you know the ones, they have been drooled over and stroked far too many times!!!

Pretty Pink...



Luscious Lilac...



Made the black roses myself from Fimo...





Retro Black and Pink...



How "sweet" are those cherries....



I quite like jewelery making...do you know why, there is very little mess to tidy up afterwards...no hunting under piles of papers for my tools, or double sided tape backing strewn everywhere, which is lucky because I am contemplating hitting my quilt very soon, had the worst nights sleep last night, and the night before and the night before that...a wave of exhaustion hit me this afternoon while I was walking back from collecting Mia from school and I really thought I was going to pass out...I hate that I get insomnia, I can`t function properly without a decent block of sleep and I have been truly horrible to my kids tonight...they are all hiding upstairs...in case I start ranting again!!!

Luckily I have the day off tomorrow to "recharge" although its far more likely that I will be doing the housework...bliss, may just sit myself in my little crafty corner for the day with my ipod and my scrapbooking....oooh and a giant size bar of chocolate!!!

Did you miss me!!!

Had a mad busy week as you may have noticed due to my distinct lack of blogging...!!!

All my courses finished last week so had mountains of paperwork to plough through all of which is done now, thank goodness, the only paperwork I like is stroking the latest Making Memories or Basic Grey!!!

Went out a couple of nights last week too, started a course at college last Tuesday...as a student...I am learning dressmaking which is so cool as I would love to be able to make my own clothes, not that I am a tight arse I just like the individual look. I am working on creating a dressmaking pattern of my favourite dress at the moment so I can have one in every colour.

Was invited to a student`s house Wednesday evening for coffee and crafty chat, which is always a good way to spend time, and ended up staying out til quite late!!!

I also started a new Jewellery making course on Thursday evening and think that in total I had about 15 students turn up, they just kept walking through the door and the evening was a flurry of enrolment forms and beads, complete and utter chaos but I love it.

Did have two days off last week though, Tuesday was spent up to my arms in housework, washing and ironing and Wednesday was spent shopping in Manchester...well it was pay day after all!!!

Did my first wedding yesterday too...the photographs that is...was for a very good friend and my wedding present for her, it was totally brilliant, spent the whole day with her, from the getting her hair and make up done, to the nerves before we got her dress on her to the first dance at the reception. I loved every minute of it especially the bossing everyone around telling them where to stand...could get used to doing that at the weekends. I love taking photos and to be able to do it for such a good Friend to capture the memories of her special day was a privilege.

I think that my kids maybe getting the photography bug too as they captured me in my very retro 80`s dress last night before we went back to the wedding reception...

Taken by Harry.....

Taken by Ella...

Mia still can`t get used to the fact that you have to look through the eyepiece to take the picture and can`t see your image on the screen though, so thinking of investing in another little compact digital camera...geek aren`t I !!!!

Got new courses starting this week that I really must get organised and prepared for but rather fortunately apart from a new jewellery class, in a new venue tomorrow morning I am off until Thursday...yeah baby...off to soak my aching feet in a hot bath...being a photographer is hard work you know ;-)

Now I have the Friday feeling...

...On a Monday!!!

Because I have the next two days off work...yeah baby!!!

A little midweek break, all to myself because the kids will be at school...have a list of jobs to do as long as my arm though, mainly involving antibacterial spray, dusters and the hoover...oh and I must not leave out the iron...Bliss!!!

Had a bit of a crafty evening tonight and decorated my acrylic album for my unmounted stamps...still can`t get over what a simple but oh so clever idea this is...



Shockingly made my first Christmas card too.........I know but Redgy the Reindeer was begging to be used...

And had another little giraffe embroidered from one of my classes so turned him into a new baby card...

Off now to enjoy that "Friday Feeling"

Weekend Witterings!!!

Another crazy weekend...I am going to work tomorrow for a rest!!!

I had to get up yesterday morning at 5.30am and got to bed about 2am this morning...nearly did the full 24 hours and bloody hell my body feels like it too.

Was in Burnley yesterday at The Craft Range demonstrating the slice for Kars, and bumped into my good pal Kirsty Wiseman, well I say bumped we were actually sat next to each other demonstrating all day, she was showing people what to do with the Papermania clear albums and one of her samples was an amazing idea to use them as storage books for acrylic stamps...so obviously had to buy one and have washed all my stamps in cold water as this makes them "sticky" again and they are say quite happily in their little album that is just waiting to be decorated now. Had such a great day too and met some really lovely people, the icing on the cake is the little cafe they have in the shop where all the food is completely scrumptious, I can highly recommend the handmade quiche mmmmm!!!

Also bought a fabulous Christmas stamp, designed exclusively for the Craft Range by Claire Rowlands, and she showed me how to use copics correctly too, been toying with trying these for a while, now I am in love and need probably the full set!!! You can see her exclusive designs here Redgy the Reindeer came home with me!!!

So despite Kirsty getting us a little bit lost on the way home...must have been stopping for McDonalds thick shakes on the way home that did it was a lovely day.

Went to a 21st birthday fancy dress party last night...only got in from Burnley at 7pm and then was ready and out again for 8pm...record timing, dressed up as a halfhearted cowgirl...bloody come in handy those cowboy boots of mine, and can`t remember the last time I wore my hair in pigtails complete with ribbons!!! Had a really lovely night dancing with my kids, I love to dance. Not sure that the three shots of Sambuca were such a good idea though...so finally hit the sack at about 2am, completely and utterly wrecked. Had a really lazy day today though, apart from transforming this...





To this...



Took me a couple of hours, but I had limited movement thanks to the sambuca last night!!! My desk has not been that tidy or organised for a very long time but apparently if your workspace is clean and tidy and organised you are far more likely to want to create...must have worked because I then designed this for my class tomorrow...



I am in love with Kashmere beads at the moment, they are truly scrumptious and make the simplest design look so decadent.

So now I am off to bed with a hot chocolate to rest my weary body!!!

Still Waiting...

...For the Friday feeling to kick in!!!

Working all day tomorrow at a Demo in Burnley at the Craft Range really looking forward to it as I have never been before and there are a couple of other demonstrators working too, and I get to go on the train with my ipod too!!!

Had a fantastic day today too, two great classes and my polymer clay make your own beads class was a total success, left my students carefully timing the clay in the oven and we are going to create beautiful pieces of jewellery with them next week...Unfortunately the liquorice allsorts, that we were using as guides to making good enough to eat beads got eaten!!!

Came home and...shock...made some jewellery...for myself...using beads that have not been initiated into my collection properly, they haven`t been stroked or drooled over for nearly long enough but they now are beautiful little accessories for me...



Also created this which was a commissioned piece and I love it so much may have to make another just for me!!!



Okay off now for an early night, the alarm is set for 5.45am my train is at 7.30am, my samples are made, the slice is charging ready for action tomorrow, my bag is packed and I am raring to go...only hope I feel the same in the morning!!!

Accident and Emergency...

...is not a place I have visited very often, even with four kids, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have been in the almost seventeen years I have been a mum, Jesus that makes me feel old!!!

Well Harry and I had a day trip there today, he came home from school yesterday and showed me what he had done to his finger in a drama lesson and when I told him it looked dislocated he rushed off saying I`m off to play football, so thought nothing more of it until I got a phone call this morning, ten minutes before I am due to leave for work, from the first aider at his school who "advised" me that it looked like Harry needed his finger seeing to...I storm up the school muttering to myself that if he was okay to play a game of football then go onto football training afterwards then it must be okay, convincing myself he just wanted to get out of double science or whatever lesson he didn`t fancy doing...hell no, he was grey when I got there...straight to the hospital and after a three hour wait for an x-ray they confirmed it was broken...at the knuckle...look...



The doctor actually showed this x-ray to Harry then said take a picture on your mobile to show all your mates!!!

Okay so finger broken and strapped up and he has an appointment with the Orthopaedic consultant on Monday but he is still playing on it far too much for my liking...took him to McDonalds when we had done and after a Big Mac meal he asked me for a McFlurry...when I said no he pointed to his strapped up fingers and stuck his lip out...bloody kids!!!

I think he is already planning on which girl is going to be taking notes for him in lessons tomorrow, it`s his right hand, and almost had a panic attack when he realised he wouldn`t be able to go on the playstation, but when I got home from work this evening he didn`t seem to be having any problems with the mouse for the PC...!!!

For Flocks sake!!!

Every time guaranteed that I get out my flocking powder I get covered in it, its similar to when you go into the loft and get covered in fiberglass, you breath it in it gets in your hair and its all over me...that and the glitter I spilt too...Arghhh!!!

I was quite happily preparing for tomorrows scrapbooking class when this happened, I read somewhere that if you sand a brad, dip it into acrylic paint then into flocking powder you can create your own little flocked brads, which works a treat as long as you don't blow into the flocking powder by accident...honestly you think I would know things like that by now!!!

Also have been playing around with some embossing powder and metal charms and burnt my finger...obviously I know now that if you direct a heat gun at a metal strawberry for a minute it gets very hot!!! I think I left my common sense in Manchester today!!!

Layout for tomorrow:



Metal embossed strawberry



Three little "flocking" brads!!!



Had a lovely day off, the weather has been really nice and I shopped...properly, spent an hour or so wandering round Primark, love the fact that when you go in the week you don`t have to suffer heat exhaustion whilst waiting to try anything on. Then had a list to work through in The Bead Shop and Fred Aldous...sat in Starbucks for a bit too people watching, because I am nosey!!!

Bead envy alert...although funnily enough I keep going out buying gorgeous new beads and they just sit on my desk patiently waiting for me to create something beautifull...did however match up these gorgeous Kashmere, glossy wooden beads and pearls today though with every intention of making myself some arm candy.



Off now to carefully remove the glitter from my desk and the flocking powder from my hair!!!

Ten Tiny Fingers....

...and Ten tiny toes...I held a little tiny newborn baby today, and its been a while since I did that, I very nearly completely lost my reputation today by very nearly getting broody...luckily after bringing forty tiny fingers and forty tiny toes into the world I am completely past broodiness and just cuddled the baby then handed it straight back over to his mum!!!

Did however gain more points in my "quest" for mother of the year by letting Mia invite her friend for tea...I usually don`t "entertain" other peoples kids, having so many of my own but sometimes get caught during a weak moment and agree to things I wouldn`t normally do, usually only happens with Mia though...must be those gorgeous eyes of hers!!!

Did have every intention of chilling out tonight with a book I started on Sunday but got caught up doing some paperwork, then a bit of lesson prep too...even though its my day off tomorrow I am still shopping for work, have a list of things that students want me to get hold of for them and a list of things that I "need" too...Primark here I come!!!

Did manage to complete another two cards tonight...yep more of my new stamps...can`t do anymore now until I buy some more watercolour paper, yep that's on my list too...

And had a bit of a play with some wire, this is unfinished and I will probably turn it into a necklace, Shaped the heart with 18 gauge wire using the mandrel then wrapped the heart with 22 gauge wire, I am thinking a 26 or 28 gauge would be easier to wrap with though but still like the effect...



Off now to combine several shopping lists into one manageable one and maybe chill out with my book for a bit...after I have covered the bloody budgie up he is currently singing along to Arctic Monkeys...Bless!!!

Careless Wispa!!!

Admit it you are humming George Michael now aren`t you, I know I am!!!

OH MY GOD...just had one of these...



The new Caramel Wispa...I needed chocolate...this is exactly how chocolate should taste...smooth, velvety and creamy with a delicious caramel filling...this my friends is chocolate heaven!!! Just going to email Carbury`s now to ask if they are considering releasing it in a family size!!!

Okay on to the careless part...no explanation needed apart from I have been crafting...



But out of that chaos these two little cards emerged...still working through my new stamps I picked up at the GMEX a couple of weeks ago...





Had two great classes today and finished my afternoon class a little early so I got shown some Yoga moves by a student, I honestly thought that was supposed to be relaxing, I think I have pulled a muscle in my thigh and I could certainly feel the stretch, not sure I will be taking that up, felt a bit like a form of torture although saying that I have tried to concentrate more on my posture...you know shoulders back chest out...but its making my back hurt so the only posture I am interested in now is of the horizontal type under a quilt...been up since 3am (bloody insomnia) I have to go and investigate the inside of my eyelids!!!

I just blinked...

...and again the weekend has passed in a fraction of the time it is supposed to; my definition of weekend used to be relax and chill out and I have done nothing of the sort over the last two days!!!

Had a terrific one though and crammed a lot in, went out for a meal with a good friend on Friday night, one of those all you can eat restaurants, Thai, Chinese and Japanese....mmmmm although I believe I ate my own body weight, all for £11 can`t be bad. Then went on to a club and met up with some friends to watch another band that another friend is in, not the usual Selfish Lovers but enjoyed it anyway, although was home by midnight, think I am getting too old for this rock and roll lifestyle!!!

Had a lovely evening last night too, my Uncle was up from Landahn Baby, that's where I am from originally and a lot of my family still live there but we moved up north about 20 years ago. So he is a set designer for films...how cool is that, and he has been working in the Mersey Tunnel filming....The last Harry Potter film, got all the inside info on that too and it sounds like it is going to be totally breathtaking, so him and my Auntie were staying with my Mum and Dad last night and of course had to go round for drinks...would have been rude not to!!!

So today, woke about 10am with a terrible head...blaming my Dad and the fact he made me drink wine last night...yep back up my arm job too honestly!!! Good old Alta Rica and Neurofen to the rescue and then I spent the whole day lesson planning for the week, all my lessons are prepped and planned and I feel organised, which is mighty scary!!!

Bracelet and earring set for tomorrows class, using nylon coated beadalon:



Funky turquoise and lime earrings for Tuesdays class using the mandrel...god I love using that:



Also had a bit of a play and made these beads, using fimo:



and just look how cute this little house is...

The rooftop is secured with a button and some jewellery thong and lifts up so it can be used as a little gift box, I love it, so cute and this is the big one, still have the little one to make up yet.

That was my last weekend off for a few weeks now, I am demonstrating next Saturday for Kars at The Craft Range in Burnley, so if you are in the area come along they are celebrating their third birthday and have several demonstrations taking place.

Sometimes I ask myself....

...why is it that kids don`t have a volume control!!!

Came home tonight and they have either all gone deaf or plotted amongst themselves how long they can shout at each other before Mum completely loses the plot!!! I am not talking about fighting they were just generally conversing...loudly!!! Thank god for my ipod which I turned up to full blast while I was working tonight to drown them out, then they had the cheek to tell me they couldn`t hear the telly properly because my music was too loud!!!

I have had such a lovely day today, despite being sent half crazy by my delightful little offspring, had to go into work this morning for some training and to sort out some paperwork but then I hit Manchester to pay a visit to the bead shop...oooh I love going there, could spend all day running my fingers through the boxes of beads, delighting at the colours and textures and obviously coming away with a brand new bag of beautiful stash...yum, although not used any yet, they have to be stoked and gazed at for a certain amount of time before I will commit them to a piece of arm candy...I know I am sad!!!

Did however create this scrapbook layout tonight, the picture is of Mia in 2005 when her wardrobe consisted of fairy dresses in every colour and texture, she refused to wear trousers or jeans because fairies don't!!! Ignore the state of my desk and my craft mat...yes I am a craft slob!!!



Honestly look....



That was a total disgrace, even the kids had a go at me reminding me that I am forever telling them to tidy their rooms...really I should be setting a better example...so I did this...



Clean, tidy and organised...honestly!!!

Off to stroke and gaze at my new beads!!!

It`s Crazy But True...

...I love Tuesdays!!!

Do you know why, I don`t start work until 10am, I teach Jewellery making in the morning and then at the same venue I teach Papercrafts in the afternoon and the place where I teach has the most amazing cafe where all the food is cooked on site...properly...and I stuffed my face today with the most delicious minestrone soup and had coffee and walnut cake to follow washed down with proper coffee...you know the stuff that makes you feel alive for hours afterwards!!!

The other added bonus of Tuesdays is that I have Wednesdays off work...I love work but I also love my day off mid week too...the kids are back at school and I have the whole day to myself...well Jack is still making the place look untidy with his usual slobby self...I don't think he even got dressed today until he had to collect Mia from school and when I got in from work he was obviously making the most of the fact that the heating had been fixed as the house was like a bloody furnace...Unfortunately he starts college on Friday so his days off slobbing are well and truly OVER...muwahahaha...he has to be in at 8.45am and the college is two buses away...bless, well he has been "on holiday" since May so its about time he got back into a routine.

Managed to take a couple of pictures of him tonight before he said "Mum anymore and you have to pay me"... Oh and he is blagging £20 out of me tomorrow to go and sort out his bus pass...and he sincerely said to me "you won`t ever have to pay my bus fare again"...hmmm that's what I am doing tomorrow...Kids!!!



So proud of him though...he not only got great exam results, he got onto the courses he planned to despite places being limited this year and he is the best childminder in the whole world!!!

Managed to make this little card tonight too, that's two cards this week so far...should really be making a start on Christmas cards though...but my new stamps are just begging to be used first...this one is a Sugar Nellie and is called Blossom and I love her...



Teamed again with gorgeous glittery embossed papers from DCWV.

That's two of my new stamps used...only four more to go!!!

Off now to write a list for all the things I need from The Bead Shop tomorrow!!!

Great Gorgeousness...

...One of my new stamps is one of the Gorjuss girlie stamps and its so adorable I couldn`t wait to have a play, I water coloured it and teamed it with some of the delicious new DCWV papers I picked up on Saturday I created this tonight, when I should have been working but hey I like to live dangerously sometimes!!!



Had a great day today, two fabulous classes, a great phone conversation with my boss and a trip to Hobbycraft with one of my students to pick up supplies for tomorrows class...£50 pound later and a carrier bag that didn`t feel like it had that amount of supplies in it...criminal the prices they charge in there but least I can claim that back through work...Did manage to pick myself up a wire worker...been playing with one that belongs to one of my students and they are fab...can`t wait to have a proper play and come up with some designs for classes with this.



Finally got my central heating sorted out today...poor Jack had to wait in all afternoon for the engineer who was due between 1 and 6pm...he came at 4 just after I got home from work...typical...so now I have heating again woo hoo!!!

Off now to tidy my desk, you wouldn`t believe the mess I made making just one card...well perhaps you would...then I am off to bed, I am shattered, still suffering from the weekend I think!!!