NOT IN THE MOOD THIS WEEK...

No photos I'm afraid... just haven't been able to do anything at all this week... I think my mojo has just up and left and gone on holiday...lol... Really need to get my skates on and start painting as we have Thainstone next weekend and I have loads to do - last year everything was done and dusted and packed up ready to go by this time... Hopefully after tomorrows crop my motivation will have returned home (please, pretty please!!!!)...x

PS Feel bad so I will leave you with these pictures of Niamh...Doesn't she look sweet, like butter would not melt but really she is more like you are jealous cos the voices talk only to me...lol...x

Just look at those boots with her ballet gear... cool or what???? Right of to bed now - got the crop tomorrow...x

Finished journal page...

This is the 'in progress' of this page and the finished article.. Have used images from Lisa's Altered Art... I used soft pastel to colour the blobs round the page... not too sure of these tho...x

NEW DATE...

Have another date to add to the list... Its Thursday 12th November from 7-9pm at Cults Primary School - we are going to be sooo busy...x

BACKGROUNDS...

This is one of the pages that I produced on Sunday night after going to bed and then getting up again after flicking through my Art Journal book... I made FOUR background pages in 20 minutes...lol... and then went back to bed... This one I did using a Tim Holtz technique using distress ink pads... I am very pleased with how it turned out...

....and these are the other 3 that I did that night... it's amazing what you can produce when you don't stop to think about it...lol...x

ELLIE...

These lovely pics are of Ellie who is of to Brownies dressed for Halloween... she wasn't really entering into the spirit of things tho - didn't want her hair done to look like snakes and didn't want make-up on... funnily enough she did want mascara on tho.. think they had a good time.

DOGS AND FOOTBALL!!!

Thought you might like to see another photo of my wee doggie snoozing - this time he has taken up residence in Libby's mini pink armchair and yes once again he is snoring his head of...lol..

This disgusting mess is from soaking Morgan's football kit from Sunday - it was absolutely filthy and I had to do it twice - never thought the socks would see white again, but they came up ok - not perfect but way better than I thought they would... Poor thing he was absolutely soaked to the skin and he was kicked in the head near the end so someone else had to take his place in goal...x

EXTRA HOUR IN BED...NOT IN OUR HOUSE!!!!

Oh well... how stupid am I???? Even though I had a couple of reminders last night I still forgot to turn the clocks back one hour... so now everyone has been up for one hour earlier than they need to be....x

Aaaw... this is a picture of my dog Haggis - you should hear him... he is lying under my desk snoring his head off... he is getting on in years now as he will be 14 in December so I don't know what the kids will be like when he is gone as he has always been a part of their lives.. Two years ago we lost our other westie (Charlie) very suddenly and it broke our hearts... he wasn't as old as Haggis and he became poorly and was gone 2 days later, that was 2 years ago now... Poor Niamh just said to me tonight that she wished she was dead so she could see Charlie again which I thought was very profound for a 4 year old....x

On a brighter note, here is all the cutting and folding done for the Brownie books - sadly I don't have enough yellow and orange patterned paper (Jude!!!) so I will have to see what else I have and maybe do two colour schemes...x

This is what Ellie and I have been working on today.. These are mini books for her Brownie pack to record events for their centenary year... We are making one for each Brownie in her pack so only another 13 to go...lol... I adapted them from the inside of the recipe tin that we made with Art from the Heart at MacDuff this year.. once I sussed it out it was quite easy (she says...) In hindsight though I wish I had made the covers from brown cardstock rather than black...I hope they like them...x

No news today...sorry - all been a bit sleepy. Kids (myself included) not been going to bed til really late this week and then lying in quite late and this morning we were up about 6.30 to take Allan to the heliport as he is away offshore again (finally!!! 4 weeks and 6 days at home is waaay too long...lol...). We all went back to bed when we got back I fell asleep reading my book (thanks for the loan Jude!!!) and woke up around 10.15am and by this time Niamh was in with me and we fell asleep again... don't think I got up til gone 11.30am and Niamh, bless her slept til past 12.30pm... so been a really quiet day - Susan and the girls came to visit which was nice as we haven't seen them during the holidays as they have been to Florida having a great time... Night, night...x

This is how my 'studio'...lol... looked this morning....

and this is how it looks now...yaay... much better use of the space I think... just need to sort out the baskets on the shelves now - need some much better storage boxes...x

This is the mess Jude and I made last night trying to be organised for the next few events that are coming up (we do a beautiful table set up...lol...) Guess whose paint brush is whose????...x

Okay - here is the finished article - didn't want to fiddle with it too much as I was scared to ruin it - I think less is more til I get the hang of it...x

Here is an update on the journal page - sorry not like Dy - she just goes for it - i am more slow and steady (for the moment any way!!!)...lm(ws)ao... Not done the writing bit yet...Enjoy...x

I just can't seem to get to grips with the placement of photos on Blogs... they seem to be all over the place and when I try to move them to tidy them up and put them in order I seem to end up deleting them...lol...x

Well here as promised is the front cover of my new journal... I am very pleased with how it turned out (was done using one of Dyan's tutorials) and I have also painted one page ready for decoration using the Adirondack dabbers in the greens...hope you like them...x

Just started a new journal book today - started of with a book that I had for ages - its a Pink Pig book and it is slightly bigger than A4 and was spiral bound so I have taken the wire out so I can paint the pages and then put them back in ready for journalling... Am going to use the Tim Holtz Timeworks mask as they are BIG pieces... Have primed the covers with Blonde Moments Multi Surface Primers and have just got my Spiced Marmalade and Shabby Shutters distress inks from Jude today... I am soooo exited about those colours... they are gorgeous.... Will post some pictures of my progress later... of for dinner now... Herby Chicken Kebabs with homemade pesto...lovely...x

Well I have solved the mystery of where my glass disappeared too... I have just found them in the garage beside the drill but I have no recollection whatsoever of being in the garage on Sunday night...lol... Oh well at least they are found...x

Can't believe my stupidity.... just stamped up and put embossing powder on 7 stars and had just started heating the first one and realised I had used CLEAR embossing powder instead of white.... AAARGH.... I want to scream. Have had to wipe it all of with a damp cloth and will now have to wait for them to dry completely before doing them all again.... That's why I need glasses...lol... Maybe it's time for bed and will start again in the morning....x

I have finally done it... lost my glasses that is.... can't find the spare ones either tho neither of them are really any great loss as they are both on their last legs. It just means I won't be able to watch TV til I can get some new ones... I can't believe the ones I was using earlier have just vanished into thin air (I do have to take them of when I am reading the paper or working as they keep falling of) but I do need them for TV... I will need to start taking a picture of them every time I take them of... lm(ws)ao... just to keep track of them... Oh well it will be an early night with my book for me tonight...x

Today I thought I had better get stuck into the orders we had a couple of weeks ago and this is what I have been doing today....

Got back today in brilliant time today, so we could pick Haggis up from the kennels... don't like putting him in but needs must this time as no-body could look after the poor baby... he is getting on in years now-he will be 14 at the end of December... hopefully he has a few more years in him yet...

Need to get started with the orders from the last two events as we havn't even started them yet due to the fact that we had no blanks left and had to order up and I have been on holiday this week so tomorrow I will get going with that....

Short post tonight.. need to go to bed very soon...x

Yesterday I had the very BIG priviledge of going to Art from the Heart for a workshop - it was a real treat... My husband very kindly drove me the two hours from Penrith where we are on holiday cos I was too scared to drive myself that far...lol.... I had the MOST fantastic day and Dyan as ever was lovely.. Just as well her shop isn't near to Aberdeen as I would probably be in there every day - I really didn't want to leave. We made the Advent boxes which are just lovely and so easy to do - I think the kids might want one each... Every nook and cranny of the studio is filled with gorgeous hand-made creations and I took loads of photos (far too many to put on here, but here are one or two)....

And here is the lovely advent that I made....x

This is todays adventure - we went to Trotters World of Animals and the kids had a ball. Here are some photos of the brave ones - look at Niamh holding that Python (she is way braver than I am...lol

Hi guys... back again...Got some photos of the cottage/lodge.....

And here is a piccie of the kids and an amazing amount of swans!!!

Hey guys... Got to The Lake District yesterday afternoon - the cottage is fabulous (I will post pictures once I have taken some)... Early night last night as we were all shattered from the journey... Tho once I woke at 8am I was wishing I was still asleep.... I have had a stinking migraine all day and am only just feeling better now... Poor kids have had to amuse themselves today as Allan wasn't feeling to clever either... Will make it up to them tomorrow though... Take care everyone and hopefully I will be able to do another post tomorrow.....x

PS have started another art journal page and also started the Rusty Pickle kit that I bought from Art from the Heart when they were at MacDuff a few weeks ago....

Well here we are again... I can't believe my kids don't believe I won't cancel the holiday on Saturday if they don't tidy up - you would think after me cancelling their summer holiday they would get the general gist that I will do it....!!!X!!

Anyhoos, here is another art journal page, I am really getting into the swing of this now (Dyan will be sooo proud...lol)...x

Righty ho I have never done this before but there is a first time for everything - right!!!! This is a link to some fabulous blog candy so go visit, you never know who might win it and it really is a super prize...x

PS -it is only open to UK residents...

I have booked this workshop at Art from the Heart next Thursday 15th... I can't wait to see Dyan's studio and shop and I am under strict instructions to take LOADS of photos to show everyone...x

And here is the last but not least thing that we did that weekend - journalling pages - it was such a fascinating day with lots of thinking and quiet periods... I found it quite thought provoking. The first picture is the one we did at the workshop and the second one is the first one I have actually found the courage to write in.... My new, good friend Sonja has lent me Visual Chronicles by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino, the by word is 'The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos and Altered Books'... so I am taking it with me at the weekend for a little light reading... lol