All quiet

on the South Normanton front - well, that is to say the kids are in bed, recovering from the shock to their systems that is 'school'. Sophie was so excited this morning, she was practically bouncing off the walls before we went to school - I'm sure that we won't be early for school every day, but it did make a change. The only shame was the dreadful weather - it's rained persistently all day. I'm grateful we don't have a river nearby, as some of the local villages have had problems with flooding!

I did take a photo of the kids this morning all togged out in their new uniforms (well they're both 'new as in bought very recently and expensively from the shop - but Sophie's was a new uniform as in she has now moved up to the Junior School which James has attended for the last 2 years. I now have 2 years of them being together, so no more rushing between schools with seconds to spare and fighting for parking spaces. Phew.

With Michael at Band, I really should be doing something constructive - like making one of the 27 'occasion' cards I need to make for birthdays and anniversaries before Christmas, and that's not to mention the cards for that occasion in December which begins with C and ends in chaos and overdrafts.

I think I also need to make a card for a commission, only the person that asked me for the card hasn't mentioned it since. She is in work tomorrow, so I will find out some more info (seeing as the birthday, from the brief conversation we had) is very fast approaching.

I will upload the photos in a minute, so as long as there's a decent one among them, I will add one to this post shortly (and no - I'm sorry - I didn't meant to call you 'shortly'!)

I can show you

the card I made for Jayne at work now - as she left us on Friday 25th August to go on her secondment.

When in doubt...

...post anyway!

Well, I've been so busy with work I've neglected it (my blog) again. I will be back very soon with some pictures and some info, as I'm finishing work today until 9th September. Yeeeehaaaaaa!

A Quickie

Where does all the time go? I've been hectic at work for most of the week, and also the two days off I've had with the kids have been filled with mundane stuff.

I've got my new contact lenses (continuous wear ones that I don't have to take out at night) but I'm not sure about them. They just don't feel right/comfortable. I'm going back to the opticians on Tuesday to have a check up, so I'll see what the optician says. I've been looking forward to having them for ages, but now it feels like a real anticlimax.

Anyway - made a card tonight for one of my work colleages that's leaving on Friday to go on a secondment - can't put it on here yet, as although I don't think she does read my blog regularly, I know I've sent her the link in the past, so I daren't risk it. I'll put it on the Canny Crafters forum in the meantime, and put it up next weekend once it has been given to Jayne.

Just passing through...

No time to stop - I've got 101 things to do tonight! As well as going and getting some food shopping and filling up the car with the last Tesco 5p off a litre voucher I've got, I've also got to get all my craft stuff together for loading up in a hurry tomorrow.

I also want to make a couple of bookmarks tonight, and I'd like to stamp out some images and colour them ready for doing my candle class at the weekend.

There's also some ironing to do (Michael is off this week with the kids, ands he's done loads of houseworky type things (cleaning floors, tidying, hoovering, cleaning) but he's managed to ignore the ironing so far (and only one day left). He is, however, at home all weekend with the little darling children as I'm off crafting in Nottingham with my lovely forum mates.

Can't wait until I finish work tomorrow - yipppppppeeeeeee!

xxxxx

Phew - finally

I've finally made the candles with matching cards for Emma at work. I think they're for her to give to her daughter's teachers when she finishes private day nursery at the end of August. I just need to start working on the bits she's ordered for Christmas now!

I've also managed to take some photos to put on the tutorial sheet for the altered candles I'm doing at the craft weekend. that way. if I bore people to tears and they fall asleep, they will be able to follow the instructions instead [smiles].

I've also made a few cards to keep up to date with family birthdays. Should be all right for a couple of weeks now.

Back to work tomorrow - at least I won't be able to hear the kids arguing from there. They've been dreadful this last week - hitting and shouting at each other, then best of friends the next. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Anyway - here are the photos:

I promise that the last card has silver card round both images - the top one looks gold because of the flash :-(

Whoops!

I was bemused when I heard the doorbell ring at 9am this morning. I wasn't expecting anybody, and I couldn't see a post van outside...so imagine my surprise when I opened the door and saw my hairdresser standing there! She wasn't due until tomorrow...or so my pea-brain had convinced me.

How embarrassing, but at least we were all up, dressed (at least 2/3 of us were) and hadn't gone out for the day! It frees up tomorrow morning though.

Alas I still haven't had time to craft, but at least the ironing pile endeth! Should be able to get some major stuff done tomorrow now (although we have to fit in a trip to Tesco petrol station to make use of my 5p a litre voucher, and to the kids' holiday club to pay the next shed load of money, and also to the local fancy dress shop - the only outlet that sells the Junior school's branded items of uniform [I kid ye not - not even the school itself sells it]).

Really need to get some candles made for examples at the craft weekend (wont be showing you those until after the weekend, for obvious reasons).

No crafting today

No time to craft - still got half a mountain of ironing to do (it was just far too hot to finish it last night! I got a few bits yesterday at The Range - notably some cheap ribbon (not that I need to restock my ribbon collection, but if it's a bargain, it always seems to find its way into my basket one way or another), some brads (and I have a fair few of these too *ahem*) and some white acrylic paint, as mine is all stringy and weird inside.

Quote of the day went to Sophie though. We were browsing the aisles, and Sophie declared that she really needed some foam pads. I turned to her and said:

"Sophie - how many foam pads do you think I've got at home?"
"Fifty million" was her reply. The shoppers around us were almost doubled up with laughter (and a few knowing smiles made me think they understood the situation exactly).

I have also been to my local candle shop to buy some stock for the craft weekend - 24 so far. I had to make two trips as I couldn't carry them all in the poor quality plastic basket. I'm sure the woman on the counter thinks I'm barking mad - it was only a couple of weeks ago that I bought 10, and now another 24. Perhaps she thinks I've got a candle fetish?

Popped to Ikea too, to stock up on batteries and some small square mirrors for a friend (and had to have a few for me too of course!). Had meatballs and chips for lunch too. Yum yum.

Little and often

First day of a week off, and if I can get the kids to do as they're told, I'll be off to The Range in a minute (just for a few basics (need a new glue stick and maybe some bind-it-all covers and other little bits).

Got a mountain of ironing to do (didn't get any done last week at all) so that will be my main job later on (hope the heat dies down a little before then!).

Will make a concerted effort to turn this blog back into a diary/showcase, rather than one entry a month.

And some more

And these were taken with my phone, so apologies for the quality (or lack thereof):

Some recent cards

Right then

Well, who's a naughty girl then?

I've been neglecting my duties and my friends, my blogging and my cardmaking - but folks, and listen very carefully, I shall say this only once...

The MOJO returneth!

I sat and made 4 cards this weekend! Now I know that compared to some of you out there, 4 is a drop in the ocean - a mere pinprick on the face of the earth, but considering that lately I've been making cards rarely, and I've even resorted to altering cards from my few remaining 'stash' pile, and even buying a few here and there (hangs head in shame).

So when I sat down and made a graduation card for my neice, Dawn - who by the way got a 2.1 degree and can continue on to next year to do her PGCE so she can be a music teacher), I started with a little inspiration, and I actually did some stamping.

Now, I know I have other things I must do, like get back onto the Canny Crafters forum and prove to them that I didn't die or run off with a cowboy from Denver, and they will come in time - I promise.

For now, I'll leave you with my cards.

Au revoir, mes amis.

Dawn's congratulations card:

3 general cards (all Penny Black Stamps): there isn't a mark on the 2nd one on the embossing, honestly!

Playing catch up

Not blogged for ages (Sorry) - but thought I'd upload a few photos to show I'm still in the land of the living.

Work is good (I think) - and it's certainly nice to be around adult conversation again.

Here we go then - a double rainbow last week when it was absolutely throwing it down:



A wedding card I made for my sister to give - Doodlebug embossed card for the top section, and the bottom is plain white card embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots (the motif is a small cuttlebug folder too - one of four):



A Birthday card (My first commission from a work colleague - may it be the first of many!) - very similar to the one I made Sophie for her birthday back in January:



A get well card for my 'Boss' (my line manager's boss - one of the two ladies who interviewed me) - die cuts (flat and raised on foam pads), pink wire, and glitter glue - I think it was well received:

A close up of the card:

And finally a bookmark I also made for Julie - I should have photographed it before I put it into a cello bag of course, but time was in short supply, as it seems to be all of the time at the moment:

Working 9 to 5...

or rather 9.05 to 2.50, but that doesn't have quite such a good ring to it eh? Started work yesterday, and I rather think I'm going to enjoy it! I sit next to a girl who plays the drums - like me! I sit behind and across from two women who make cards - like me! My boss is addicted to ebay - like me!

Nice to have stuff in common with people :D

Will upload Dawn's 21st card (very basic) tonight, but I was really pleased with the frame I designed with the cricut and the Design Studio.



Also took some pictures this morning for the photo frame, so will upload my chosen picture later too (dashing off to a PTA meeting now).




Oh, and Tina - if you're reading this - I've been waiting until I was a tax payer again before I sponsor you [insert winkie type smiley here].

Toodle-oo!

At last

Here I am - not quite up to fighting fitness, but a darn sight better than I was (I've passed it onto DH - oh dear!).

So I need to catch up - here we go with DH's birthday cards.

From James:

From Sophie (she was determined it was going to have his age on!):

And finally from me:

And here's the card I managed to make for my Nephew - he is a staunch Man City fan (the logo is 3D decoupaged) - and he loved it:

Normal Service

Will be resumed once I shake off this flipping cold. Will also photo the (very) quick cards which almost managed to make themselves for DH's birthday tomorrow (he's opened them already as he had to work tomorrow - awwww - but I will wait for daylight to take piccies - or at least reflection off the snow if it settles).

TTFN

Weather

...I'm under it. Feeling lousy I'm afraid.

James missed his first day off school in well over 2 years yesterday - he has the same cough/cold that I seem to have, although thankfully his is on the mend, and sadly mine is still spiralling down. I'm dog tired, but don't want to sleep as every time i lay down, I just cough up my guts. I've read 2 books in just over 2 days, and now have no new literature to get my hands on.

Got my two new cartridges from the US finally today (the ones I ordered when I ordered the Cricut) - Zooballoo and Doodlecharms. I helped Sophie make a card for Michael this morning. Just got to muster up the energy to make one from/with James, and of course one from me.

Sophie's already sealed the envelope for hers, so I'll have to post a piccie of it once he's opened it on Monday.

Going to go and try and get warm and comfy on the sofa without feeling the need to hack my innards out every 30 seconds.

More tomorrow.