THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK...

Just been over to Gez's blog and she has entered into The Simple Woman's Daybook so I thot for want of anything else to blog I would join in (I have too much to do and not enough time to do it...lol...need to get of here and get on with it!!!)... The byline is

"Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments. "


FOR TODAY

Outside my window...it is a nice crisp, sunny autumn day although there is a slight chill in the air

I am thinking...will Morgan be happy at Aberdeen Football Club after finally signing on the dotted line for them today!!

I am thankful for...my four beautiful, healthy children, love them to bits even tho they drive me up the wall

From the kitchen...lots of Jamie Oliver this last couple of weeks...Jools Pregnant Pasta, Chicken Pie, Chicken Tray Bake...yummmmm!!!

I am wearing...warm cosy clothes after being at Morgan's football match today

I am creating...Libby's birthday invitations(craft party at Simply Create), Dina's 103 Art Journal (well technically I haven't actually started yet!), Willowing and DT stuff for Simply Create...Oh and also stuff for the craft fairs that I have coming up (wasn't going to be doing any this year but friends twisted my arm to do theirs!)

I am going...to see Take That in concert (again) next year with one of my bestest/oldest friends Liz and her mum (who is 70) and her sister...can't wait!!

I am reading... the Harry Potter Series (again!) - 7th time round for me Gez...lol and yes I am in the Biff and Chip series for the fourth time too...

I am hoping...that my children at least try to behave this week

I am hearing...football commentary - well it is Saturday afternoon

Around the house...there is too much needing done

One of my favorite things...is my new Dylusions Ink Set by Dy at Art From The Heart

A few plans for the rest of the week...to get some of the craft commitments out the way...get my bedroom sorted out for decorating...go to Kath's class over at Simply Create

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
So that's it for me for today - hopefully be back next week with some more crafty stuffy...take care and have a great week....xxx

BUSY BUT NOT A LOT TO SHOW...(AGAIN)...

Well hello there...not been around much on the creative front lately...it's been the tattie holidays for the last two weeks here in Scotland so been busy doing bits and pieces with the kids...

Went up to Lossiemouth for 5 days to the caravan at the end of the first week beginning of the second...the weather was actually not too bad...was down on the beach most days (wrapped up)...the first day the kids decided they were paddling - it must have been freezing...they were soaked....


This was a gorgeous full rainbow that appeared during the rain when we were down one day (not got the best camera in the world so pics are pretty rubbish!)...the girls thought the end was down on the beach so this is them trying to find it!!!

Allan took Morgan back to Aberdeen for his football match on the Saturday and we went down to the beach again and the girls found loads of shells and stones which are now sitting in a plastic bag at my front door...Haven't been up there since last summer and I forgot how much we love it...

This is a card that I made 3 of to send out to some friends whose birthdays are past but I forgot to post...ooops!!!

And last but not least this is a wee sneak peek of one of my DT projects for Simply Create for this month...keep your eyes peeled for more to come!!! Jacqui is away at the moment but I am sure she will be uploading all my teamies stuff to the blog very soon...

Right I'm of...got two hamster cages to clean out and a bedroom to gut...oh and also have some Christmas cards to design for a local magician...not sure how that will turn out!!!

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR PAGES...AT LAST...

Just a quick update on my September 2010 Calendar 365 Challenge over on Kate's blog...Hope everyone is managing to keep up - I am really enjoying it...only 3 months to go!!! Will definitely be carrying this on to next year...Will you? I used various gray paints to colour the background and then stamped with Unity Umbrellas and Raindrops (which the eagle eyed among you may notice are falling upside down!!)...The flowers and journal stamp are also from Unity as is the umbrella girl which were borrowed from Sonja... I went through all the raindrops with glossy accents to make them glisten like real rain which I don't think you can see from the photos...but I know it's there!!!

As you can see I didn't have a very exciting September but that's how some months go isn't it???

I love this little umbrella girl - the red dotty paper on her umbrella was also from Sonja....

PS - I was trying to make it like my blog background...cos Ithink it was a particularly rainy September (here anyway!!)..

DT PROJECTS AND CHICKEN PIE...

Bet you thought I had forgotten all about these?!?...well not exactly..don't know what the matter is with me just now - just not been in the mood for crafting at all the last couple of weeks (did get some more stuff done for the table on Saturday but that's been about it!)... These are the bits I have done so far and I am in the middle of another project and have something in mind for the left overs...I have to say I struggled with this snowman stamp as he is just too cute and I don't really do cute but he looks kinda nice all grunged up!!!

It is also so long since I have really done any cards that I just thought simple would be better...

I printed of a 5"x5"ish photo which I altered with the time machine feature in my photo editing, I then distressed it er....slightly, well I couldn't not...lol...wrapped some twin around it and added a button. I cut a piece of the Merry Christmas paper from Echo Park and then er.....distressed the edges with my wee sharp Timmie tool and a Stampin Up border punch...

I used a cranberry paint dabber to er...distress the edges of the kraft cardstock and added the patterned paper and photo....Cut out the @ using the Cricut and it's actually had about 5 different effects on it and guess what? I ended up back at the original...always the way isn't it... For the Christmas Time I cut this out using the Cricut but had a brainwave before using the cut out letters and decided to use it as a stencil instead with a lettuce paint dabber...I like this very much, finished of with some bobble ribbon and buttons with twine (Kath's influence at work there). Will try and get the rest finished by this weekend and will also try to keep up in future!!! But in the meantime why not pop over to Simply Create and see what the rest of my teamies have been up to (much more productive than me!!) or better still why not pop over to Alford and take a look IRL....

Mmmmh Jamie Oliver Chicken Pie was definitely much better tasting than his Wonky Summer Pasta which was a disaster but to be fair I was trying to sort something important out on the phone at the same time as cooking...not a good idea!!!

THIS AND THAT...

Ok Blogger is doing it backwards tonight, have more photos to upload but it won't let me..... These are some shots from the Scouts Ladies Night that I attended with my stuff on Saturday night...Elaine was there as well and I thought I had taken a photograph of her but obviously not...mind you Kerry and I did drink quite a bit of wine (thank you for the lift home Elaine) there and then came back to mine watched X-Factor and drank another bottle!!!

This is Trish who organised the whole thing - well done...I think it was a success!!!

This is Shona and Kerry...


Onto my previous night out...It was my sister-in-law Jen's 40th birthday on Monday and Pete really went to town...he hired a stretch Hummer which was fabulous and after a pose round Inverurie we were driven in style into Aberdeen to Malmaison for a gorgeous meal...the only downside was that Allan was in Ireland and couldn't make it...but hey there is always our 10th wedding anniversary in 2012 honey!!!

The Girls

The Hummer

The Girls in the Hummer

Jen and Pete

Me and my niece Kelly

Not sure why the first pics are so small but Pete emailed them to me and I can't get them any bigger....

Not sure I can be bothered fighting with Blogger anymore so I will do the other photos tomorrow!!!

GOOD DAY...BAD DAY...

Today has been a good day and a bad day... Good because I finally sat down and figured out how to use my Bind-It-All and came up with these little beauties...

They are notepads based on the cards that I did earlier in the week and are filled with lots of lovely kraft paper to jot down all your little notes and random thoughts (or maybe that's just me!!!) that pop into your head from time to time...I was really pleased with how they turned out and they are now in my etsy shop (or at least one of them is at the mo...spent quite a bit of time today sorting out shipping profiles and trying to track down one of those fancy measuring thingies that the Post Office uses for calculating how much postage you need to pay!!!). These are my first and third attempts at using the Bind-It-All - not bad I thought - I only ruined two pieces of wire...lol... I have also finally started on my Simply Create Design Team stuff after much pondering, ideas being jotted down (not in my posh new notepads tho - only made them today!!)...I have been too busy shaking with nerves at the thought of teaching my first class over at Simply Create tomorrow night - I have to say I am 'bricking' it (Jacqui...lol..)...I am sure it will be fine once I get started but if I don't get asked back again you will know it all went pear shaped!!!

Bad day - my kids have been a total nightmare since picking them up from school...Aberdeen football training at Garthdee tonight - Asda shop I think - NO....thinks Ellie - she was a total pain and wouldn't go in the shop so it put me in a really bad mood - Niamh was howling for about 1 1/2 hours and I had said they could have McDonalds for tea after training but that didn't happen as I was totally stressed from all the crying and moaning so it was home for a quick tea and straight to bed!!!! Let's hope they all wake up in a better mood tomorrow.... Aunty Audrey is doing the football run and tea as I have my class...Good luck with that...they will probably be on their best behaviour for her...

Right of to bed now as I want to feel refreshed in the morning as I am getting my hair done 1st thing as horse riding is cancelled this week, then I will have to go get some shopping since we didn't get any tonight....x

MORE SHOP STUFF...

This is the latest addition to my wee shop...got something else in mind using the same design that I have been mulling over for a couple of days...watch this space.... Not much else to report...Allan's sister came home from Kuala Lumpa (sp?) this weekend for a couple of weeks - had a family dinner last night with his family and all the kids were very well behaved (including Kelly...lol...). Got a busy week running in and out to Aberdeen with Morgan for his football (they won 16-0 on Saturday...yayyy) as Allan is away and the boy whose mum usually takes him on a Tuesday and Wednesday is away on his P7 trip this week so it's a bit of a scutter but it has to be done and I will cope!!!

JUDY'S CLASS AND SONJA'S BIRTHDAY...

Yesterday afternoon was spent over at Simply Create doing a class with the very talented Judy...It was Sonja's birthday and the class was my treat to her...

These are the two cards that we made...not sure but I think I did better with the Scooter Boy...I think this is definitely something that with practice, practice, practice you could get much better at but the pencils are quite expensive and I am not sure I am willing to fork out for them for something that doesn't come easy to me....

This is the card I made for Sonja which was inspired by one of Elaine's samples that I seen at the SU party I was at the other week...The trees are from my Unity KOTM...I cut the hills from the Cricut and the lace is stripped from the matchbox I received in the swap a few months ago...it's so pretty, the buttons are from Jacqui's vintage stash and I printed out Happy Birthday using the Dymo label maker...x

SOME MORE STARS...

Okay...I know, I know it's ages til Christmas yet but I am really trying to promote my wee etsy shop at the mo (I should be doing housework but this is much more fun...lol).

Why not pop over here and have a look for yourself???

Also...the postie arrived this morning with the first Simply Create Design Team stash...very exciting...will be getting stuck into that later....still got toilets to clean...lol....xx

CHRISTMAS IS A COMING...

Thought since I have my first ladies night in a couple of weeks I had better get a wriggle on and make something....This will also be available in my etsy shop. I decided this year that I was fed up painting the stars and hearts as it's very time consuming waiting for the layers to dry so thought I would try something a wee bit different....I have previously experimented with this before for just me and this is the first time I have made them to sell...

The papers used to cover these are 'unknown' (sorry can't remember the make as Susan and I split the pack and she must have the packaging)...I then distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Tattered Rose Distress Ink which is a really lovely colour...I added the small star which I painted with a Cranberry Paint Dabber, then coated with Glossy Accents and sprinkled with glitter...it is finished of with some distressed raffia....

Thanks for looking!!!

NEW IN....

Another new item for my etsy shop....not sure I will do as well as Judy as I haven't sold anything yet...boo hoo...but if they don't sell I have been persuaded to do a couple of ladies/craft events so hopefully they will sell there...

I am definitely trying to be a little more organised at the moment what with Morgan doing training with AFC THREE times a week in Aberdeen....It's quite hard juggling everyone as the girls have something on 2 of those nights as well and while my mum is good at babysitting she doesn't drive so I then have to organise lifts for them as well...

On Friday I went to a Stampin Up party at my friend Trish's demonstrated by Elaine...we made a funky little cupcake card which I forgot to photograph (ooops!) and then I posted to Sharon for her birthday and I think that's what inspired these cards as I came home from there and made them....

Had an email from Jacqui at Simply Create yesterday to say the Design Team Kits are ready to be posted out today...will be pacing the hall waiting for the postie tomorrow and Wednesday (oh no just realised that Susan has just booked us into Body Attack (help!!!!)at the Sports Centre tomorrow so let's hope the postie is late!!!)

Thanks for looking today....xxx

AUGUST 365 CALENDAR PAGES (AT LAST!!)...

At last my August 365 Art Journal Calendar pages.....a bit late but as they say better late than never....I don't know why I am running so far behind this month...I can only put it down to being on holiday - I am also 3 weeks behind with my Claudine class too....hopefully have time to do a bit of catch up this week.... For the background I wrapped the pages with some raffia (a technique I seen in an old copy of Craft Stamper) and then sprayed with inks or rather alcohol inks mixed with water as I don't have any spray inks yet!!! I then used co-ordinating ink pads to stamp various images round the pages which I quite like...

For my squares this month I cut them from a Dovecraft 6x6 paper stack called Funky Village...I haven't been in the habit of decorating the squares as I think there is enough going on in the backgrounds but I think this is the first time I have used such patterned papers apart from January....I quite like that too....

The month is done using Making Memories Vintage Findings Stamps which I found over at Simply Create the other week and I though it was like stamps you would find on postcards in keeping with August being the holiday month!!!

I stamped Summer Days with chalk ink and then went over it with a Versamark pen and then Perfect Pearls to create the slight sheen which I am not sure you can see on the photograph!!! That's it for this month, hopefully will manage to catch up as I am almost finished prepping the September pages....