BLOG AWARD...

Today I received a blog award and what a lovely thought this is...

This was awarded to me by Sonja at The Secret Life of A Stash Scrap Collector who I have become very good friends with after meeting properly at Scrap Attack 09 and we shared the Art Journaling workshop on the Monday... We now try to meet regularly and are always texting each other...So thank you Sonja...

And now the rules of acceptance are...

1. Thank the person giving the award.
2. Copy the award graphic to your blog.
3. Place a link to their blog.
4. Name seven things people don’t know about you.
5. Nominate seven bloggers you admire.
6. Place a link to these bloggers.
7. Leave a comment on their blog notifying them of the award.


Ok - 7 things you probably didn't know about me...

1. I love fresh coffee, cappuchino, latte, mochachino, etc but I HATE coffee flavour cake,chocolate, and I loathe instant coffee, etc...
2. I was born in Edinburgh but have lived in Inverurie since I was 12...
3. Despite common misconceptions... I DO love my children...lol...
4. When I was at school I had dreams of being an archaeologist (sooo not brainy enough), I was
fascinated by it... yet I hate period dramas...
5. My middle names are Margaret May after the popular Rod Stewart song 'Maggie May'... only
joking they are after my grannies...
6. I can't swim...
7. I wish I could dance...

My 7 bloggers who I am passing this on to are

1. Dina Wakley at Ponderings cos I love love love her style and really, really want to do a
workshop with her but I will have to content myself with one of her online classes...

2. Dyan at Art and Soul who started me on the road to Art Journaling (or art stuff as Niamh
calls it)...

3. Kirsty at .ruby's mamma made it who not only shares my name but also seems to share my
taste in furnishings and nik-naks, oh and camper vans (even if I can't afford to have all I
would really like-I can dream tho)...

4. Stampotique Originals Blog purely because I have fallen in love with these stamps... only
problem it that there are SOOO many that I don't know which ones to get...

5. Dee at An Artist's Ramblings by Faux Painter as she was one of my first followers and always encouraged with her kind comments when I first started... oh yes, and I like her little doggie too...

6. Debbie at Country Heart and Home.. she is another one that shares my shabby taste...and I
won her blog candy last week... and she does wonderful recipes... can't wait to try out
the lemon cake after tomorrow when my new oven arrives...

7. And last but not least Tim Holtz... now do you think he will acknowledge the comment I leave
on his blog...lol... I doubt it but I just love all his stuff so it's worth a plug...

I was trying very hard not to do the same ones as Sonja but it was very hard as I like all her ones too.... so if I have missed you out, I am sorry but this was a really hard choice as everyone's blog who I follow is brilliant....

So now I will pop of and let them know they have been awarded... Happy blopping everyone...xoxo

MORE BLOG CANDY....

Hop on over to Floral Fantasies for a spot of blog hopping starting 1st February... I always get confused with blog hops so have never done one before...lol...xoxo

NOT MUCH TO REPORT...

It's a week since my last post - what have I been doing???? Well, not much really (apart from ferrying kids around)....

On Saturday I went to the Aberdeen Crop at the Papermill in Dyce - great laugh.. and loads of cake!!!! Jude decided that the time was right for her to come along and so she has survived her first crop.... I am hoping she enjoyed it.... I wasn't very productive tho... Did manage to make one LO and did some sewing of a grungepaper bag that was featured in the October issue of Craft Stamper which I will show when it's finished (so should be sometime about July then...lol)...

I used Making Memories acrylic paints in Red Wagon and Eat Your Carrots and just splooshed the watered down paint on the page.... I then used the photographs from Niamh's secret photoshoot that I blogged last week... The hearts and flowers were cut out using my Sizzix machine and then I ran the kraft ones through the corrugator (not sure if that's the right name for it but you know what I mean)... I then stamped the date in the corner with the Making Memories magnetic date stamp set and that's it... I was trying to do this in a Dina Wakley kinda style but not sure I succeeded... but I like it....

Yesterday I received my blog candy parcel from Debbie at Country Heart and Home and Niamh and I promptly set to work with it... As some of you may know my oven went out with a 'bang' a couple of weeks ago and until such times as I get another we are making do so with this in mind we decided to 'bake' a pudding/cake.......using the slow cooker.....

Chocolate and Banana Pudding with Chocolate Sauce

Turned out ok and tasted absolutely delicious....very sweet... so thank you once again to Debbie for the lovely parcel....

Have also made a 'pink' card today for Jacqui's challenge over at Simply Create which I will drop of to her on Saturday at the Post Christmas Party which she is hosting... Can't wait...Lots of people going including my two good friends Susan and Sonja....that's it for today...xoxo

LOVE IS IN THE AIR....

Looking at Susan's post for today got me thinking about the hearts around my home - I have a real thing about them which I think started with my wedding invitations which I made myself and which I look at now and think 'Why????' but anyway that is what started my passion for them and I won't shock you with pictures of them either as they are really bad...

This one you have seen before....

This one I bought in Penrith while we were on holiday just 'because' and I added the little birdie to it...

This is another one I bought from the same shop in Penrith and was actually out of the shop before I seen it....

I think this one came from Au Naturel when it first opened, anyway I have had it since forever...

These two I made myself...

These two and the one below are another holiday buy from Penrith... the girls chose one each...

This is a Doug Hyde picture I picked up for half price from Gallery i in Inverurie... at one point I think we were Marks best customers..lol...

This one I spotted on an ebay shop - forget which one...

and this is a canvas I made when Dorrie Doodle was still open....

There are probably more hidden around the house, especially in the girls bedrooms...xoxo

BARGAINS....

Just reading Jo's blog earlier reminded me what I was going to post last week before finding the 'Niamh' photos.... My bargains....

First of all there was this little lot from Boots which was all half price.... The Sanctuary perfume is really lovely...

And then there was this little lot from Marks and Spencers.....

and yes that is FIVE bras and they cost the sum total of 50p EACH - now that is what I call a bargain......

PS - no peeking at the size, we are not all as blessed in that area - naming no names...lol...xoxo

BLOG CANDY WIN....

Very excited today.... I have won some blog candy from Country Heart and Home....

The shabby chic goodies include:-
The Shabby Chic Home by Rachel Ashwell book (eye candy!!)
Laura Ashley red rose stripe apron
Lakeland 2lb Loaf tin
Lakeland 1lb Loaf tin
Rose scented sparkling powder puff (what kind of domestic goddess doesnt shimmer while she cooks!!)

and it's all thanks to Susan for pointing it out to me so thank you Susan and thank you Debbie for the wonderful prize...xoxo

PS I have finally worked out how to add the blog candy prompts to the side column...

CAMERA SHY????....

Have just searched high and low for my camera so I could do a couple of update photos on how the coaster challenge from Vanilla Sugar is going and after much searching a little voice squeaked 'it's in my bedroom..... I have no idea how it got there' it said and this is what I found....

"Right, let's get this look right"



"Mean and moody"

"or just downright silly"

"No, mean and moody is better"

"definitely better..."

"No, I've changed my mind again... I am definitely just downright silly....BTW, can you see up my nose in these photos???"

MORE FAME....

This fame thing is spreading... Check out my friend Mandy's blog over here and see what she has been up to... she has only won the Star Letter in this month's Your Home magazine and got herself a prize of ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS of Focus vouchers.... Her stuff is fabulous and I love it... she must have so much patience... Pop over and have a wee lookie and leave a nice comment cos I just know she would appreciate it... Might have more art before the end of the weekend - my mojo has left the building for a little break I think (I hope!!!)...x

CRAFT RACK...

Last night I was lucky enough to have Paul come round (he is the husband of Jude and my partner in crime (sorry craft!?X) to put up my craft rack which we treated ourselves to just before Christmas with some of our profits... It is definitely one of the best forty pounds I have spent.... It has cleared heaps of room in some baskets, just ready for filling with more stuff...

The middle set of inks are my Stampin Up ones which are a little unbalanced... they were sitting comfortably til I realised I had them upside down... I forgot the actual inkpad is in the lid so you can store then upright...And here are my Paint Dabbers and Claudine Helmuth paints which I am definitely getting more of each of them... I can't decide which ones I like best.....Last but not least is my LOVE sign which I got from the very nice Nicky over here on ebay...

FAME AT LAST...

Just found out that I have a mention on the Homepage of UK Scrappers about my journal cover.... how exciting is that!!!!...x

QUICK UPDATE...

Just thought I would show you an quick update on my art journal cover... Did this on Friday night but I have been struggling a bit since to finish it IYKWIM.... Maybe it does need something else and maybe it doesn't but I think I will leave it like this until I can get it straight in my head....

SCHOOL'S IN....

Thank goodness the kids have gone back to school at last so it's peace, perfect, peace around here today... apart from the little one - no nursery even though it is at the school - continually asking for biscuits and her lunch since 9.30 this morning.....

Have just finished the first part of The Biggest Loser Wii Fit game... It was hard work and my legs are like jelly and that was only the beginners exercises I was doing...lol... just shows how unfit I really am - looks like it will be a good program to follow, really easy to understand and it keeps a tally of your exercises, calories and weight loss... Will keep you up to date with how I am getting on...

Decided last night after being reminded by something Sonja was texting me to try out my melt pot that I bought from Dyan when I was down in October after using it briefly at Scrap Attack 09.... Only thing is Dyan gave me her one as there was none left in the shop and there was no instructions and I do like to read instructions when trying something new..... Anyway this is the result....


This one is before I melted everything into place....


And this one is after and I just realised that I missed out the piece of rik-rak....

There are a few bare patches, I did use my heat tool to try and distribute the wax some more but not very well.... If anyone has any tips, please feel free to pass them onto me...

So that is the next stage of my cover, just got a few more bits and pieces to add and it will be finished... so far I am quite pleased with the overall effect. It's not a very good photo of me as there aren't really any good photos of me - I tend to be the one behind the camera and DH never takes pictures but that is one of the things I aim to remedy this year... Have a great day whatever you are up to....x

ART JOURNAL, FRONT COVER....X

After finishing Judy's box yesterday I went on to start the Art Journal project featured in the Craft Stamper by Kate (The Kathryn Wheel)... This is what I have done so far....

Started of with an A4 Pink Pig book, this is the front cover, started of with sky blue Claudine Hellmuth paint, then added a few swishes of Ranger Dabbers in Willow and Wild Plum... I then used a piece of bubble wrap with white paint for the dots... the little circles were done with the letter 'O' from an alphabet set stamped with Stampin Up Taken With Teal and then turned and stamped again... I then filled in with a paint brush using the Wild Plum....

On top of that I decided I wanted to do a frame of some sort so I broke out my precious Blonde Moments papers from Art From The Heart which I have been hoarding and made this using my sewing machine and some very bright pink thread... I then stuck this to the cover using gel medium.... and that's it for now - hope to get some more of it done later today once I have my conservatory back to its normal state (ie, no Christmas decorations). We have been very lazy the last week or so with there being no school and I am staying up very late and not getting up til very late... Craving normality now..lol...x

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! AGAIN...

Well this is the second day the kids haven't been back to school and they have none tomorrow either so what's a girl to do... craft that's what... my lovely DH went to Strachan's and got my copy of Craft Stamper for me yesterday while en-route to the tip with all the rubbish from Christmas... and boy was it worth the wait... I started of looking at the front cover and thinking that the lovely cherish box was my definite favourite and then I go through the magazine and find out that it was done by none other than the lovely Judy... I don't think I have done it as well as she did but her heart stamps were definitely much nicer than mine... see what you think....

This is the box itself....
This is the lid and base for the box...
This is them joined so to speak...

This is the lovely grungeboard heart that I used for the lid - I inked it up with Distress Ink and then sanded over the top with my new Tim Holtz sanding block... have been hoarding these shapes since Scrap Attack 09...

And this is the finished article.... just have the ribbon to go round the outside but I have nothing suitable at the moment....

I hope I have done it the justice that it deserves - it was a very simple box to make which is what Judy was after...x

QUIET DAY HERE....

Been a quiet day here today... eventually got to Tesco after spending over an hour yesterday clearing the drive and digging the car out and then having Niamh pulling one almighty tantrum on me.... which ended with me in tears and her sulking in her bedroom and they start over the stupidest little things.... a pair of tights this time!!!

Anyway after being to Tesco and rowing with them all the way round - 'Can I have', 'Can we get', I don't like".... you get the picture, we went into Dyce to pick Allan up. The roads were pretty clear and we were in and out in less than an hour... Then it was trying to get them to go to bed at a reasonable time for school in the morning (that's if there is school in the morning). So far the nursery is closed and no school for transport kids... Will check the weatherline again in the morning tho....

Over on UKS we are discussing the various bits we have managed to salvage from pressies, cards, boxes of chocs, etc... I only got the ribbon from the crackers with some little gold baubles and a long piece of 'love Disney' ribbon from some PJs.... What did you manage to salvage????

I am also going to be taking part in the Document 2010 Challenge they have started and I may try out the Weekly Mini Book Pages for 2010 as well... so looks like I am going to be busy - housework is very over-rated anyway...lol...x

FAVOURITE PROJECTS OF 2009...

Like a lot of people before me I have decided to post my favourite craft pieces for the year... so here goes....

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

So there we have it - hopefully my craft will improve this year!!!!