Countdown…

Here we are at the beginning of another school holiday week…is it me or do they really seem to come around very quickly these days?!!!

I’m also on the final countdown to this years beach holiday…this time next week I will be packing the boys off to school & Lee off to work & will be making tracks to meet my sister & Co before heading of to sunny (oh I do hope so!!) Majorca for 7 days of total chilling out!!  I will be extra vigilant, I promise & try my very best not to come home in a wheelchair or on crutches, & bring nothing home with me but a decent suntan!!

This week, I have mostly been getting things in order around the house, although however I leave it is not how it will be on my return, but it makes me feel better to leave an orderly house! I’ve been shopping for a new swimsuit, some new Fit-Flops & the most difficult thing of all….new bra’s!!

Can anyone explain to me the logic of M&S ‘Minimiser’ bra’s only going up to a 40” bust?!!  Surely I’m not the only 42C who would like to minimise my bust too…we don’t all want cleavages that enter the room before we do!!!! 

OK…moan over!! 

On Saturday I accompanied Lee & the boys to the MK Stadium for the ‘Collectamania’ collectors fayre.

Always good for a giggle as you see the most unlikely people dressed as characters they would secretly like to be.

It was such a cold day, especially after the gorgeous weather we’ve had lately…I can’t believe I got sunburned sitting outside for lunch on Wednesday & here I was on Saturday in a coat & Ugg boots!!

As the fayre was held on the level all around the stadium, it was only when we went into the function rooms to view all the stalls that we were out of the biting wind!! I tease Nathan about his ‘Dappy’ hat, but he had the right idea that day!!

There were all sorts of collectables on offer but the main theme always seems to be Sci-Fi…especially Star Trek & Star Wars. It wasn’t long before this little fella trundled up for a photo opportunity!

 

 

 

 

Then I turned around to find this guy standing over me…nearly jumped out of my skin!!

 

 

But I’m sure if he’d tried anything, these guys would have come to my rescue!!!

 

 

I tried to get ‘The Stig’ to reveal his identity but he wasn’t having any of it….he was a lot shorter than I imagined him to be!!!!

 

 

 

 

For some this really was a whole family affair & queuing at the coffee bar I spotted this father & daughter. 

Alex coped admirably well considering fancy dress isn’t one of his strong points, but when he reached saturation point we headed off to KFC to warm up with a coffee & wait for Lee & Nathan to finish shopping & join us.

 

As we left the stadium, we discovered these guys…

Their costumes were perfect…right down to flashing lights & sound effects!…they could have been the original Ghost Busters! They were only too happy to pose for me, much to Alex’s embarrassment & he went on ahead to KFC without me!!!

I’m up to date with all my DT projects which I will share with you in a couple of days.  I still have some sewing to do before I can pack my new dresses, but my case is on the bed & my passport & tickets are all set to go!!

I’ll leave you with this image, which I received in an email recently. I did forward it on to most of those on my contact list, but in case you missed it…

 
Coincidence?  Just too funny…

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you are all enjoying this Bank Holiday weekend.  :)

Just popping in….

…to say that I haven’t dropped off the planet! But I have been managing my time a little more effectively, working my way through a checklist of ‘Things To Do’ before my holiday in two weeks time!  I think most of you would identify with the hours that can be ‘lost’ online, so I have been avoiding all but the essential online stuff & I have to say I am discovering that in fact, there are enough hours in the day if I don’t spend too many of them online!!

Yesterday I visited our newly refurbished M&S to shop for a new swimsuit  (I really should have one that covers from the chin to the knees at the moment as I fell UP the stairs at work last Sunday & both knees & my right thigh are sporting huge bruises that are still black a week later!!) They’ve been advertising a new ‘Tummy Control’ suit but our branch only had one with straps & I want a strapless one!! Looks like a trip to Milton Keynes is imminent!!

 
Last Sunday we went to see ‘Something Borrowed’ starring Kate Hudson…well worth a watch.

The plot is nothing new…boy meets girl, girl introduces best friend, boys proposes to best friend & just before the wedding realises he really loves girl instead…& the fun begins!

Ginnifer Goodwin is just too pretty…is she related to Victoria Principal? She looks so much like her!!

Lovely cinematography, great shots of New York & London…great film!!!

So, that’s it for today but I will be back soon!  I have a day off work today, as Lee is on a school ‘Adventure’ trip with the Year4’s, so I’ve had a scrappy morning (the June Dixie Pieces kit is the BEST yet!! But I can’t share those projects till June is here!!) & now I have the Singer all fired up & an afternoon of sewing awaits!!

Hope you’re having a great weekend & I’ll try & stop by at your place for a catch up (nothing changes!!) very soon!! :)

A Weekend Full Of Delights…Almost!!

…& I say almost, because the last 36 hours has been a little uncomfortable as I’ve had some sort of tummy bug, but it seems to be on it’s way out now!! I actually felt rotten enough to come home early from work yesterday & cancel my weekly Cinema visit!!

But that’s enough of the yucky stuff! The rest of my weekend was pure delight!!

It started well with our Girls Night Out on Friday! The weather was so nice that we all turned up in Summer Dresses!!  As designated driver I’m happy not to drink, but I love watching everyone else get squiffy!! Kali in particular is so funny once she’s had just ‘a sniff of the cork’ & we get to see her ‘real self’!!

We went to a favourite Steak House & as usual the meal was thoroughly enjoyable! Good quality food, well cooked…no frills, or as Hubby would say ‘not messed about with’!!  We resisted starters & desserts, but talked & laughed so much I’m not sure we’d have had time anyway!! As it was I didn’t get home to bed till after midnight!!

Then on Saturday, which was National (or should that be International?!) Scrapbooking Day, I was up with the Lark & headed off up the A1 to Brampton for the ‘3 Jolly Scrappers’ workshop with Sandie Vincent.

We’d had rain in the morning but the sun came out to treat us to another lovely day & shone in through the windows as we worked! It was so lovely to catch up with these two ladies…

 
…& of course not forgetting the lovely Dawn, who for some reason I didn’t get a shot of on the day, so I’ve ‘pinched’ your blog profile pic instead Dawn!!…hope you won’t mind!!

We did laugh, as she was seated on my ‘deaf’ side & had to prod me to get my attention…either that or talk very loudly, which was hard with her being a normally shy, reserved type…LOL!!!!

I have to comment on the lunch provided…we were totally spoiled with the most perfect Jacket Potato’s, a choice of toppings & salad!!

 

 

 

…& if that wasn’t enough, a little while later there was afternoon tea with a choice of THREE types of homemade cake!!!!

So, there you have lovely people, at a lovely venue on a lovely day….lovely food & lots of laughs, but what about the scrapping?!!!

Well the uber-talented Sandie Vincent had prepared two class Layouts for us…the first using ‘Echo Park’ & the second ‘Basic Grey’.

 

It always amazes me at crops where there’s a class kit, that everyone starts with the same kit & is working to the same example, but each persons LO has it’s own ‘twist’ when it’s done!

We used an amazing double leaf punch/emboss tool from Nellie Snellen, which I need to add to my gadget box soon!! There was a little black felt rose to make & we also used flocked ‘rub-ons’ which was a first for me too! I managed to complete both LO’s before the end of the day (I know…amazing!! I am usually a contender for the title of ‘Worlds Slowest Scrapper’!!) & used two recent photographs of ME!! How self indulgent was that?!!!

If you want to check out both of Sandie’s original LO’s, you can find them HERE…& here are mine…

  
Echo Park ‘For the Record’ is my favourite collection of the moment, so it was a real treat to work with this scrummy kit!! (I’ve blurred out Karen’s Address on the little journaling spot…didn’t think she’d appreciate me sharing that!)

 
The ‘Prima’ flowers that came in this second kit along with the gorgeous ‘Basic Grey’ PP’s, were just so wonderful to work with…again we all chose a slightly different combination of colours & arranged them slightly differently!!…& look…there are those punched/embossed leaves…aren’t they great?!!!

So…Big THANK YOU’s to Jo, Kim & Sandie for a wonderfully organised day & I highly recommend you pop over to ‘3 Jolly Scrappers’ & check out their calendar of Workshops & Crops…if you’re within travelling distance, they offer such great friendly service & fabulous value for money!

I’ll be off up the A1 again this Friday evening too, for the regular monthly crop, armed this time with my June Dixie Pieces kit, which is stunning…but you’ll have to wait to see what’s in that one!!

Thank you so much for stopping by & for my US (& Aussie?) friends with children, I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day…& to everyone…Have a great week ahead!!  Come back soon! :)

What gets my vote?

Today is polling day & I dutifully went along to place my mark on not ONE but THREE voting papers!!!  We not only had to vote for a local MP, but a local Mayor & whether or not to support the proposed new voting system!! Quite a lot to consider before I’d even had my first coffee of the day!!  But I’ve cast my votes & now we just have to wait to see what will be!! I’m not really a political animal, but I do believe in using my right to vote, after all, women died for it!!

Something else that gets my vote (see what I did there?!!) is the remake of the classic movie ‘Arthur’!!

I loved the original (OMG…how long ago?!!! Not 30 years surely?!!!…it can’t be!!!) with Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli & John Gielgud…but, believe me the role of Arthur could have been written for Russell Brand…& the dynamic between him & Helen Mirren, as his Nanny, is just a thing of beauty!!!

As a remake the story is identical but totally brought up to date & not at all spoiled by knowing the plot!!!

 
This week I also got to revisit another old favourite. Currently showing on Sky is the most amazing film, ‘The Prestige’ starring Michael Cain, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johanson & David Bowie. How this film passed me by at the cinema in 2006, I do not know, but I caught it on TV two years later & as soon as it finished I just wanted to see it again!!  As soon as I saw it was on this month I set it to Sky+ & you can be sure I will be watching it several times over!! If you like a good mystery thriller, I highly recommend that you do the same!!! 

I am currently in the process of trying to choose possible photo’s for the much anticipated workshop with Sandie Vincent & ‘3 Jolly Scrappers’ at Brampton this coming Saturday! The sneak peeks arrived via email & I’m sure it’s OK for me to share them here (I think there may be one or two places left if you’re in the vicinity & at a loose end!!)…

 

 

 

 

They both look very scrummy indeed & I just hope I can find the right photo’s to do them justice! At this point I think the second grabs me more, but then that’s probably because it’s less girly!!! Either way I am so looking forward to spending the day with lovely people in a lovely venue, working on lovely projects!! You can check out more of Sandie Vincent’s gorgeous work on her blog…HERE! 

OK…so I think that’s me for today…as I’ve been typing, the neighbours cat has decided to come & see me!! Does he sit in the wide open space that is my desk? No, he curls up on the pile of stash that’s waiting to be put away!! It can’t be more comfortable…surely?!!!!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by! I hope you’re all settling back into normality & that you all have a fabulous weekend, whatever the weather brings!!  Quite frankly, my garden could do with a good downpour, but only at night if possible please!!!

See you next time!  :)

The Invitation Of The Season…

You know, I’d heard that there was something major happening on April 29th, but when the invitation arrived in the post…well I was SO excited!!! Would I be able to get a hair appointment?…Did I have a suitable outfit that fitted?!….Should I dig out a hat?…Or a fascinator? All of these questions needed answers!!

Now, I know what you’re thinking & NO…it wasn’t an invitation to THAT event, but something a little closer to home!!

Karen & Chris were holding a Garden Party to celebrate their Silver Wedding Anniversary & also to commemorate the wedding of these two lovely people!

 

 

 

 

Timed perfectly to start at 2pm, which gave us all time to watch the wedding on TV up to the two kisses on the balcony, before heading off into the sunshine for an afternoon of elegant Englishness!! & in case you’re wondering I opted for the fascinator!! (& the dress was a bit tight, but thank heaven for Magic Knickers is all I can say!!)

We had the perfect hosts & the garden was festooned with bunting & furnished with comfy chairs, Gazebo’s, rugs, parasols & everything you could need to enjoy an afternoon in the garden!

It was wonderful to actually meet people who I have previously only heard Karen speak about or have seen featured in her Layouts!!

The lovely Hilary was there, also sporting a very elegant cream feather fascinator & we spent time getting to know Karen & Chris’s family & friends, perusing photo albums of their wedding & respective families, going back a couple of generations! A perfect pastime for scrap addicts!!

 

Karen had been baking for England & there were oodles of scones, offered up with bowls full of strawberry jam & clotted cream!!

 

 

 

Red Velvet cupcakes, beautifully decorated with piped frosting & sparkly sugar flowers & butterflies!

 

 

A stunning Hummingbird cake in three layers, I took some of this home with me & OMG it is delicious!!!  If you’re interested, Karen shared the recipe for this on her blog recently…you’ll find it HERE.

 

My contribution to the table was a Pavlova, my favourite dessert of all time! I used Raspberries, Blackberries & toasted hazelnuts with just a few mint leaf tips scattered through!

And this was just the ‘sweet’ table!!! In another room we had a selection of finger sandwiches…Cucumber (of course), Salmon, Egg Mayonnaise…not to mention the vast array of other savoury delights!!

 

Then of course, to wash all of this down there was plenty of Pimms, Champagne, soft drinks & the obligatory Tea,,,served in fine bone china cups!! How civilised!!

 

 

 

Did I enjoy myself? 

What do you think?!!!!



I’d say that April 29th was a pretty near perfect day!!  The Royal wedding was like a fairytale….Kates dress… Sigh!! Pippa’s dress…Even bigger Sigh!!  The weather was perfect (I think Diana had a word with the Big Man upstairs!)…& time spent in great company in lovely surroundings!!

So that was how I spent my Royal Wedding Day! I do hope you enjoyed yours, however you spent it! I’m hoping to get around everyone’s blogs very soon to find out!!

Today marked the return of ‘normal’ routine, for the next four weeks at least, so I’m also hoping that my blogging will be a little more regular too!! I have a fabulous workshop with Sandie Vincent & the ‘3Jolly Scrappers’ to look forward to on Saturday, which I believe is also National Scrapbooking Day!!

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by & I wish you all the rest of a great week!! :)

It’s THAT time again!!!!

Another month has rolled by…it’s the 2nd May today so I’m actually a day late with this post on two counts!!!

Firstly, Mays kit is up for grabs over at Dixie Pieces! Called ‘Sticks & Stones’ it includes some wonderful & ‘different’ items, & has been great fun to work with!

 

 

Here is what I put together…


This first one was fun to do as I tried to extend the lines of rope in the photo out onto the LO, using the May Arts blue twine from the kit. 

More photo’s long overdue for scrapping in LO #2!!  Nathan in 2001!!

 
This third LO has been in mind since I first started scrapping…this photo was taken on the day we heard that Diana, Princess of Wales, had been killed. It was a beautiful day spent visiting friends but overshadowed by the tragic news. Alex was just a year old & of course, doesn’t remember anything! So this LO is just to document what we, as a family, were doing on this historical day.

& Finally two cards…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…to check out full details of the kit pop on over to the Dixie Pieces home page...& to see what my fellow DT Members came up with, do drop by the DT Projects Gallery while you’re there.

Secondly, there’s a fresh challenge up over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’. This months inspiration comes from the movie poster for ‘Love Actually’. I loved this film & I loved the simplicity of the poster too!

Shazza had set the following criteria…

1. Include a red bow….2. Name the people that you love in the photo’s…& 3. Use a journaling tag!

I did quite a literal ‘lift’ of the poster to showcase four photo’s taken on the day Alex as born…

So that’s me up to date with sharing my recent creativity with you!! Looking back over this post I think I must get some more recent photo’s out to scrap next!!! I have several from his past weekend that will do perfectly!!  But I’ll fill you in on that topic tomorrow!!

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you’ll be back soon!  : )