Last Day at Work - tomorrow

I'm going into work for the last time tomorrow and I know there is a presentation and other things organised for me. Whilst it was my decision to take voluntary redundancy for many reasons, I know I will find it difficult to say goodbye to everyone. I have worked there for 20 years working my way up from being a temporary member of staff to being a member of the Senior Management Team. I wont miss the stresses of the job but I will miss my team of dedicated support staff who have always been very loyal and supportive. I've got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes already - get a grip girl !!!

Title or No Title

Today has been one of those days where nothing has gone to plan in fact I have felt a little bit let down - never mind tomorrow is another day.

I have managed to do some finishing off of LO's I started at yesterdays crop and the one a couple of weeks ago

Title or no title - I always put a title on LO's - well until now. I couldn't think of a title for it and the more I looked at it the more I thought it looks OK without.
What do you think? Its of my Granddaughter and husband climbing above the falls at Aira Force in the Lake District

Favourite LO's

After going through my gallery on UKS to have a clear out and me being a poor blogger last year I decided to post some of my favourites from the last couple of months.

I love this photo of my daughter as walking behind her it really did look as though she was carrying someone in her rucksack (even though the boots are on the wrong feet). This was quite a graphic simple LO for me as I'm usually into lots of detail and inking



This one is of my granddaughter horse riding and was for the sketch and scrap group I am part of. Title was cut on the Cricut and the glossy accented. MS border punch and lace and a Prima twig

Back to the inking and distressing with this one and as you can see changed the photo to sepia to fit in with the papers. This is granddaughter again with her dog Tana

And now my lovely husband who is quite particular about the photos I use of him ( just as well he doesnt see them all )

Lots of inking and distressing again. This is from a Sarahs cards kit

Crop LO's and a Happy Birthday

I had a lovely day at the Frozen North crop yesterday and managed to finish two LO's probably something of a record as I probably spend too much time chatting

The first is my dad and although he is now in a care home becoming increasingly frail with Alzheimer's he has a real love of chocolate and each piece gets the look of delight shown in the photo.


This one is for weekly challenge set my the Dizzy Dots on UKS. A lovely challenge thank you.
Part of the challenge was to include a group of something. I chose the cupcakes my sons fiance made for their engagement party last weekend and they were delicious as well as very pretty


And finally Happy Birthday to Heather my friend and team leader on the Rik Rak Ravers. Have a lovely day Heather .

This is the card I made for her and my first attempt at an easel card.

Recipe Tag Swap and a couple of cards

Well I've finally finished the recipe tags for the Rik Rak Ravers Recipe Swap that Heather has kindly organised. I'm really looking forward to to seeing what everyone has done and getting some nice recipes to try. I did a quite healthy Warm Chicken Salad


Ive also been doing a couple of cards today. The first is a tag card and its taken me nearly all day to do. Problem being that I played around far too much and kept going on UKS and chatting and then there was the Gottacraft Sale and I had to have a little spend - far too many distractions

The final card is for my friend Heather whose birthday is on Sunday. Its my first attempt at an easel card and I was quite pleased with it. I will post a picture on Sunday.

Well its been long time

The first LO is from a recent Sarahs card kit and is scraplifted from a LO by Rachael Elliot. I really like her LO's. The photo is my Granddaughter feeding the birds while on holiday in America last year



This is me at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. It was a wonderful place to visit and quite surreal



This is my LO for the Sketch and Scrap group I am part of. I used Gottacraft January Kit. Not sure I'm totally happy with my LO but I love the black and red in this kit

and finally my Granddaughter again playing with her chocolate Lab - their favourite game where she throws the ball as far away as she can and then runs and hides and Tana has to find her. Trouble is when Abby is at school Tana still goes looking for hunting in all the bushes to no avail.

Thanks to my friend Heather for giving me a boot up the backside to get blogging again. Promise it wont be so long next time

Bananafrog Blog Hop

I took part in the Banafrog Blog Hop last weekend and guess what I've won a set of stamps. It took me ages to decide which ones, so I may have to go back for a little spend.

I've been a bad blogger recently, so much ahs been going on I've spent any free time I have reading other peoples blogs so I will have to start looking after mine again.

TV and Remote Control Fancy Dress

Well its fancy dress time for horse and rider again. My granddaughter Abby always comes up with the idea of who or what she wants to be and its me and her Mum who have to put it into practice.
This time it was a television and a remote control, the horse being the TV and Abby the remote control. At first it was " how on earth are we going to do that " but then realised that it was a great idea

Here's how we did it

First the plug - a box cut in half and painted black and some stock cube boxes painted white. this was attached to the pony's tail with a pipe cleaner.

The remote control took a little more work - some black material and funky foam cut into the required shapes. All the lettering was just done with white pen edged in black.

The TV screen was old cardboard painted and then some printed pictures stuck on and a few thickers for the Sony label

Although I haven't a picture, the back of the TV for the other side of the horse was painted black with Scart sockets drawn on. The aerial for the horses head was made of pipe cleaners

Yellow the pony was very well behaved and didn't seem to mind being dressed up. He even resisted the urge to poo on the plug attached to his tail

Anyway all the hard work was worth it as we won first prize. It cost nothing to make only a few bits and bobs from my little craft room and mum, daughter and granddaughter had great fun together making it

Twisted Sketch

This is my attempt for Twisted Sketch 061
The twist was rough. I decided Dennis and Gnasher would be my rough. My granddaughter dressed as Gnasher and the horse Pepi was Dennis.
I used an EK Success Border punch for the strip along the middle and the left over bits to go around the edges

Abby, my DGD thought of the idea, but then its usually left to me to make the costumes - so one duvet cover and a couple of black bath mats later - this is what I came up with. They won first prize

Chicken soup Recipe 6 - Family Fun

This is my first attempt at the Chicken Soup Recipe Challenges

This is my interpretation of Recipe 6

I used the frame and the placement of the photo and title as my inspiration. Papers are Pink Paislee - Bayberry Cottage

Sarahs Cards July Sketch Challenge

I've spent a lovely Sunday doing this sketch challenge from the Sarah's Cards Blog. Not my usual style but I've had great fun doing it.

The papers are Echo Park - Sweet Summertime. Although it doesn't show up very well in the picture I spent ages doing mock stitching around all the patterned papers. I cut some of the windmills and circles and made them into flowers and used Glossy accents on the title. The photos are layered for a bit of dimension.

Looking forward to the next sketch

Sketch and Scap Challenge 2

Here is my LO for the 2nd sketch and scrap challenge. This sketch was set by the lovely Lisa. I really enjoyed using the 3 photos as I usually stick to one per LO. I used papers from my Gottacraft kit (think it was Mays) with lots of inking, tearing and layering to add dimension and finishing with Glossy Accents and Stickles.

Its great seeing what everyone creates from the sketches.

Photos are of my granddaughter at her sports day this year. She had great fun and although she didn't win anything she tried really hard.

Sarahs Cards July kit

I am loving Sarah's Cards July kit - Pink Paislee, Bayberry Cottage. I've managed 3 Lo's so far with it and still have loads left. These have mainly been done at the Frozen North Crop in Holystone over the past 2 Saturdays with finishing off done at home. I think I talk too much at crops ( but am going to blame Heather. :lol: )

This one is of my granddaughter jumping. Her riding instructor says she is one of her only pupils who always stay in a perfect position whether she is jumping, cantering or trotting. I've hidden the journalling behind the photo and done lots of inking and tearing

This one is of her most recent school photo and is probably one of the nicest she has had taken
Tag and School were cut on the Cricut

This one is scraplifted from one done by Rachael Elliot in the DT booklet. I love Rachael's work

Having a lovely day today pottering around in my little craft room. May even manage a LO

Sketch and Scrap 1

This is the first of the monthly sketch and scrap challenges I am taking part in with a few lovely ladies on UKS. The first sketch was set by Heather and a fab choice too - right up my street with loads of bloom although I think I may have gone a little OTT

Photo is of my granddaughter playing on the beach with Tana her chocolate Labrador puppy. i love the bond that is developing between them and how much fun they have together.

I am determine to use old stash for all the sketch challenges as I have so much patterned paper its obscene

Not been feeling too good this week - lots of nausea, temperature and awful pains in my side. I know I should really go to the docs. Hubby has been to the docs though as he had to get an early flight home today he was feeling so unwell. He has a chest infection and has been told the exercise he can have is getting out of bed - so what did I catch him doing - sneaking out for a cigarette. Well I can tell you he got a good tongue lashing from me and I've taken his ciggs off him now. Men - will they ever learn

How Does Your Greenhouse Grow

I've been such a bad blogger recently I thought I might have forgotten how to upload and post properly - not that I was ever an expert. Life has got in the way recently and arranging additional care for my parents became a priority. Thankfully this seems to have settled a little and with carers going in 4 times a day we think we can keep them both in their own home a little longer.


I have managed to keep up with the watering in my greenhouse with a little help from hubby and am pleased with the way the cucumbers are growing


and also exited that the first tomatoes are starting to form. I'm really pleased with my first attempts at greenhouse growing

Am challenging myself to blog more often - so may be back later

Property Ladder UKS Cybercrop

Well I have finally managed to finish the Property Ladder Class from the UKS cybercrop. It was a fab class and something that I would not normally do. I bought the kit from Bubbly Funk but improvised with stamps and paints from my own stash. The class was listed as taking 2 hours but I doubt anyone could have done in that time. Its taken me nearly 2 days.

It did make me get my heat gun and embossing powders out. I haven't used them for ages and must use them more as you do get lovely effects

I've used photos of our extended family inside. My husband and I both have children from previous marriage and although my step son and grandchildren live in the south of England I love how all the children and grandchildren get on so well when they come to stay. One big happy family

Swimming with Dolphins

Having a lazy Sunday here but thought I would share these fab photos of my granddaughter swimming with dolphins in America. She has only recently returned from the holiday with her dad and her return was only slightly delayed by the volcanic ash. Her Mum has missed her so much ( and so have I to be honest) but to know what a great time she has had really makes up for that. She is nine now and growing into such a lovely young girl, confident, clever, willing to have a go at anything and very caring. I am so proud of her

Anyway when I get around to it I'm sure that I will enjoy scrapping these photos and the numerous others that her dad has put on a disc for me.

I have a circle journal to finish today - Favourite Books - and I have to say I am a little lacking on ideas at the moment. Al the other entries are so good. I know the book I want to do, Wuthering Heights, its just how to do it??

Greenhouse

This is my new Greenhouse. I've never grown anything in a greenhouse before so I'm hoping to learn lots about it. I was advised by my GP to have a new project to focus on and this is it. My granddaughter is keen to assist and has planted various seeds in there including, beans, corn on the cob, some flowers and round carrots

I have put in tomatoes


and strawberries and have cucumbers and peppers ready to be planted

I have also done some lettuce and spring onion from seed so hope they grow too.

We have so many wild rabbits in the garden that eat everything in sight that it will all have to be kept in the greenhouse or we will have nothing left. Any tips on how to keep the rabbits out of the garden would be gratefully accepted

UKS Cybercrop

Have had a fab time this weekend doing the cybercrop on UKS. I have to say I do enjoy them and the fab classes take me so much out of my comfort zone. There are some seriously talented people on there.



My first LO is with the Mystery Kit supplied by Craft Emporium. I also managed

this wallhanging too

This was a fab frame class (will be doing this one again)

This one was using paint and layering

This one was with the bits and peices left from the wreath class

This is the wreath which will be hung in my craft room

This was one of the challenges to use your favourite stash. Used prima paper and flowers. I love this photo of my granddaughter with her dog

This was a class using stitching which I love and should do more

This was a challenge to use a vine

This was a challenge to scrap a holiday with a water theme

My little craft room was like a bomb site when I had finished. I didn't manage to take part in all of it as we were visiting my brother in law over night on the Saturday, but have lots of classes saved ready to do. Roll on the next one