Beady Envy!!!

Oh yes...there is such a thing, had a jewellery class today and one of my students bought their beads in...OMG, Pandora style, cats eyes, glass lamp work beads...me I was like a child in a sweet shop!!!

Fortunately I was given a list of suppliers for these beautiful little items...hmmm this could be expensive!!!

Finally found my Mojo...was hiding at the bottom of my handbag and came fluttering out earlier this evening in time for me to create this little beauty for my Workshop tomorrow:



God I love turquoise so much...can you tell!!!

I also love purple at the moment too...which is damn lucky because that's what colour my ears are...bloody hair dye!!!

Off to Brillo pad my ears and hunt for gorgeous new beads!!!

Crafty Chocoholic Insomniac!!!

Thats what I am, yep thats me!!!

Crafty...in more ways than one probably, but I have spent the day planning all my lessons for the week!!!

Chocoholic...I am sat here eating my third bar of the day, well I am blaming the Co-Op for having three bars for £1.25 ;-) and proper chocolate too, Mars Duo, Twix Extra and Snickers Duo... god I am going to be so fat!!!

Definitely insomniac...again... because I have not had a proper nights sleep for a week. Have been out and ordered a new bed...one of those fab ones that mould to the shape of your body...can just see the impression of my backside in the foam now!!!

Now I have realised these things all go together, the crafting because I am trying to take my mind off the fact that I am exhausted and could quite happily fall asleep whilst doing the dishes or hoovering and the chocolate because a constant lack of sleep really does affects your mood, and not in a positive way either...it affects your ability to make decisions and your thought processes and when you lie in bed desperately trying to relax and fall asleep realising you are completely and utterly wide awake, its just so frustrating when it happens every night...hence my need, yes my unabated, desperate need for the chocolate!!!

These are the lessons I have been working on today, have my embroidery class tomorrow and we are doing chain stitch and making these little drawstring bags...Mum I can so tell you are impressed!!!

And my workshops this week at Edwin Allen are this 3D piano which featured in a recent issue of Making Cards.

This scrapbook layout using some gorgeous new stamps that I have water coloured...just for a change.

Also made this book of the kids a few weeks ago, I had the bind it all out, Jesus...I remember "needing" that when they first came out had loads of good intentions of making my own books, and I have actually used it less than a dozen times, now they sell a pink version which is just so pretty, don`t "need" it though!!!

Off now to dish up the Beef casserole that I prepared at stupid o clock this morning and rearrange my Studio...that's when I have cleared everything off the floor so I can actually get in!!!

It cant be....

....Only Wednesday!!!

Only bloody Wednesday...I am not sure about this working every day malarkey and then working from home in the evenings too...I am turning into a sad workaholic....but I suppose it beats the alcoholic I plan to be at the weekend!!! Got a completely free weekend...no nights out, no day trips, no holidays to cold parts of the country...I am going to reacquaint myself with the Saturday and Sunday morning lie in and fall in love with my quilt all over again...not that I fell out of love with it we just haven't spent enough time together lately!!!

Been in a funny mood today too...couldn't sleep last night, hopefully that is a one off as the insomnia seems to be under control at the moment, was awake at four and finally gave in and got up at five, did all the washing...how sad is that, made myself a pot of coffee and sat watercolouring my new stamps for an hour before I rounded up the rabble....I mean woke the children, although Mia appeared downstairs at half five this morning looking slightly worse for wear...sent her straight back to bed...Me and kids that early without a carefully prescribed dose of caffeine do not compliment each other!!!

So funny mood all day...not funny ha ha but funny peculiar...feeling a bit overworked I think, need some chill out time and some time to sort out stuff in the house...thought I had the whole week off next week with the kids and was looking forward to that but it turns out I have to work a couple of days and then the week after I have lots of new courses starting for the college...Arggggggghhhhhhhhhhh...not that I am complaining really, sounds like it though, I really love my job and meeting new students and the money comes in very handy when I fancy a new pair of shoes!!!

Was teaching today...My Calendar club...no that's not some sort of arty calendar with naked photos...its a scrapbooking keepsake of the year, So today's lesson was February...the month of St Valentine and Lurve...those who know me well know that I am not the slushy, mushy romantic type so My layout was of Mia Cos I love her...

This is a layout I taught last week and finally took the photo of it tonight...No Mia is not following in my wino footsteps, this was the glass of wine that we left for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve and the photo was totally posed!!!

Not the best picture in the world but a layout I recently completed of Ella and my Dad, photo was taken on Boxing Day and is of Ella trying to teach "Grandad" how to use a Nintendo DS...of course him being the gadget freak he is...that`s where I get it from...he went out the next day and bought himself a black DS lite!!!

And these are my new stamps that I bought from the GMEX on Sunday, that I sat and watercoloured at stupid o clock this morning!!!

Will leave you with this pic of Ella taken this afternoon after school...note uniform off and leisure suit on, feet up on the couch and remote controls within easy reach...Kids!!!

Christmas...Done...Nearly!!!

Yep in the words of Gordon Ramsey my Christmas Preparations....Done...nearly!!!

Feeling slightly smug as I have almost finished my Christmas shopping, bought my Christmas cards, got most of my food in and put my Deccies up...It has took me all weekend to get organised and I haven`t had a minute until now to sit down but it is a really good feeling!!!

Went to town yesterday with the kids to get some presents...Oh My God...you would think it was nearly Christmas, the queues were insane...no credit crunch in Warrington I can tell you, bargain of the day was a very nice black furry cushion reduced from £16 to 80p...yep 80p...Woolworths...get your bums down there they have some incredible bargains!!!

Was up until gone midnight last night with my glittery twigs and my glue gun, I actually burnt my bloody thumb too never done that before, what made it worse was that it was actually hot glue that moulded itself to my thumb burning underneath and I had to cool it enough to get the glue off...huge blister now that is really sore :-( ...but you can`t call yourself a proper crafter until you have burnt yourself with a glue gun.

So my house looks all Christmassy, the tree lights actually worked and the kids were really impressed when they got up this morning and the house had been transformed.

If you are booked into either of my workshops at Edwin Allen this week this is the necklace we will be creating.

Off now to sit and admire my decs with a glass of Baileys and a mince pie from Greg's...get them 6 for £1.50 soooooo nice!!!

The Suitcase is Packed...

...and she is ready to go!!!

My Little baby girl is going away tomorrow with the school for a whole night away, no goodnight kisses for me tomorrow night from Mia, she is off to Delamere forest, not literally staying in the forest but at an outdoor education centre, they do have indoor accommodation there obviously, and her little pink (well it couldn`t be any other colour could it) suitcase is packed, with pink pyjamas, a pink tracksuit, pink towel...can you see a pattern emerging here!!!

So I have to take her to school in the morning with her pulling her little pink suitcase on wheels driving me quite possibly mad going up and down the kerbs, running over my toes and battering me with her wellies which have to be in a separate named carrier but attached to the suitcase...Jesus how much time do these teachers think us working mums have...honestly!!! A sleeping bag and a completely disposable packed lunch...!!!

Only to return on Wednesday afternoon with half of it missing and the other half quite possibly caked in a large proportion of mud from Delamere forest...does my washing machine deserve this cruel torture!!!

Anyway I am teaching tomorrow at Edwin Allen and as promised I did design the other acetate card for the workshop, and quite sneakily it also fits in with this weeks dare over on DCM

"We`re Dreaming of a white Christmas...with a touch of pink"

Also can share this layout with you which is my Design Team Layout for this weeks sketch on Beary Box Blog and also happens to be the layout I will be teaching at Edwin Allen on Wednesday...I am getting good at this multi tasking!!!

Just have to leave you with this picture...Harry had the day off school today, he was also poorly yesterday and managed to be "far to ill" to attend school today...Harry is never ill, however the little boy with the huge appetite ate nothing yesterday and looked like an extra from night of the living dead this morning so I reluctantly allowed him to stay in bed...By 11.30 he was eating toast and when at Grandad`s this afternoon while I was teaching he managed to stuff his face with a plate of stew and also managed a very healthy portion of Spaghetti Bolognase this evening!!! Kids...needless to say he will be returning to school tomorrow!!!

Yucky Day!!!

I am officially ill!!!

It must be official because I went to bed this afternoon even though I didn`t get up until 11am, and I rarely admit defeat and go to bed when I am ill, at first I thought I was suffering from a little too much alcohol last night, had a few of my girlie friends round for food and drinks, but I felt terrible, all achy and cold to the bone so snuggled up in bed and slept!!! I think Ella and I just spent too long in the cold in Manchester yesterday. Feel a bit better now but still have that horrible flu ache, hope it is just a 24 hour thing as I have the busiest week this week!!!

Got a card to share with you, one of my workshop cards for Tuesday, I am teaching a Christmas Card acetate workshop, the other card is still in progress...well to be honest I haven`t started it yet was planning on doing that this afternoon but all the best laid plans!!! I am going to try and get that designed tonight.

This is my SOS for Her space My Space, taken yesterday in Manchester...just look at the architecture on that building absolutely stunning...I really need to get out more it can`t be normal to stand in the freezing cold taking photographs of buildings!!!

Off now to design my other card hope my mojo is awake!!!

Wednesday Witterings!!!

I had an Indian Head Massage last night, I have never had one before but a friend of mine is doing the course at college and needed someone to do a case study on...of course I bravely stepped up and volunteered!!!

Oh My God how fabulous is it, amazing, now I have had massages before but this was just so relaxing and cleansing, I felt totally amazing afterwards, had a pretty decent nights sleep and got up this morning feeling so good...I can certainly recommend it, and if you can find someone who can do it for free all the better!!!

So it is a good job I was so "cleansed" this morning because I had a workshop today that featured the dreaded glitter and without thinking I wore a black top!!! Big mistake at one point I was sparkly enough to sit on the top of a bloody Christmas tree and had to scratch my head with a bone folder so the glitter all over my hands did not end up embellishing my new Cosmic Purple hair...well I say cosmic purple but it is more Mahogony really...spent Sunday evening dying it then the rest of the evening cleaning the dye off everything in the bathroom with the cillit bang!!!

After work I shot over to the college for a meeting with my new Line Manager...god almighty I had forgotten how much paperwork was involved with teaching for the college, I came home with half a rain forest for each course I am teaching and another six trees worth of forms to fill in for Human resources...I am sure that all these pieces of paper are unnecessary and just justify someones job somewhere, probably a junior in the shredding office making hamster nesting ...!!!

I finally convinced Harry to have his mop cut tonight too, I am saying mop and meaning exactly that...so he had a choice I get the clippers out and shave the lot or he uses his money to pay for a short back and sides, he chose the latter probably because he knew the clippers would get tangled in his hair and we would end up at A & E having them surgically removed!!!

Have just finished this layout for a challenge over on a face book group I am on, the challenge was to title your page "Why" and my journalling reads :

"Why are you both growing up so fast, asking me about make up and music, what happened to my little baby girls snuggled in my arms smelling of Johnson's"

Off now to fill in my 16,000 forms for a job I already have!!!

Okay as promised I spent the whole afternoon working, designing workshops for this week. I am doing an extra day a week at Edwin Allen starting this week for the run up to Christmas....so many cards to make so little time!!!

So if you are booked into my class on Tuesday we are making these cards using the stunning glitter card that does not shed which is lucky as I have to do my Micro Teach at the Collegiate in the afternoon and really don`t want to turn up covered in glitter!!!

This is a slider card, as requested by Val, and the snowflake slides from side to side...hence the name slider card...ingenious!!!

This is a rather gorgeous bronze Christmas card again using the glitter card and some wire, not had my wire out for a while but love using it at the moment, although my wire cutters have not been the same since trying to cut through Jack`s bike lock with them!!!

And this is a sneaky peek of the scrapbook page we will be doing Wednesday, in a similar style to the bronze card, just to show that card making and scrapbooking can be very similar!!! Can`t get a decent photo because the light here is pants!!!

Off now for a very well earned glass of wine!!!

Wednesday Workshop and I can be Emo!!!

Okay ladies if you are booked into my Jewellery workshop tomorrow this is the gorgeous little number you will be creating, with some very lush new beads that I ordered last week. Sorry it took so long to post a picture but if the truth be told I only finished making it ten minutes ago...at least I am honest!!!

And while I was uploading the picture of the turquoise delight arm candy OMG I had completely forgotten about Sunday nights shenanigan's...the kids and I very late had a bit of a lark...well a lot of a lark actually, I really would not like to live next door to me sometimes!!!

Jack and I decided I could be an Emo...because his jacket fits me...and he could be well basically a woman because my jacket fits him...just think if he was a girl we would be fighting over each others clothes, although funnily enough whilst I was busy shopping in Manchester yesterday the other half did all the ironing...I know even I was surprised and had to sit down for a few minutes, but he had left all mine on the bed and amongst it were a pair of Jacks jeans!!!

So back to Sunday...Jack as me and me as Jack.....the upsetting thing is Jack looks as good in my jacket as I do and I just look shite in his!!!

Then after nearly breaking my back giving him a piggy back...he is taller than me...he insisted I sit cross legged on the Dining room table so he could take emo poses of me...

And I just love this photo...because it took me about ten minutes to convince Mia that she really does love Harry and to get this close to him...even though "boys smell"

Off to create something delicious for tea because I am starving!!!

First Love...

Do you remember your first love?

Do you remember the agonising will I see him today, will he phone or meet me at the school gate, will we kiss today...God those were the days...Oh to be young again!!!

My Lil boy Jack...well he`s not so little anymore...is in love, his first serious love, I have mentioned before, his beautiful Lil Lady Louise, well I finally got around to scrapping a picture of them together today, they look so good together too, perfectly suited.

I loved scrapping this page, it just came together so well, and if you are booked into my class at Edwin Allen next Wednesday this is the page we will be doing...Hows that for multitasking and time management!!!

I have printed the photo onto linen card to maintain the subtlety and I have used some scrummy stroke me velvet papers, some proper blinging glitter card...the one that does not shed...and finished off with lots of sparkle...Jack and Louise are both Emo`s so needed the page to reflect that...Jack loves it, I love it...Job Done.

Pesky Little Craft Fairies...

...Have bypassed my studio...AGAIN!!!

I had to tidy it all up by myself today...Had to put all my papers away, all my stamps back in their box, all the double sided tape backing in the bin, I have even cleaned my craft mat...that Cillit Bang is amazing stuff and will remove not only your top layer of skin but also ground in acrylic paint too!!!

Normally I post pictures of how messy my studio looks after a crafty marathon but its so clean and tidy I thought I would post some just to prove I am not always a complete slob!!!

Scooby Dooby doo....

God that looks a mess but its all tidy and organised ... honestly!

See I can be tidy...hmmm lets see how long that lasts!!!

Have also managed to take some better pictures of the little acetate Christmas house card/album that I designed yesterday. I love daylight...even though it has been raining buckets here all day, although weather like this is why GHD straighters were invented ;-)

Thanks for looking xxx

FOUR HOURS HARD GRAFT.....

....I have decided that I love doing my job!!! Really I do!!!

Not only do I get to play with papers and stamps and gorgeous lush embellishments on a daily basis I also get to teach something I love to like minded people, had a fabulous workshop today and have decided, along with my boss, that I am going to start doing more workshops as of November...Yeah...I have lots of ideas for Christmas and just could not fit them into the workshops allocated so we are going to start doing an extra day of them.


So not only am I a happy little crafter I also got to fill a carrier bag full of gorgeous lushness to bring home with me and play...for workshops of course!!!

I have spent a grand total of FOUR hours tonight working...well I say working but its just so lovely I really hate to call it that ;-)...
I have completely designed this acetate Christmas House card/album, the whole thing, I know you can buy them ready made but I like to be different and awkward so made my own, drew my own templates and everything!!!
I am pretty bloody chuffed with how it`s turned out too...and the marvellous thing is all you need is two sheets of acetate, 2 sheets of 12 x 12 card (I used core-dinations cos its just so lubberly) and an A4 sheet of patterned paper or card...
In the words of the great Ramsey...acetate card/album...DONE.

Have taken this picture but the light is crap so will post some more tomorrow.