Socks and Scrapbooks

Skywatch

2012-01-26T11:10:00.000Z

It's hard to believe looking at the sky today that it is January.

I wanted to get a picture of the clouds today but I got lucky with a gull flying across at the same time.

If you want to see lots more skies from all over the world please head on over to Skywatch

Upper Back Pain Caused By Shopping Bags?

2012-01-23T10:26:00.000Z

For a few weeks I've had a niggling ache at the top of my back, mainly at the side where I carry my bag over my shoulder. This is my bag which I've been using for about 4-5 months.

It is quite big and because of that I have always had a tendency (when I have a big bag) to put anything and everything in there. I realised that these niggles were most probably caused by carrying something which weighs several pounds over my shoulder but didn't do anything about it. I have no reason whatsoever in day to day life to carry anything more than my purse and a reusable shopping bag. I very rarely go any further than our local town or shopping outlet, both of which are within easy walking distance so carrying all manner of stuff in my bag is just not necessary.

Yesterday was a turning point though. I carried a big bag of potatoes and 4 pints of milk plus some other bits back from town and it was extremely heavy. Last night my back was really hurting. Much more so than previously so this morning I got out a smaller bag which is one of those across body types so the weight is distributed more evenly and made sure I only put the essentials in it.

Much less pain on the old back. However I walked to Asda after the school run and whilst my shopping wasn't particularly heavy I really felt it especially on the side I carried the heavy potato and milk bag yesterday. I'm guessing I've pulled something yesterday that was already weak from carrying all the unnecessary stuff around in my shoulder bag.

I always do the main supermarket shop in the car but usually stock up on fresh stuff two or three times a week aswell which involves walking and carrying. Until it starts to get better those extra trips will have to be reassessed and heavier things will have to come from our local shop regardless of the extra cost.

Painkillers and deep heat are the order of the day I think.

But........

2012-01-22T08:35:00.001Z

I won't be putting pictures of dog hair corners on here as also dared to do!

I use the Dyson every day but with two big dogs the hair just keeps coming. Anybody who owns two or more dogs will know just what I mean. One is black the other is fair so regardless of what you wear you end up covered!

I'm not the slob you all must now think I am after the last couple of posts. I wish I could be clutter free and it could be second nature to put things in their place rather than on the kitchen table or the other clutter hot spot which is the dog cage. Our living room was actually quite tidy and relatively clutter free before December when the Christmas stuff came out. I was so looking forward to putting it all away again after Christmas but was left with (as probably most people are) new toys without a place to call their own yet. Currently they are living on the hearth and top of the dog cage. Last week my youngest had his birthday so yet more toys were added. I have no idea why I thought big boxes of Lego were a good idea when we already have a gazillion Lego pieces. One thing he particularly likes are his Hexbug sets. I got him a small one for Christmas and a raceway one for his birthday but he also bought another big one with his Christmas money. I don't mind this type of clutter just now though. We've been there with the older kids and I know that it will all eventually make it's way up to his bedroom. He is a child and children have toys in the real world!

I wish the clutter free thing was second nature and I suppose if I had a nice big craft room in one of those perfect houses with the perfect people then a lot of that problem would be alleviated. Ain't going to happen though. One thing that can happen is a clear out and I think that is just what I am going to do. I have (like every other crafter) way way way too much stuff I won't ever use so clearing it out seems the sensible thing to do. I can be brutal when it comes to sorting out. I'm not one of those crazy hoarder people who can't get in rooms for stacks of stuff.

Do these perfect people have piles of laundry? I bet they do! I always have at least two or three loads ready to go in the machine. It's one of the most tedious jobs after all the hoovering up. Right now the basket is overflowing and reaches over the top of the washing machine despite doing two loads yesterday. Just wanted you to know!

Washing up - well I don't have a dishwasher - unless you count me. That is something else that is tedious but I keep on top of. I don't like to see dirty pots. Mainly because I know that the longer you leave them the harder they are to clean especially cereal stuck to the side of bowls. I wash up after every meal just about as soon as I've finished eating. If I've used a pan for prep I will usually wash that while our meal is cooking. Right now there are a few mugs and glasses from last night waiting to be washed but that is it.

There you have it - in some ways I am a slob but in others I'm not. I've been honest and I'm glad I have been able to do that. Life is not perfect despite what anybody wants to portray their lives to be!

Just To Clarify

2012-01-21T10:04:00.001Z

and because I was dared to post a picture of my kitchen table...by shite I just mean things people have put down on there and not bothered to pick back up. I am the worst culprit closely followed by my youngest son.

Currently there is a football shirt he wore to the panto last night which is still clean enough to wear today, packets of Haribo sweets which he has left over from taking to school to share with his classmates on his birthday earlier this week, more Haribo that he was bought for his birthday, his lunchbox that is his responsibility to empty and is still sat there full, his teddy of choice that he brings down every morning and take back up when he goes to bed, a pile of clothes I've just taken out of the dryer ready to take upstairs next time I go up, a food storage container which usually lives on top of my kitchen cupboards but my eldest son needs it for GCSE cookery early next week so has left it there, husbands work bag, fish tank and food, hat and scarf, pencil case, 4 old books from the library, 1 cross stitch book from the library which I intend to find an alphabet from for the AtoZ of discovery, a party bag, two old invitations from youngest sons party last week, a manicure set, a whoopie cushion, a pencil case, reward charts and stars, school letters, eldest sons mock exam results, colouring books, a mixing bowl with cluedo slips in, brownie paperwork, a lollipop, smellies from Christmas and a few bits of paper and pen tops. Oh and the lovely embossing powders I won but haven't been able to use yet because the heat gun I bought from the Create and Craft show in Doncaster in the summer doesn't work. I've used it once and now it is dead. I've been in touch with them and am waiting for them to get back to me.

So there you have it

Coming Out

2012-01-20T14:55:00.000Z

no not in that way!!

I have quite a combination of blogs that have found their way onto my google reader over the years and cutting straight to the point about 90% of them are full of perfect people living perfect lives with perfect children and perfect husbands in their perfect spotlessly clean perfect houses with freshly cooked wholesome food on the table every night. For goodness sake people get a grip and live in the real world!

I read this post by Karen Russell the other day and my husband asked what I was laughing at. Apart from the pyjamas and the god bit that could be me making those realisations. I'm still smiling even now thinking about it and how I'm not the only one to realise that a lot of blogland is fake. Yes I really did say that - call the blog police or unfollow me if you don't like it.

That wholesome food is slowly appearing due to me taking the decision to organise our meals into shopping list form and not just pick up whatever takes my fancy in the supermarket because we are skint and lists are the only thing which stops the overspending on food we end up throwing away. The wholesome meals don't end up on the table though. We eat on our laps in front of the TV (usually watching Neighbours) shock horror!

My kitchen table permanently houses all manner of shite including christmas smellies that I haven't put away yet and my son's fish tank. There are three chairs around it, one of which is broken so only two people ever sit there at a time.

There is dust, balls of dog hair and god knows what else in every corner of my house and other places besides. The whole of the downstairs needs new flooring, we have no stair carpet, the kitchen cupboards are falling to bits, the bathroom has black mould on the walls which refuses to budge with even the toughest of mould removing products, both those rooms are desperately in need of renovation and decorating which we can't afford. I don't wash the bedding every week, sometimes not even every month. The back yard currently has two days worth of dog muck waiting to be picked up.

This year I've decided that I'm not going to be a sheep. I can't afford to do all the 'latest classes' which almost always turn out to be an overpriced disappointment anyway. I've spent a fortune in the past on such things that never really promise what they set out to do. I even bought a pair of shoes once because somebody else had them on a blog and I liked them. They were one of the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I've ever worn. I've bought kits to go with classes that have, in my opinion, been full of crap that the person selling them wanted shut of. I know why people are like sheep because I've been there myself so many times but NO MORE.

I've said this before aswell and to hell with it - I'm saying it again. Some people on facebook really do my head in with their constant moaning about everything 10+ times a day. Do they not see how other people perceive them? I have friends on there who I always thought were ok but looking at their facebook status updates, or spam as I like to think of it nowadays, I've been given a different view of them.

I think I've got it all out of my system now so I'll leave you with those thoughts and go back to my perfect little house and wait for my perfect children to come home whilst I slave over my shining cooker with my husband's slippers ready for him to put on upon his return from his very highly paid job.

Start At The Very Beginning With A

2012-01-14T16:22:00.000Z

A is the very first of our letters as we journey on a discovery through the letters of the alphabet.

The letter A runs from Sunday 1st January until Saturday 14th January and on the 15th we will embark on a voyage to discover the letter B.

If you are joining in the adventure I have done a linky thingy at the bottom of this post so you can share with everybody. I'd love to see what you have discovered/tried.

Here is what we got up to:

A walk by the River Aire

Walked past the allotments

Several trips to Asda which I totally forgot to take a picture of!

I bought an amaryllis bulb

Made an apple pie

Ate sugared almonds

Drank Aero hot chocolate

Dealt with autistic tantrums

Leeds played Arsenal

Finished my Advent scarf

Took an aerial photo through the frosty window this morning.

The Art Of Quilting

2012-01-07T10:49:00.000Z

Yesterday I picked up this for the grand sum of 99p.

I was successfully avoiding the demons in my head telling me to call at the bakery and get a cornish pasty. They are evil demons but I was strong yesterday! Anyway this caught my eye and helped those pangs. They are offering a few freebies if you sign up for the next couple online. I'm loving the fabrics provided with this issue plus you get a reel of white cotton and some needles. All for cheaper than the cost of the horrible greasy fat laden pasty I was going to get lol

Skywatch

2012-01-05T14:24:00.000Z

First one of 2012

We have had crazy weather the last few days. The winds have been like nothing I've ever heard before. Our bedroom is in the loft and we definitely have had a few scary nights hoping and praying that the chimney pots weren't going to crash down on us. Thankfully the 'weather experts' are saying the worst is over.

I grabbed a quick shot with my phone of the beautiful blue sky we have today whilst I was out.

To see more skies around the world please visit Skywatch Friday

The Wednesday Stuff

2012-01-04T16:12:00.000Z

First up Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday:

Not strictly on my workdesk which usually is the kitchen worktop/glass hob lid or table but I really need to shout from the rooftops about these. 24 pots of WOW embossing powders by Sheena Douglass and I won them in a facebook competition. I am so happy right now with these little pots of sparkly indulgence and can't wait to get my heat gun out from the depths of my stash box.

For more workdesks this week please stop by Stamping Ground

Next up is Work In Progress Wednesday

I started a new mystery sock on new years day. I didn't make a single pair of socks (apart from the sock journey thingy) during 2011 so, in an attempt to use up some stash yarn, I decided to do the mystery socks in the SKA group over on Ravelry

This is to the end of clue 1. The next section is available on the 8th Jan.

The only other WIP I have is the Advent Scarf. I'm currently up to day 22 of 24. I've shortened a few sections and missed a couple out as the yarn is running dangerously close to empty but I'm almost done and have really enjoyed it. The yarn is Aade Long. I love the long colour changes in it.

For more WIPs please visit Tami

A to Z of Discovery 2012 - The Beginning

2012-01-01T18:50:00.001Z

Today is the very first day of 2012 and the beginning of our journey through the alphabet starting with A and working our way up to Z. We will be giving each letter two weeks and will be enjoying/trying/reading/stuffing our faces with things beginning with that letter throughout that fortnight.

Here are a few lists of A to Zs to help you along the way

Food

Recipes

Music

Books

Kids Games and Activities

Plants

Animals

Yes I know it isn't in alphabetical order lol

You could also just get out a dictionary and find a random word for the letter in focus that particular fortnight.

However you choose to do it is totally up to you. I will link us up with a linky thingy the day that our first letter ends which in the first case will be Saturday 14th January.

Have fun discovering all those new (and old) things beginning with A.

2011 Turns Into 2012

2011-12-30T14:24:00.000Z

So 2011 is going to turn into 2012 on Saturday evening. I found this fabulous photo on facebook. I have no idea where it came from but I wanted to share it. Such a simple but effective idea.

I'm not going to bore you with a 2011 roundup thing. If I want to know what happened at a later point I'll look back through the archives on the right hand side of the page.

I did have a few goals for 2011 but I was rubbish at keeping them is all I will say.

In 2012 I am going to try and:

Keep up with my own A to Z Discovery Challenge (see post from a couple of days ago for details). Last night I prepared a notebook with a few pages for each letter and will have it somewhere nearby for the whole year. The aim being that if any of us have an idea for a particular letter before we reach it then we will put that idea into the notebook and when the letter comes around we will try/read/do that thing.

Resume the couch to 5k running I started in September. I got to week 3 and life got in the way/I was too lazy to be bothered (delete as appropriate) so this time around I want to at least try and get beyond that point.

Decorate the kitchen and replace the cupboard doors (this was a goal last year)

Take part in a couple of craft fairs

Be a bit more organised with design team projects and not leave assignments until the very last day.

Take each day as it comes and try to stay a bit calmer when things get to meltdown point with the boys.

One last one which I have tried to incorporate for the last few weeks is to have a recipe plan for the week and make a shopping list. My grocery bills were getting ridiculous and we were throwing so much food away but since taking this step I have found it so much easier.

Happy new year everybody.

Christmas Skywatch

2011-12-29T15:19:00.000Z

For the last skywatch of the year I have chosen two photos.

The first one is one I took very very quickly on christmas eve morning whilst I was out and about. It was around 830am and the sun was rising.

and second up is a picture of the clouds on christmas day afternoon just before sunset

Thanks for looking. To see more skies around the world please head on over to Skywatch.

A To Z Of Discovery 2012

2011-12-28T15:25:00.001Z

A couple of years ago a group of friends did a challenge to discover the alphabet. We gave each letter of the alphabet a fortnight and went on a voyage of discovery of new things. We found and tried new (and old favourites) things from each letter in turn over the year. I only managed a few letters though so have decided this year I am going to do it again by myself. If anybody would like to join me along the journey that would be fantastic. I intend to do a fortnightly post on here dedicated to the particular letter I am discovering eg on 15th January I will do a post for the letter A and have a linky thingy so if anybody wants to play along they can link up their own blog post and share what they have discovered.

I'm looking forward to trying different foods, recipes, places, books, etc etc etc. There are so many things to discover starting with each letter. I know certain ones are going to be more difficult than others - X for example but I'm up for giving it a go.

There are probably hundreds of A to Z challenges starting this week but if you want to play along for however long you wish you are more than welcome.

2011-12-22T16:33:00.001Z

I went down to Elland Road on Sunday for some Christmas presents from the Leeds United superstore.

There are still tributes by the Billy Bremner statue in memory of Gary Speed who died earlier this month. I took the time to have a look and snapped the above picture on my phone. It was heartwarming to see tributes from other teams in amongst the lovely bunches of flowers, shirts, scarves, hats, flags and teddy bears. The large wreaths just above the teddy bear's head to the left of the base of the statue look like they are the ones placed in the ground during the first home match after his death by the Leeds and Millwall managers and his former team mates (Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and the ever gorgeous David Batty). Pictures courtesy of my husband who is a season ticket holder at Leeds.

I'm using this picture I also took of the statue on Sunday morning as my skywatch picture for this week. To see more skies from around the world please visit Skywatch this evening.

Book Tree

2011-12-21T08:00:00.004Z

It's my turn over on It's A Creative World today. I made a tree out of a book.

All the details about how I made it and a link to the tutorial is over on the It's A Creative World post

Making In 2012

2011-12-19T15:03:00.000Z

Gosh - 2012 just a matter of days away.

I came across this post over at The Felt Fairy and am going to play along.

Bit Of A Wash Out

2011-12-13T13:44:00.000Z

We went to the German Christmas Market in Leeds on Sunday. I was quite excited about going but it was actually rather a let down.

The weather didn't help, it poured it down for most of the day. I don't really know what I expected to be honest. I went with the intention of buying my 16 year old son a nice hat. I absolutely didn't want to get him one of those horrible flourescent chav type ones everybody seems to be wearing. It just isn't him at all. There were only two stalls with hats, one was boring and the other, whilst it was lovely and I could have spent a fortune on my littlest son, just didn't have anything suitable or the right size.

There were some lovely little stalls with handmade wooden toys and gorgeous christmas decorations but I wasn't really wanting to buy anything like that.

There were lots of food stalls and booze stalls

It was a bit early in the morning for drinking alcohol but those little cups they served mulled wine in are adorable.

Loving this table

and then there was the honey stall which had various beeswax candles. On the train home I was asked by my middle son if they were for eating. I'm assuming he thought they were edible with them being on the honey stall.

He did get to eat some German sausage in a bread roll. It was really nice and made up for the rest of it being a bit of a let down. I was peeved aswell because I'd planned on taking some arty farty Hipstamatic pictures of the cabins but the latest update crashed everytime I opened it and I ended up having to restore my whole phone back to a previous backup. This was to September and it deleted everything since then including messages. Not impressed because they know about the trouble it has caused a lot of their customers and they still have the update in the app store.

Meet Fred

2011-12-09T18:00:00.002Z

Fred is our resident house elf or at least until Christmas Eve.

He is The Elf On The Shelf and has been quite a godsend this year. It is his first year with us and I discovered him at just the right moment as our 7 year old was starting to ask a few awkward questions and his random statement of 'I know Santa isn't real so you can stop pretending' sent a tear to my eye. I did start to put doubts back into his mind about his statement by asking who eats the mincepie and carrot we put out and then I asked him to watch the video on the Elf website. He seemed to go back to the innocent little boy again so I figured if we can get another year or two of magic back then it would be money well spent.

Anyway the elf appeared on the morning of 1st December along with the accompanying book explaining his rules about needing a name so the magic could start, how he reports back to Santa each night and appears in a different place each morning and the big rule of NOT touching him. So far this has worked and he hasn't dared touch him. I suggested calling him Gary after the late Gary Speed but his little mind was set immediately on Fred. Why I really don't know but Fred it is.

So far he has appeared in a number of places each morning and so far he has only come back to the same place once (yes you get what I mean by that lol). The last couple of mornings he has appeared in positions that would indicate a bit of a party going on at the North Pole and he feeling a little worse for wear.

Fred was my inspiration for our Punky Scraps Christmas challenge. Full details are at Punky Central.

I used Hipstamatic pictures, the background was stamped with a stamp from the Cocoa Daisy November stamp kit using the Tim Holtz winter distress ink pads. I covered a chipboard christmas tree in some red and white spotty paper from My Minds Eye and added some bling, the journalling blocks are Websters Pages and the lace is some I had in my ribbon jar.

FO Friday

2011-12-09T00:01:00.005Z

Finished Object Friday. Yipppeeee I have something to show you this week. It isn't all my own work but it is all mine. The travelling sock journey is now over and I have my socks back plus a few goodies aswell.

For those of you who don't know how a travelling knitting journey works - There were a few people in our group and we all started our socks with the toes and posted them to the next person in the group who worked the next section and so on and so on until they eventually end up back home.

There will be more finished objects at Tamis Amis at some point during today.

Skywatch

2011-12-08T12:38:00.000Z

A sky from late November just as the sun was setting

Skies here are very dark at the moment here in Yorkshire. Lots of high winds and stormy conditions forecast for the next few hours especially in Scotland. Stay safe everybody.

Trying Out The New Pantene

2011-12-07T14:58:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Supersavvy saying I had been selected from an application I made some time ago to trial the new Pantene range.

Shortly after that I received a box containing some of the range. I had chosen coloured as my preference so I received a shampoo, conditioner and treatment mask tailored to that preference.

I also received some samples of the coloured items aswell as normal and fine products aswell to give out to friends which I did.

I tried the colour shampoo and conditioner on my hair and was quite impressed. I wasn't as impressed with the mask as it left my hair a little greasy. I had a normal/thick sample of all the products left so I tried that the next time and the mask for that was much better for my type of hair. It's definitely something I will buy again and they provided lots of vouchers to do so. I've also distributed some of those to friends aswell.

Next step is getting some questionnaires filled in.

The new range is starting to filter into the shops now. I'm quite disappointed that the Ice Shine range is being discontinued but this new range seems to make up for it.

Novelty Yarn Christmas Tree Decoration.

2011-12-03T15:25:00.000Z

It's my turn over on Its A Creative World again today and I've written up a pattern for a tree decoration as follows:

How many of us knitters have some novelty yarn in our stash that we will probably never use?

I know I certainly have.

I turned mine into some reasonably easy Christmas tree decorations.

It doesn't matter what size yarn you use. You might want to go down a size needle from the one recommended for the yarn so the knitted piece is denser and you are less likely to see the stuffing. So you will need a little bit of stuffing or tights or old bits of fabric to stuff your decoration.

The pattern is as follows working from the tip downwards:

You have a choice of leaving a long enough loop to hang it with or crocheting a chain. If you are crocheting a chain then chain 30 and slip stitich back into the first chain to make the loop. Transfer the loop onto your knitting needle and then knit as follows:

Row 1 - knit into the front and back of the stitch (abbreviated to kfb)

R2 and all even rows up to and including row 26 - purl

R3 - kfb on each stitch

R5 - knit

R7 - kfb each stitch

R9 - knit

R11 - (kfb k1) to end

R13 - knit

R15 - as row 11 (18sts)

R17 - knit

R19 - as row 11 (27sts)

R21 - knit

R23 - (kfb k1) to last stitch k1 (40 sts)

R25 - knit

R27, 28 and 29 - knit - this provides a garter ridge for the base of the tree

R30 - (p2tog p3) x 8 (32sts)

R31, 33 and 35 - knit

R32 - (p2tog p2) x8 (24 sts)

R34 - (p2tog p1) x 8 (16sts)

R36 - p2tog x 8

Cast off

You have the option of sewing on beads or buttons at this point or leaving it plain. On the yellow ones I added buttons to the top to make a star. I just added a few beads on the pastel eyelash ones and on the dark green ones I added lots of gold seed beads.

Turn it inside out making sure your loop is on the inside and start sewing the seam until you reach the garter ridge you made at row 28. At this point turn it the right way round and stuff it. Then stitch the bottom seam adding more stuffing, if it needs it, as you go.

Cushion Love

2011-12-01T00:01:00.002Z

This month on The Craft Garden blog I have set a recipe challenge. Full details can be found here

My layout is about a cushion my youngest son claimed as his own the second it entered the house. He can often be found hugging it.

I used some sewn cardstock by We Are Memory Keepers, a piece of fur, various flowers, ribbons, buttons, flower centres and I also made some flowers using twine. I entered this layout into the design team call for The Twinery. I don't hold out much hope of being successful but I enjoyed making the flowers so I thought why not try?

WOYWW

2011-11-30T08:26:00.000Z

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Not played along with this one for a very long time.

I think I've mentioned before that I don't have a dedicated workspace so everything has to be cleared away when I have finished. I generally use the worktop in my kitchen and glass lid of the oven as a workspace. Don't worry - never ever when the oven is on.

I've been playing with the December journalling thing that a few people seem to be doing. I can't justify spending the cost of Journal Your Christmas at the moment so may well either do my own thing and make it into an album of December my way or I might take inspiration from the Ali Edwards December Daily.

So always being last minute with everything - yesterday was the time I pulled out anything I could find in my stash remotely christmas related. First up was the question do I make myself an album or use one I already have with maybe one or two layouts already in? My question was answered when I stumbled across a 7gypsies package in the bottom of my basket which is around 8 chipboard pages all in different shapes that make up an album. Everything being different shapes I thought it would make it more interesting to work with. I got a pizza box of Websters Pages goodies earlier this year and there are all kinds of christmas bits and pieces in it including some die cut pages which are ideal sizes (again all different shapes). I found lots of other bits besides and plan on making a start today. Quite how much I will get done is in the lap of the gods as the kids are off school for the strike day, I have a badly timed optician appointment for an eye test which I made before I knew they were off and my eldest son has one later in the day at a time which was perfect to coincide with the end of the school day. Anyway these things come to test us and here is the stash I have got out

I also came across this mystery package

It contains a kit to make advent bags from Sweetwater. I loved Sweetwater when they made scrapbook papers. I will go so far as to say they are my all time favourite manufacturer so it is such a shame they are now only doing fabrics and patterns. Anyway I bought this kit just before last Christmas and never got around to making them and obviously I haven't done it this year either. I'm thinking if I leave it on the worktop it will be in my way and I might be motivated into doing something with it even if it isn't ready for 1st December which unless you have been living on another planet is TOMORROW - arrggghhhh. They are supposed to look like this link

I'm sure people have got lots more interesting workdesks this wednesday - pop on over to WOYWW to see what they are up to.

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-30T00:02:00.009Z

I've not done Work In Progress Wednesday for ages. I've only got one item on the go at the moment which is the Twist and Flounce scarflette

I'm hoping to start the Advent scarf on 1st December. I've got some gorgeous yarn and beads for it so fingers crossed next wip wednesday I will have some progress to show you.

I have been asked about last year's advent scarf. The ravelry group is here. I didn't actually get around to the whole thing and I no longer have it to take a picture.

To see what everybody else has been knitting WIP Wednesday can be found here

A Lost Few Days

2011-11-29T13:26:00.000Z

I did a craft fair a week or so ago and for months I've spent every moment I've had making things for it. I won't say it was a massive success because it wasn't but I made the cost of the stall plus materials and a little bit extra so I'm not complaining. It was mainly due to the fair being in two rooms with Santa between them who caused quite a bit of congestion. Nothing to do with the organisers as they did their best but unfortunately a lot of people had already spent most of their money in the first room or couldn't get through the congestion.

A few piccies:

taken by my son and perhaps not the best pose of me sat behind my table

getting me own back with a pic of him

these were by far the biggest seller. Die cut shapes stacked with foam pads and beaded on top. Some customers were going to use them for cards and layouts but the majority were going to use them for the finishing touches to christmas presents. I've made up some lucky dip bags of what was left and put them in the shop here

these are some coasters I attempted. They aren't stitch perfect but I've listed them on Ebay here

some more of the stacked ones.

some christmas decorations

these were some corsages/brooches that I crocheted. They sold quite well but again I made way too many. The ones which didn't sell will be going in the shop in the next couple of days ranging in price from £1.50 to £4 so great stocking fillers.

As it was my first craft fair I really wasn't sure what to expect and if I'm totally honest I was pooping myself just a little bit (not literally but you know what I mean). I think I made way too much stock and my table was maybe too cluttered so I think I would do it differently if I did it again. I really enjoyed myself so I think another one might well be on the horizon at the right place.

The week running up to the craft fair was very stressful for a number of reasons so once it was over I took the opportunity to relax and do something for me for a change.

I spent time watching both series of Downton Abbey. I hadn't really taken any notice of it when it was on telly but I heard so many people talking about it I decided to order the dvd from the library. The timing of it's arrival from another library was perfect for my down time after the fair. I was hooked from the very first moment. So many familiar faces in the cast but all absolutely perfect for their roles. I will admit that Mr Bates aka Brendan Coyle is rather a nice distraction. I don't know if it is that he has a look of somebody else I can't think of or that I've just seen the adverts for Downton Abbey as he has a familiar face but I don't recall watching anything else he has acted in. Looking forward to the christmas special now.

Anyway my absence from the blogosphere is the work I created for myself with the craft fair and having a lazy few days watching Downton Abbey. Back to business this week. See you tomorrow.

Football Mourns

2011-11-28T09:20:00.000Z

the loss of Gary Speed.

Photo from here

He was somebody held in very high esteem in this house as are all the title winning Leeds squad from 20 years ago. When the news broke yesterday I think we were all in shock as was probably most of the country. I doubt we will ever know why he brought himself to suicide. He was always professional when he needed to be so it goes to show that things are not always what they seem behind closed doors. May his troubled soul now be at peace and he is playing the game of his dreams up there with all the footballing heros who have gone before him.

I will always remember him as the floppy haired young player in this photo

Photo from here

I imagine the next home game will be very emotional for both players and spectators alike. My husband and son are season ticket holders. I would also imagine that there will be a permanent tribute at Elland Road eventually.

RIP Mr Speed

Easy Crocheted Brooch

2011-11-15T10:09:00.002Z

Today is my very first post on It's A Creative World.

I made a crocheted brooch. It's easy peasy if you can do basic crochet.

US terminology

You will need a few scraps of leftover yarn. The thickness is totally up to you. I used chunky which I believe is called bulky in other countries. It gave me a brooch of approximately 3 inches in diameter. You could use thinner yarns doubled.

I used a 6mm crochet hook.

Directions:

Using the magic circle method (explained here) chain 3 and then do 10 double crochet (explained here) into the circle. Join with a slip stitch into the top of the chain 3.

It should look like this:

Chain 3 and then do 4 lots of double crochet into each double crochet from the previous round. Slip into the top of the chain 3. Weave in your ends and your crochet part of this is done. The 4 lots of double crochet makes it slightly ruffled. If you prefer it to be flatter then simply substitute the 4 double crochet for 3 double crochet.

It now looks like this (yes I was naughty and took the picture before I got rid of the ends):

Now comes the fun part. Grab some buttons and beads and let your creativity loose. I used just ordinary sewing thread doubled for attaching the embellishments as some of the items I used were too small to fit yarn through. Invisible thread would be great for this part.

Sew a pin to the back and you are done.

There are numerous other ways of using this project. It would be great to dress up a bag, for fastening a scarf, as a hair accessory or on your papercrafting projects.

Thanks for looking at my design. I've linked it up to Ravelry here

Punky Scraps Sketchy Challenge

2011-11-11T18:00:00.002Z

This week on Punky Scraps we have a sketch challenge. The details of the sketch and yummy prize are over at Punky Central

My take on the sketch is this

The backing paper is Prima Alla and everything else is Websters Pages apart from the orange pompom flower from Basic Grey and the camera die cut which is Amy Tangerine. Oh and a few splashes of various mists.

Take A Moment...

2011-11-11T08:00:00.003Z

.....to remember all the very brave men and women who have lost their lives over the years to make our world what it is on today - Remembrance Day.

I got to thinking the other day about the first world war prompted by a book series I am currently reading (we never did the world wars in history at school). The books are the Sutton series by Elizabeth Elgin. Definitely worth a read if you like a bit of history mixed with a spot of romance.

Both my grandfathers were born around the time of the first world war and then both served in the second world war and met their respective spouses. My paternal grandfather met my grandmother while he was stationed nearby. He originally came from Wales so probably would never have met her otherwise. They then went on to have my dad a year or so after the war ended. I only found out how they met when it was mentioned at his funeral 3 years ago. I also found out recently that my paternal grandmother had an uncle who she never met as he lost his life at the tender age of 17 for his country. My dad and grandmother will be placing a cross on the cenotaph today for her uncle and a cross on my grandfather's grave.

I don't know how my maternal grandfather met my grandmother. She came from Northern Ireland and him from England so I am assuming they met in the war considering the age of their eldest child. Unfortunately she tragically died not long after my mum was born so nobody really has any tales of her history and my grandfather died in the seventies.

On my husband's side there is also a wartime tale as his maternal grandfather was an American soldier stationed here. I don't know much about his father except that he was born just before the second world war started and served in the RAF as my husband was born on the base which is now Robin Hood airport.

Without the war bringing those people together who would otherwise not have met lots of people would not be here today. Kind of thought provoking really.

So I am wearing my poppy with pride today in memory of those who have died to make this world the place it is today and those who served and lived but unfortunately are now no longer with us to share their memories.

RIP my grandparents Walter, Lancelot and Margaret and my grandmother's Uncle Harry and my husband's father who is also no longer with us.

Skywatch

2011-11-10T14:58:00.000Z

Punky Scraps Challenge 33

2011-11-04T18:00:00.002Z

This week the challenge over at Punky Scraps is a two parter to take inspiration from.

We were given a quote and a photo by Nat

Now I don't swear - well not the f word or other really big ones - so I do apologise if anybody is offended by the quote.

However it really did strike a chord with me. Having had a few really bad days with the little one and his aspergers outbursts (mainly due to frustration because his thought processes are very different to normal people) I read the quote again and thought yes I really need to do just that. I am the worlds worst for over analysing absolutely everything and sometimes it is difficult for me to move on from one of his meltdowns. I am still wound up but he is nice and calm and the perfect child most people see his as again. Mind it took 4 hours the other day for him to reach that stage and all over something really silly in my mind but in his it was very big. Even the tallest, ever patient, big brother had reached a stage of losing his temper with him.

Anyway MOVE ON is what I must learn to do and not just in this situation but in other situations too which really mean absolutely nothing at all. I'm a terrible grudge bearer and I think trying to live a bit more by this quote might help with that a little bit too.

So here is what I made with those two fab pieces of inspiration

Late October Sunrise

2011-11-03T12:00:00.002Z

Woohoo

2011-10-31T23:00:00.002Z

I'm really happy to announce that I got myself a place on the It's A Creative World team.

My first post over there is due in the middle of November.

Not A Fan

2011-10-31T19:52:00.000Z

of Halloween that is but I put up with it for the kids. No other day of the year would you allow your kids to go knocking on the doors of strangers begging. I just don't get it at all.

Anyhow one pumpkin was badly carved in the style my little man requested with a stencil he had printed off.

and I bought him a mask which glows up with yep you guessed it glow sticks.

I'm not religious but tomorrow is All Saints Day and then it is All Souls Day and those days are all to do with the souls of the dead going to heaven so please give a thought for those who passed away since this time last year.

WIP Wednesday and One Naughty Doggie

2011-10-26T13:04:00.000+01:00

Thanks for the feedback on the little trees. I have decided to make some more for the craft fair. I made a pink one with some sparkly yarn which is horrible to work with because it is so scratchy so I switched to some white yarn I had with a thin sparkly thread running through it. I used it doubled. It is really soft in comparison and I'm loving adding the little beads to it. For WIP (work in progress) Wednesday here is a pic of the pink one and one of the white ones which needs stitching and the yarn with the beads threaded on for the next few. I'm going to do one with yellow, one with red and one with pink/blue. For more WIPs this Wednesday head on over to Tami

My newly decorated living room is no more - one very naughty dog who goes by the name of Daisy did this during the course of two nights. She only usually chews things when she is about to come into season. She is very very irregular with her seasons and we never really know when to expect it.

Shredded christmas gift guide from Asda aswell all over the room. You know that saying about the dog messing up your homework well in this house if it is left out at her time of the month then it WILL get shredded. The little madam knew she had done wrong and took herself to bed when she was found out this morning.

It is now sprayed with a puppy deterrent and once I get a chance I will sand it down, maybe mix a bit of the deterrent with some paint and repaint it and then spray it again.

It's Orange

2011-10-24T16:53:00.000+01:00

I found Project Alicia earlier today and there is currently an Autumn Colour Challenge. This week it is ORANGE.

In my haste to find some orange on our way to Asda I slipped the point and shoot into my bag and we walked through the park instead of our usual route. However I didn't look at the point where 50% of the shot has to be orange but here are the ones I shot anyway.

A Sainsburys carrier bag - yes our park is a dump!

Some leaves

A gas pipeline sign

I figured that would be it but in some waste land just as we left the park there was a bush with orange berries. I have no idea what they are.

Then I had a look around our yard to see what orange we had

hulahoop

Marigolds that are now definitely on their last flowering.

The pumpkin we went to Asda for

and last but not least this made me smile this morning (Lucy the weather girl makes my husband smile every morning lol) She is colour co-ordinated to her map.

Camera Critters

2011-10-22T07:00:00.001+01:00

I stumbled across a blog called Camera Critters where every saturday you upload your blog post about animals.

This week I'm going to join in and use one of the squirrel piccies I took on our recent holiday in the forest.

FO Friday

2011-10-21T09:48:00.000+01:00

I've not taken part in Finished Object Friday for quite some time. Mainly because I didn't have anything finished to show you.

This week I have finished a ruffled scarf and have written up the pattern on Ravelry - here to try and make a few extra pennies for Christmas. Also because I am doing a craft fair soon and plan to print a few out to sell there.

I decided that my main sale item at the craft fair will be corsages. I've finished a few more than this picture shows and whilst some of them are finished I could use a bit of feedback on them. I was going to add beads or buttons or both to each and every one of them but with some of the bigger ones I am wondering if less is more and to leave them plain. They are made with a variety of stash yarn I had. The bigger ones are made with some Icelandic Chunky yarn which is absolutely gorgeous in real life. Each one takes up a full ball.

Then there are these little guys. Just a simple trianglar knit made into a christmas tree shape. I'm undecided whether to make some more because it is a christmas craft fair or just keep them for my own tree.

One thing is for certain, as much as I am enjoying making things for it, I shall be glad to be able to go back to knitting for my own pleasure once the craft fair is done.

Shameful pimping of my pattern post over now so please visit this week's FO Friday for lots of knitted and crocheted inspiration.

Skywatch

2011-10-20T13:55:00.000+01:00

Taken in the park with the hipstamatic app on my phone on Tuesday

Lovely and sunny for a change so I couldn't resist a strange shadow picture aswell. One dog at my side and other not staying still long enough to be anything other than a blob.

Decorating

2011-10-19T13:22:00.002+01:00

Long overdue but our living room has finally been decorated by my own hands.

I bought this paper in B&Q in June at a bargain price of £1 per roll reduced down from £22.98. At the time I wasn't sure which wall I wanted to put it on but at a total cost of only £4 for the 4 rolls they had left I wasn't walking away from it.

I stripped the paper from the longest wall in the room and then had second thoughts. Roll forward to August and nothing further had been done. I then had the idea that I would use the paper for the chimney breast but since it was the school holidays nothing was really going to get done until the kids had gone back to school.

During that time I realised that the long wall needed some paper aswell and I figured that even if I was lucky enough to find some more of the same at that price it would maybe be too much pink for one room. I found some this in Homebase of their extra value range at £4.98 a roll which I actually quite liked.

Roll forward time again to September and the kids going back to school and us getting back into a routine again. I stripped the chimney breast, painted the walls which weren't being papered and did all the gloss (I hate that job). Finally last week I started on the papering.

This shot shows the Arthouse pink stuff on the chimney breast but also the Homebase stuff through the mirror.

I had quite a puzzle with the pink paper. It looks upside down but that is the way it comes off the roll. I tried it the other way up but it didn't look right either so ended up just going with how it is shown on the B&Q website.

That hurricane lamp was another bargain. M&S this time and was only £6 reduced from £15. I like my bargains.

Not entirely sure about that back wall because it is currently empty. I have some collage type leather photo frames so might use those or try and find a nice picture. The trouble with pictures though is that I get bored of them very quickly. See the canvas on the cream wall? That was another sale purchase - £10 from Next. I'm not sure about its position either. It may well end up in a different room yet.

Just need to get a new carpet now but that won't be until next year.

Chocolate Sparklers and Autumn Flowers

2011-10-18T12:51:00.001+01:00

This was something we did at brownies a couple of years ago (I think) and we did it again last night as we were doing firework safety.

Pretty simple and easy to do and they loved it.

You simply dip the end of a breadstick into chocolate spread and then roll it in sprinkles.

There were some spare breadsticks and chocolate spread left so I brought them home and let the kids have a go aswell.

Edited to add: I've just noticed the angle middle man has his thumb on this picture. I sometimes forget how strange his joints are. Sorry for drawing your attention to that if you are eating and browsing.

Little man can't keep his hand still with the excitement of having this at breakfast time which is why the photo is a touch shaky.

and talking of brownies. Last night I received a bunch of gorgeous flowers. My birthday was last weekend but I was still on holiday last monday so missed our usual brownie night and they gave me these last night. I love having an autumn birthday because the flowers available are more unusual and I especially love this selection.

My absolute favourite is the miniature ornamental cabbage with the pin in the centre.

but then I really like the perfection of these small white flowers which I have no idea of their name. The blue one is a favourite too but again I have no idea what it is called.

Skywatch

2011-10-13T18:53:00.001+01:00

Boring skies here at the moment so I've borrowed one of my husband's photos with a bit of glare from a strange bright thing in the sky that forgot to say hello to us this week

Design Team Call & The BIG ONE

2011-10-12T10:58:00.000+01:00

I just realised I forgot to put up the design team call on here for my challenge blog.

Full details can be found in this post

I originally put up a picture for inspiration but haven't had much response so I've changed it to the usual type of email me your details call.

I made a corsage/brooch for the picture inspiration

I've made quite a few of these lately, amongst other things, for a craft fair I'm doing next month.

This last weekend I hit a big birthday - you know the type when the front number changes aswell as the last one. I'm now 40 and to be honest it doesn't feel any different to being 39. No deep wrinkles appeared overnight lol

We had a weekend away at Center Parcs in Elveden Forest. More to follow on that later.

Skywatch

2011-10-06T11:49:00.001+01:00

Some crazy people actually paid to go on this. My stomach was in my mouth just walking by!

Skywatch From The Train

2011-09-29T10:00:00.001+01:00

Some pictures taken from the train window

More Lessons

2011-09-27T09:58:00.000+01:00

Days 22 to 26 went a little bit like this:

22 - I can't be in three places at one time.

23 - I can't run for three minutes just yet even though week 3 of c25k calls for it. I did, however, find a flatter route than the previous one I have been doing.

24 - My eldest leaving for university is easier to cope with the second year. Lots of problems in the house she and her friends are renting, not least an unfinished but useable bathroom and no hot water until today.

25 - horse chestnuts, or conkers as we in the UK call them, have markings on them which I've never noticed before.

This was the haul little man and my other half got from the park on sunday.

26 - The decorating is not going to do itself and I need to make a start hence having to call at B&Q for a filling knife to get the holes in the walls filled in.

Punky Scraps - Get Picky

2011-09-23T18:00:00.001+01:00

The last challenge for September on Punky Scraps is a get picky challenge where the other team pick criteria for our team to use. The full list is over at Punky central together with all the fabulous design team inspiration.

I will admit that I left this until the last minute because I was a bit scared of the monochrome part of it having never done one before. I went through my papers though and taking inspiration from the picture criteria used a orangey brown sort of hue. I ended up sticking a bit of black in there aswell.

I think I got everything. The canvas caused a bit of trouble because I couldn't get a toning colour no matter what I tried so I eventually went for a prima sequinned flower centre (on the tree branch) that had a canvas back. Yes the canvas is there but you just can't see it lol

I think I went a bit overboard with the glimmer mist. Never mind.

I used some Basic Grey Out Of Print, WRMK Travel, some chipboard shapes (bird and branch) and letters that I had and have no idea who made them, some of my handmade crocheted flowers and some black prima flowers.

The photo is one that has been propped up on our mantelpiece since I printed it off a while ago. It was taken last October of middle man and little man when we were at Center Parcs at Whinfell Forest.

Skywatch

2011-09-22T15:04:00.001+01:00

Taken in the five minutes we had between storms one day last week:

Welcome To Autumn Or Is It?

2011-09-21T11:20:00.000+01:00

When I was a kid I was taught that the seasons always changed on the 21st of every third month which would officially make today the start of autumn. Apparently not. So lesson 21 learnt is that the first official day of autumn is the 23rd September this year.

Click here to getImages &
Autumn Pictures - Pictures

It feels a lot like autumn out there. I went onto some grass this morning on my run and decided it was maybe a bad idea with all the leaves making it hard to distinguish between leaves and other dodgy brown stuff (you get me don't you?).

I've even seen a forecast this morning that snow is predicted for October this year. That is unheard of here in the UK. We had it bad in November last year which was unusual. Sign of the changes in the global thingy I suppose.

However I still haven't had a crop of strawberries from my hanging basket yet. They are slowly forming but whether they will actually turn red remains to be seen.

Speaking of hanging baskets. I picked up some heavily discounted seeds in the sales and planted some ornamental cabbages in a basket in anticipation of how nice they would be to look at in the depths of winter and they grew really well and I was feeling so proud of growing something like that. That is until last night and I glanced up at the basket while I took the dogs out in the yard for their end of the day functions. In just one day they had gone from very leafy and green to this.

The culprit can be seen wearing the green jacket. I am seriously not impressed. Those leaves in the picture are about the only ones that still remain. The very hungry caterpillar story comes to mind and hopefully with them being in the basket they won't be able to attack anything else not that I have all those things in the story planted in my yard lol

Yesterday my learning came about courtesy of the tall one and little man. The tall one needed putting on the right train to my other half from work so they could go to the Leeds match. He hasn't done it on his own before and with more than one train due at around the same time I thought it best to make sure. We got half way up the street and realised his half fare pass was still in my purse at home. I ran home, got it and ran to catch them up but the tinkers thought it was funny to increase their walking pace so I had to run further and faster all the while laughing their heads off at me. My lesson was that running in sandals buggers the knees. They were aching like mad for a good hour or so afterwards.

Today's run was the beginning of week 3 in which the schedule goes like this:

5 minute brisk warm up walk
90 seconds running
90 seconds walking
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
90 seconds running
90 seconds walking
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
5 minute cool down walk

Those 3 minute runs are doubling what I have done in the past. I managed everything except those. The app gives you a countdown during those 3 minutes and I got to just past 2 on each one before I had to walk. Hopefully next time I can go that bit further and complete them. Saying that though my pace wasn't that bad this time and I actually think the map got the distance right for a change.

Facebook

2011-09-21T00:01:00.001+01:00

Do you use Facebook?

I do but to be totally honest it is rapidly losing its appeal. I made a promise to myself earlier in the year that I would spend less time on there.

The long school holidays helped me make a start on ridding the addiction.

I weaned myself off the time sucking games.

I used to go on Farmville and Frontierville several times a day but I can't remember the last time I went on Farmville.

I did go on Frontierville for about 10 minutes last week and found that I really couldn't be bothered with it.

I've opened my eyes recently to the victim attention seekers who can't seem to go more than a couple of hours without another 'oh look at me and how badly done to I am' post. I used to sympathise and then I saw that that was what they were wanting from everybody. Now I am of the opinion that the hide button is the best option for their whining. Nothing will stop them and they won't do anything to change their lives.

Then there are the classic attention seekers who need to tell us every single thing about their lives. Yawn....BORING!

Now don't get me wrong I have probably been guilty in the past and I apologise to anybody who had to sit through any of that. I haven't updated my own wall apart from the running app which does it itself for nearly a week because my life really is not that interesting that anybody could give a monkeys fluff about it.

I'm not abandoning it completely because I do have friends who are none of those things mentioned above and I value that. The rest will go on the ever expanding hide list.

Still Learning

2011-09-20T13:34:00.000+01:00

Day 16 was definitely that tissues and the washing machine are not a good mix and that they clog up the tumble dryer filter

Day 17 was that scrapping for just because rather than commitments can be enjoyable (see yesterday's post for the layout) and that is what it is supposed to be about.

Day 18 was that the weather can be unpredictable especially when I have delicates on the washing line that can't be tumble dried.

Day 19 was that it costs quite a lot more to travel by train into the big city at 9am than it does at 10am.

We got to shop in almost empty shops though so there are positives. Gotta love Cath Kidston and I got to have a look at some of the lovely stuff in there without other people being right where I want to be (I hate that lol). I'm currently eyeing up a new purse. Expensive but I might treat myself for a big birthday which is coming up next month. The purpose of the trip was for the last few bits (apart from food shopping) that my eldest needs for going back to university on saturday. We got her most of the essentials last year so there wasn't a huge amount to buy - mainly things like a new duvet, sheets, duvet cover because she has a double rather than single bed this year, stationery, pegs because she will be in a house and able to hang her washing out rather than in her flat in the halls of residence last year and general bits and pieces.

Still running and this was yesterday's run. I'm happy with that pace although it didn't feel any faster than the 25 minute miles from last week so I'm taking everything the pace thing tells me with a pinch of salt. I'm still convinced that 25 minute miles are definitely not what I did.

Exactly two months today I am having a stall at a craft fair for the very first time. For the last few weeks I have been messing around with yarn and trying to perfect a couple of ideas. I think I'm pretty sure on one of them now so here is a little sneaky peeky. Taken with my phone because my dear husband has taken the camera to work with him as he is going off to the Leeds v Manchester game straight from work.

Scrapbook Starting Points

2011-09-19T15:04:00.000+01:00

Have you stopped by Shimelle's blog lately? She has started something called Starting Points where she has a picture of a starting point of a layout. The latest one (full details here) was this:

Love how she has used stripy paper because I hardly ever use it and it is a satisfying feeling to use a full piece of paper every now and again. I chose some Jillybean Soup papers from the September Scraproom kit and my starting point turned out like this (crap phone pic)

which then became this

Ack.... I hate the photo of the layout. I need a scanner or lessons in how to photograph something 12x12 so it doesn't look like this.

Punky Scraps Challenge 28 Sketch

2011-09-16T15:00:00.000+01:00

This week on Punky Scraps it is a sketch challenge. The sketch is over at Punky Central along with lots of inspiration for you from the design team.

This was my take on it

When my husband took the boys camping in the summer they went to a viewpoint and the photos scare the hell out of me. This one in particular looks like one nudge and little man would send middle man rolling down the hillside. I reckon if he had the opportunity to he would but who knows lol?

LSNED Plus A Bit Of A Skywatch

2011-09-15T12:05:00.000+01:00

Day 13 was Tuesday and my lesson was I need to be more organised and not leave things until the last minute. Also maybe not to overcommit. I don't think I'll be taking on any more round robin things for a while.

Day 14 was yesterday and with it brought what I think must have been an absolutely outstanding sunset. I only caught the very end of it and even then it was from the car when I was driving out of Asda carpark. (I did park back up to take the pic). So this is my bit of a skywatch picture for this week. A bit of one because it is quite rubbish and blurry. The blanket of cloud was black against the bottom bit of sky which was pink. Not something I've seen for quite a while.

Day 15 is one that I have been learning all year. Today is the first anniversary of my dad losing his wife to a very long battle against the horrible c disease. We knew the end was coming and we hadn't seen her for a few months for no particular reason so myself and my daughter who was shortly going to university for her first year decided we would go to the hospice and made arrangements to visit on the wednesday (15th). Unfortunately the time scale the doctor had given her didn't quite work out and she died a short time before we were due to visit. I made the decision, along with my sister and brother, to go and see her anyway and I'm glad I did. Back to the learning and my lesson learnt is that we can't dwell on regrets. We can't change what has already happened.

I'm going to do something I never normally do and ask something so please don't take offence and just bypass it if you like because I feel guilty asking. My brother in law is running the Great North Run this weekend to raise money in her memory for the hospice where she died. If you have a few spare pennies they are very much appreciated. His fund raising page is here

LSNED Catch Up

2011-09-12T10:54:00.000+01:00

Here are days 8 to 12.

Day 8 I learnt not to leave my eldest son in charge of cutting and cooking green beans for tea whilst I take little man for his swimming lesson. Burnt pan and no edible beans.

Burnt Saucepan

Day 9 I learnt that, despite doing the exercise, eating crap doesn't get rid of the excess weight and at weigh in today I was the same as last week.

Day 10 My middle man (13 year old) accompanied me to the big park for my run this morning. He was on the school cross country team last year so in theory it was a good combination to take him. In practice though maybe not. All my fault though because I left his inhaler in the car. He hasn't had any symptoms for several months so I didn't really consider taking it until half way around and he was struggling for his breath. The decision was made to take a steady walk back to the car instead of carrying on. Lesson learnt was definitely not to second guess that he would be OK and that his inhaler still needs to come with us.

Walked half the runs

Day 11 A massive spider took up residence in the living room this evening and I hadn't estimated how much of a phobia certain people in this house have of them.

Day 12 today - running again but a big lesson for me in technology. I was messing with the c25k app I use over the weekend and today I just pressed the go button thinking it would start at the next run from the last one I did - erm no doesn't work like that. I ended up doing day 1 week 1 again. However, since I didn't do it properly on Saturday and considering I stupidly chose a route with an unexpected incline and the wind was quite strong I maybe didn't make too much of a mistake. I'll just start week 2 on Wednesday instead.

Wrong Week

Speaking of the wind - it isn't the actual hurricane we are getting here in the UK. It isn't possible for a hurricane to hit. My daughter explained it all to me yesterday and I had heard it on the local weather forecast on Friday aswell. It is something to do with the sea temperature having to be at a minimum of 27 degrees to a certain depth which we just do not get here. Gales more like but definitely not a hurricane as lots of places are reporting.

Punky Scraps Challenge

2011-09-09T18:01:00.000+01:00

This week over on Punky Scraps the challenge is to take inspiration from this picture

I took the buttons and the tartan as inspiration and created this

To take part in the challenge and have the chance to win a prize and also to see what the rest of the design team and guests have done head on over to the punky home.

Skywatch

2011-09-08T13:16:00.000+01:00

For this week on Skywatch I've chosen to use one of the pictures of my little one on the climbing spider web thing in the park.

He is rather a daredevil 7 year old just at the moment and it is scary from a mummy point of view

LSNED Days 6 and 7

2011-09-08T13:08:00.000+01:00

Day 6 on LSNED I learnt that administering eye drops to a dog is not easy and is better done as a two person job.

Day 7 I learnt that the c25k thing felt easier on the second workout and that the 19 minute mile pace from last time was actually easy to improve on.

LSNED Days 4 and 5

2011-09-05T14:46:00.000+01:00

Day 4 I learnt that it is helpful to check dates on items before I buy them. This lesson is the second time in the last week or so that I have bought out of date food without realising. Last time it was crisps. This week it was mayonnaise with a date of May 2011 so it looks like asda will be getting a visit later to take it back.

Day 5 I have a screen shot from my phone for

I discovered c25k on the nhs website at the beginning of the school holidays and have been itching to start once my little man went back to school. That day was today.

Anyway my lesson learnt is that I'm unfit and even though day one is alternating one minute running with one and a half minutes walking for twenty minutes I still ended up walking for two of those minute runs. It is a starting point though and a work in progress which I am building towards in the process of dropping some lard off my ass. I'm really not sure how the pace thing works because 2.46 miles at a pace of 19.22 minutes a mile over 30 minutes doesn't really work out. Maybe it is averages or maybe the GPS bit got its knickers in a twist and it wasn't really 2.46 miles. I do usually walk faster that that though so I really don't know what happened. I did go quite a haphazard route around the rabbit warren of terrace rows near us - maybe it got confused. Next time I have a different route in mind which takes me more of a circular route.

If you use the podcasts from the NHS website it is free. I was all for doing it for free but having heard other people talk about it I decided to buy this £1.99 app for my iphone. It lets you play your own music and as you can see from my screen shot it tracks pace and miles. One very simple thing I thought was good was that it tells you when you are at the halfway point of your workout. So if you just set off from home and kept going then in theory once it tells you then you could turn around and arrive back home spot on the end time.

I also learnt that some streets are dead ends and it is a bit embarrassing to have to turn around when people are stood there.

LSNED - Day 3

2011-09-04T08:42:00.001+01:00

Day 3 I discovered I love Webster Pages after receiving a massively discounted warehouse sale package. It cost me just over £30 including postage from the US and I got a mammoth amount of loveliness. Lots of papers underneath the gorgeous embellishments you can see in the picture. I've only ever had one or two pieces of patterned paper from Websters Pages before and definitely no embellishments apart from a very small length of ribbon in a kit once so I am very excited at the contents of my box.

There are a few christmassy bits in there but with a bit of creativity they can also be universal or I could just use it as an excuse to sign up for shimelle's Christmas class :)

LSNED day 2

2011-09-04T08:41:00.002+01:00

No picture for day 2. It was the first session of a rerun of the weight management course I have done three times before. Every time in the past I have missed some sessions so I signed up again to revisit the lessons from the previous times and hopefully manage to catch the ones I missed. It's a fantastic free course run by the nhs aimed at educating people about the way we eat, what we eat and how to make small changes which add up to big differences to our health.

Anyway my lesson was from the weight scales that in the three weeks since the last course finished I managed to maintain my weight despite being lazy about exercise.

Learn Something New Everyday Day 1

2011-09-02T08:52:00.000+01:00

Are you taking part in Learn Something New Everyday over at Shimelle.com?

I signed up for Learn Something New Everyday (hereafter known as LSNED) a couple of years ago and the great thing about Shimelle's classes is that once you are signed up that is it for however many times the class runs. LSNED is a September class and this will be my third time trying to do it. The first year I manged something like 4 layouts for the class and ended up just doing a montage layout with tiny photos at the end because I couldn't keep up. Last September was a particularly sad one for our family and something happened slap bang in the middle which made it difficult to get motivated. This year I'm hoping I can stay on track.

Anyway off we go with Day 1 in which I learnt that my little man is not so much a little man anymore and is turning into a bit of a daredevil.

We went to a park with one of those spider web climbing things and he would usually just stay at the bottom but this time he was like grease lightning. I stood his scooter up at the side of me and got my phone out of my pocket, pressed the hipsta button and looked up. He was almost at the top and wanted to know how to get to the very top point!

This photo scares me because he was just holding on with one hand and looking at the view.

I guess he is growing up.

Skywatch 1st September 2011, A Design Team Call & September Challenge

2011-09-01T08:06:00.001+01:00

We had an amazing sunset this week which was over very quickly but I consider myself lucky to have snapped such a gorgeous sky.

On Punky Scraps we are having a Design Team Call so if you are interested in being part of the team and enjoy getting messy with paints and ink please check out this post

Over on The Craft Garden this month it is picture inspiration and here is my creation

Skywatch - 25th August 2011

2011-08-25T18:28:00.001+01:00

Autumn Is Coming

2011-08-22T10:31:00.001+01:00

I noticed whilst driving this morning that the trees are starting to change colour.

Then when we parked up and were walking into the hospital grounds for my son's orthodontist appointment we walked through these (excuse the crisp bag littering the pavement)

Work finished this year on a brand new hospital and the old one is in the process of being demolished so there was a lot of this going on

More on that in another post when I have more time because when they knock down something that evokes so many memories of days gone by it stirs up lots of emotion which I think needs documenting.

2011-08-19T13:46:00.001+01:00

Blogging from the beach getting attacked by these

They are everywhere.

Brought something to do if the ladybirds leave me alone long enough

Skywatch And More Day Trips

2011-08-18T19:15:00.000+01:00

Another shot from Bolton Abbey earlier this week for Skywatch. To see more skies from around the world please see Skywatch Friday.

Today we went for a little visit to a new gallery called The Hepworth after Barbara Hepworth. It looks like a big bunker from the outside.

They have a walk of fame with stars (just two of them).

the great Henry Moore (love his work)

and of course Barbara Hepworth.

No photos of the inside as I wasn't sure which parts allowed photography and didn't want to get into trouble.

the favourite part for the boys was the really good playground outside. Art and sculpture isn't exactly the most interesting of things when you are little.

Out In The Yorkshire Countryside

2011-08-15T19:52:00.001+01:00

How are the school summer holidays treating you so far?

We are half way through them here. The first three weeks were pretty much uneventful apart from odd activities breaking it up and an assortment of hospital and dentist appointments. Speaking of which little man has a physio appointment at 8am tomorrow! Very early but over and done with so we can make the most of his dad being on holiday from work.

My other half always has two weeks off in august. We used to go on holiday for one of the weeks but funds haven't allowed for that the last two years so daytrips it is this year. Not that I'm complaining because I would rather have it like that. I'm more of a homebird plus the older teens don't have to come with us when we go out for a few hours so make great dog sitters when we go places that aren't dog friendly. Biggest man prefers, at 15, not to come to daytrips so it works for us.

Today we went to Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire countryside. I wasn't really sure what to expect as I've never been before. I was thinking walking by the river like we do at home. I wasn't expecting steep hill paths so the old legs got a good workout. Glad I put my trainers on rather than shoes or sandals.

As you can see it was rather high up. The clouds had emptied themselves just before we arrived so it was wet and slippy in places. The edge of the path put my heart in my mouth at times particularly as little man kept straying over to the side.

This was the priory ruins.

and the very old graveyard at the side of it.

Reflective family portrait on a bridge. The river wharfe is a really peculiar colour.

Stepping stones across the river. I was the bad parent for only letting middle man go that far. The stones beyond that point were either underwater or had water lapping on them. The river was running fast beyond the bridge and regardless of the fact that he is 13 and can swim it was a risk I wasn't taking.

A lot of logs had coins pushed into them. I've only seen this in one place before but I'm assuming it is a luck thing like a wishing well.

A bit of nature

We then crossed to the other side of the river and made our way back to the car via this fountain thing.

Menwith Hill US spy place on the way home.

Skywatch - 11th August 2011

2011-08-11T11:19:00.000+01:00

10 Things On The 10th

2011-08-10T08:54:00.000+01:00

This is my first time joining in with 10 Things On The 10th over at Shimelle's blog

10 random sort of things from over the last couple of weeks:

1. My boys have found a love of reading. Harry Potter for the eldest two and erm Master Crooks for this one lol

2. We have been on lots of buses

3. My little one never bores of the steam train arriving.

4. Even the ordinary should be recorded every once in a while

5. He loves his football

6. There is a massive sense of satisfaction at producing homegrown veggies

7. Even when it is raining the river is a peaceful place to be once you learn to ignore the noise of the clay pigeon shooters

8. Birds on feeders are incredibly difficult to photograph when they want to be. You can just see the blur of it flying away.

9. Whilst I don't mind watching birds on feeders as above, when they appear very close to the back door and are capable of staring out the dogs and then have their eyes on said back door they really do freak me out. This one did just that earlier this week and no it wasn't injured. Same with pigeons in town - I hate them because I know they are going to set off and flap their wings as soon as I walk by them. (photo taken out of the window)

10. The council need to get a big stick and make the man in charge of the allotments do his job. Just look at the state they are in. People like myself are willing to take on plots yet they let them get into this overgrown condition. Letter of complaint together with photographic evidence should be hitting their desk right about now.

Scrumbling

2011-08-05T16:13:00.000+01:00

Do you know what a scrumble is?

I didn't until earlier this week and once I discovered them I can honestly say I am getting addicted.

In the scarf journey group on Ravelry we are doing a crochet journey but it has evolved into freeform crochet and the making of scrumbles.

This is my section which will go to the next person in the circle and the next until it eventually reaches home. There are 11 of us in the group so it will be a while before we all get our end result to either add to or make into something.

Expect to see quite a few more of these soon.

Skywatch

2011-08-04T09:06:00.000+01:00

Yorkshire Day

2011-08-04T00:01:00.000+01:00

So Monday was Yorkshire Day. It was also the first day of August. This year has slipped away so very quickly.

Anyway since we are Yorkshire born and bred we made some Leeds Parkin from my Yorkshire Teatime Recipe book. which I bought at the castle last week.

I used up some porridge oats the eldest son had used in a cookery lesson at school last term so it wasn't quite to the recipe and it was a bit dry around the edges but all in all it turned out pretty much OK.

and look - some beans from the containers in the yard. I'm super pleased to have finally grown something that we can eat.

A Week In The Life - Day 7

2011-08-03T17:00:00.000+01:00

The final post of A Week In The Life went a little like this

Sunday morning shopping. I like going on a Sunday morning before it gets busy. They open the doors at 930 for browsing and then open the tills at 10. I can get more or less most of the weekly shopping done in that quiet half an hour.

stupid error that won't go away no matter what we do. I think this computer is in need of a bloody good service.

walk into town

ironed some work shirts

bought new school shirts for September

my other half, eldest son and youngest son went to the friendly at Leeds. They played Newcastle United. Here is little man with the club mascot Lucas

and clapping something. He doesn't go very often because my other half and eldest son have season tickets so have to sit in their prepaid seats. Apparently he was very vocal with the singing etc and really got into it and buying him a season ticket in the future was discussed. Middle man doesn't do football in case you were wondering.

That concludes A Week In The Life. I might do it again during a random week when the kids are back at school and we have a bit of normality.

A Week In The Life - Day 6

2011-08-03T12:00:00.003+01:00

Catching up with Day 6 of A Week In The Life

washing on the line

we went to the Leeds United fun day so this is the car park

not sure what happened but the hipsta did a random shift and changed to a strange film effect which I really don't favour. Anyway this was the players training on the pitch.

my other half and the eldest son standing in the ticket office queue for tickets I guess lol

one player who most definitely has the phwooarrrrr factor - Patrick Kisnorbo

and because two photos of the biggest man never happen here is another of him just because I can

from there it was onto a shopping centre for some food to feed our hungry bellies.

A Week In The Life - Day 5

2011-08-03T10:13:00.000+01:00

I'm playing catch up with these posts so I might end up with three blog posts today. Apologies to anybody who is offended by that. I chose to do it as separate posts because the Week In The Life posts are photo heavy and three days at once might just tip a computer over the edge. I know mine groans over more than half a dozen pics.

So here is day 5 of A Week In The Life

not the time we got up but just the clock with the date etc

a little trip for some essentials on our way to -

a Herbology class run by the council. I fully expected it to be gardening but the youngest two boys made a bath bomb, had a go at writing with a quill (or quilt as my youngest thought it was called), and made a wand.

It was held in an actual castle albeit in ruins now. Middle man has been before on a school trip so knew what certain parts were. That big round hole at the side of the picture was an oven but little man didn't believe him.

on the way back to the bus we saw a wedding party. The bride was just coming out of the limo when we walked past but I wasn't quick enough to take a pic so just took one of the limo.

final one for day 5 is one on the bus on the way back from the castle. See that lady above my son's head? She had a sleeping small child strapped to her back. The whole journey I had my heart in my mouth thinking she was going to get crushed whenever the bus went over a bump or round a corner. Luckily she didn't. See the single seat behind the driver? There was an identical one on the other side and in each of those seats were the lady's other children. Girls about 3 or 4 and probably twins.They were the cutest little girls I have ever seen and the conversation they were having was so ahhhh bless.

Week In The Life Day 4

2011-07-30T08:35:00.000+01:00

Still here and still remembering to take piccies for Week In The Life

Day 4 (thursday) and this is a glimpse into it.

definitely not the time I got up but the clock with the time/date/temperature on

morning cuppa

a bit of Mario Cart

new net curtains for the bathroom

STILL NO STAIR CARPET (yes I'm shouting that because it is peeving me at the moment)

new American Crafts scrapbook album. I've only ever had post bound ones before so D ring is exciting

Daisy dog + grotty kitchen floor which badly needs replacing

view from the loft window

waiting for the steam train again

a berry tree at the train station

strange child who pretended he was a dog for a lot of the afternoon

on the way to the baths for a swimming lesson

I did a sneeky pic with this one as you aren't really supposed to take photos in the baths. Found a new photography app called Camera+ and it is fab. Loving the frame on this one.

Week In The Life Day 3

2011-07-30T00:00:00.000+01:00

Are you still playing along with Week In The Life?

Errrm Day 3 fell a bit flat and I didn't take very many photos but here is what I did take

very messy house - see what I mean about the clutter I mentioned in earlier posts

not sure how it changed to a strange lens but here is me cleaning mould off the bathroom walls

spraying some book print to make yet more flowers for the shop (not finished yet so they will be coming soon)

Filled the car up with petrol and I was naughty by using my phone at the petrol station. That readout says £62.73! That is definitely the most I have ever put in it. I asked my middle son to take a picture of the board with the price per litre on it as we drove away but he didn't realise that with hipsta you have to let the picture develop before you click off the app so it didn't produce a pic. Anyway for the record it was 133.7p a litre.

Week In The Life Day 2

2011-07-29T12:00:00.000+01:00

So here is a glimpse into day 2 in Week In The Life

sun tan lines from wearing his shorts most days to school

A steam train puffs its way into a local station certain days in the summer and my little man found a Hogwarts carriage

back home for bacon sandwiches

those towels I washed yesterday are now a small mountain.

new crochet book

recycling day

yoyos for the shop

bedtime today

FO Friday & Week In The Life Day 1

2011-07-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

I have some crochet for FO Friday (finished object Friday for those not familiar with the term).

They are from a block a month group on Ravelry. I definitely need some practice with blocks, as you can see from how crap these are, so I thought it would be a good way of learning new stuff. For lots of much better finished objects than mine head on over to Tami where the FO Friday is hosted.

So here are my attempts

Hands up if you are doing the Week In The Life project run by Ali Edwards. I had really good intentions with the documenting part of this but since it is the first week of the school holidays here in England I ended up bypassing the actual writing part and have just gone with the photographing. I decided I would mainly use the Hipstamatic app on my iphone since it is better than the actual phone camera and using my phone is so much easier than taking the camera everywhere. So here is Day 1 (Monday yeah I know it is Friday lol)

Up at 730ish

Post Office run with Ebay parcels

a bit of guitar hero (yes in his pjs)

lots and lots of towels to wash

having to hook the wii remote out of the side of the tv cabinet with a meat fork

we went to the library and joined little man on the summer reading challenge

went on the bus to a local shopping centre for

new trainers

made a very fattening cheesecake

Scrap The Boys

2011-07-28T13:14:00.000+01:00

I discovered a fab challenge blog this week called Scrap The Boys

This month the challenge is to use tape and the word Play.

Here is my take on it - I used masking tape in two corners of the photo.

and my skywatch photo for this week which is the camera man from the races we went to.

Racing Day The Cheap Way

2011-07-26T09:45:00.000+01:00

We are lucky enough to have a park nearby which is also a horse racing venue. Little man has never been to the races so we went for a visit but to the park and not the grandstand ie for free.

We took a picnic and a football and waited for the horses to come thundering by.

Luckily for us the next race was starting from where we were walking to so we hung about to see the horses going in the stalls and setting off. Little man had a snack while we were waiting.

The grandstand was packed

I don't know if you can see it from this picture but this particular horse had a union jack shaved into it's hind quarters.

and just after this picture this horse lifted it's tail and pooped right in front of us. NICE!!

Explore - Cover and Prompt 4

2011-07-22T10:26:00.000+01:00

I'm out of order with the prompts. I've made the little playbook out of 2 12x12 sheets of cardstock as suggested by Shimelle. I misted a doily and added some chipboard covered letters to make a quick cover.

I haven't really had a proper chance to look at the prompts properly and get my head around the thinking so I haven't yet done prompts two and three.

Prompt four was an easy one for me. It was about perfection. I intend the project to be about this summer and perfection to me is one thing that I have particularly enjoyed this year and that is growing things from seed. What springs from a tiny seed and leads to such perfect flowers is miraculous. Nature is amazing.

This year I planted

Marigolds which cost 19p for the packet:

Pumpkins which we planted at brownies and I used a couple of spare seeds so a freebie

Tomatoes which were in a grow pot thing which was reduced to 49p in Wilkinson

some beans which are just starting to form

and a nasturtium which came in a seed bomb thing with 3 others that haven't produced anything at all despite being looked after the same. Also in this tub are some ornamental cabbages which will hopefully turn into something nice to look at in the winter. Something has eaten some of the leaves.

Bits and Pieces

2011-07-21T12:45:00.000+01:00

Have you ever heard of Moo Cards? I've heard them mentioned before but yesterday one of my facebook friends posted a discount code so I went for a nosey. They are business cards but you can upload photos to print on them which makes them ideal for scrapbook layouts. I decided to give them a go and this morning placed an order. This threw up a discount code for me to share so if anybody fancies giving them a go (they have a sale on too) then please use this link to get 10% off your order.

My skywatch picture this week

I also joined Shimelle's Explore class this week.

Being as disorganised as I usually am I have only done part of the first prompt which is a self portrait in the mirror.

Observation Tuesday

2011-07-19T13:07:00.000+01:00

ob·ser·va·tion

–noun

1. an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.

2. an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.

3. the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.

Observations I have made so far this Tuesday are:

The English summer weather is very unpredictable and rain produces frizzy hair which isn't the best look

Eamonn Holmes on This Morning is going to be an annoyance every morning this summer. Time for a channel change I think

Pauline Quirk has lost mega amounts of weight and very well done to her and I'm sorry but when she was being interviewed all I could focus on was the likeness to Cilla Black around the mouth area

Rhyddian of X Factor years back is not a one trick pony and actually sang a decent song on the telly today

I can't resist a bargain - Claires Accessories have ALL their sale stuff on 5 for £10 so it would be rude not to buy 2 bags, a belt, a pencil case and a yummy scarf

The house is still a shit tip and the decorating is still not done despite me promising myself it would be done before the kids finished for the summer holidays this coming friday

My little man is probably going to be absolutely fine in September when he moves to year 3. School arranged a transition just for him where he goes up to that end of school (as far away as he can get from his current classroom) every morning for the first 15 or so minutes this week accompanied by me just so he can see how it all works. Today was day 2 and my main observation was the huge change in volume in comparison to the Key Stage 1 combined unit. Having auditory oversensitivity this is a definite plus point for him. The teacher even said it was noisy this morning so it is definitely going to be better for him. I'm sure he will tell me his own observations when he comes home later today.

My last observation this tuesday would be that certain days out of a female cycle it is OK to just say balls to the healthy eating and go buy a piece of cake

I hope to make this a regular thing on a tuesday so if you fancy playing along there is an inlinz linky thingamajiggy at the bottom of this post.

Summer Crafting Event

2011-07-18T09:43:00.000+01:00

The Summer Crafting Event run by Create and Craft is held at Doncaster Racecourse. We went last year and it was a no brainer that I was going again this year.

The location is perfect although a little expensive for refreshments (£10.25 for 2 bacon sarnies, a coffee and a fruit shoot). Next time I think I'll take something to eat in the car.

There are loads of exhibitors. There are a lot of the peel off and shiny paper variety which I suppose is because it is aimed at the cardmaker primarily. I'm not a cardmaker - it just doesn't appeal so those type of things don't really float my boat. Once I looked beyond all that though there was lots to buy. I was restrained though and came away with this little lot

A Tim Holtz die, some doilies, double sided tape, a stencil, lots of new mists and tons of beads. The bead stall was amazing. I could have spent an absolute fortune in there but restrained myself to two packets for £1 each and a goody bag for £5. They have a website if anybody is wanting some cheap but scrummy beads - http://www.riversidebeads.co.uk/. I just need to go and buy a lovely jar to keep them in now.
Plus I got a Create and Craft goody bag which was £10 and yes there was an ample amount of card making stuff as you can see but there was also a heat gun and a craft knife with refills which I will use. My little man has claimed the rest of it. Not sure he has seen the fairy papers in there. I'm sure I will be getting those back lol

I am seriously considering trying to get a stand next year. I would be very nervous about it though. Would people buy my flowers? Would I be the stand where nobody is at? I suppose it would be a way of testing the market at that time. I'll see what the powers that be say in reply to my query about exhibiting I guess.

Typically I forgot the camera and tried to get a shot of the exhibiting hall coming down the escalator from the food court with my phone but as you can see it was a bit of a blur.

PunkyScraps Challenge 22

2011-07-15T18:00:00.009+01:00

It's Friday again so that means getting a bit punky.

Every second week of the month we are getting sketchy and this is the fabulous sketch we were working from

and my take on it

Please do pop on over to the Punkyscraps headquarters to see what the others have done and we also have some guests this month too.

Skywatch 14th July 2011

2011-07-14T11:28:00.000+01:00

Taken just now with no sign of the crazy showers we have had lately mixed in with the sun so hopefully the washing will dry quickly.

Reading and Thoughts

2011-07-11T11:33:00.000+01:00

I haven't taken part in the Book Journey Monday meme for a while.

Currently I am reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I am part way into it and loving it so far. It is definitely an eyeopener into how in the not so distant past servants were treated.

Something else I found is the Simple Womans Daybook where we fill in the blanks with our personal thoughts

Outside my window... it is a mixture of clouds, blue sky and sunshine

I am thinking... about lunch

I am thankful... for the noisy neighbours being quiet last night

In the kitchen... it resembles a dumping ground and is desperately in need of a declutter

I am wearing... jeans and a shirt

I am creating... some knitting in a little while for the sock journey on Ravelry and a layout for the punky scraps challenge this friday.

I am going... nowhere really this week apart from the school run and a few bits and bobs

I am wondering... if the above will change as it usually does where kids are concerned.

I am reading... see above - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I am hoping... that aforementioned noisy neighbours will be quiet for two nights in a row

I am looking forward to... getting the knitting out of the way for the sock journey and then I can create my own stuff

I am hearing... the TV and my daughter in the kitchen making her lunch,

Around the house... is too much clutter

I am pondering... doing something about that clutter but only pondering and not actually doing which isn't a good thing :(

One of my favorite things... at the moment is a love of crochet. I've only been doing it a few months but am loving it

A few plans for the rest of the week: maybe decluttering, maybe making a start on decorating but shhhh because I didn't really say that

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I've put this one up before on my blog but I absolutely love it. I have no idea where I found it and I'm not taking any credit for it because it was an image from out there somewhere.

Punky Scraps - Tissue Paper

2011-07-08T18:00:00.001+01:00

This week the challenge over at Punky Scraps is to use tissue paper

Here is what I created.

I used black and pink tissue paper scrunched up under the photo and layered some circles and stapled them together in the cluster at bottom right.

I would love some constructive criticism on this because I really feel there is either something missing or too much in that bottom right corner. My mojo isn't doing me any favours at the moment.

Please stop by the punkyscraps blog to see this months prize, details of how you can win it and also the fantastic examples of my design team colleagues and the guest designer.

Skywatch - 7th July 2011

2011-07-07T10:50:00.000+01:00

Good old English summertime

July Challenge

2011-07-01T11:02:00.000+01:00

This month the challenge in my shop blog is to use a BIRD

I used this tutorial from Attic 24 to make a bird rather than doing a layout.

and if you want to win this little lot of Prima goodies hop on over to the shop blog for full details of how to enter.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-06-30T14:43:00.000+01:00

For skywatch please scroll down to the bottom of this post.

I stumbled across this blog by chance earlier this month.

Being a fan of random photos I decided to try my hand at the scavenger hunt. A lot of them are taken with my phone so a bit blurry. I will try and take my camera out and about with me more often next month.

The photos we needed to find for June were

a childhood memory - my old house. I was passing one day so stopped the car and grabbed a quick shot from the car.

a farm animal - a duck counts right?

an elephant - this one posed me a problem until last night when I was in B&Q and saw this baby bedding display - very quick rubbish shot as I felt a bit silly

architectural detail - for this one I chose Blackpool Tower. Not quite the Eiffel Tower but still an architectural delight

cheese - all month I've been meaning to take a picture and ended up leaving it until the last minute when we only have Dairylea triangles left

cutlery - my middle son has special cutlery because of his hypermobile fingers so this is those intermingled with some other bits and pieces after I washed them

night - 3:26am the time I had to get up to take my husband to work one weekend this month so he could go to a motorshow where his work were having a stand.

something beginning with z... our car - a Zafira

the view right outside your door this one I combined with the next one as the view from our door is very boring and usually just has cars but the other day a posh one was there
a wheeltrim - yes I know it is an alloy wheel but it does have a trim on the centre

something with your town's name on it - the timetable at the local train station

tree branches -we encountered these branches while we were out for a walk

and finally today for this weeks Skywatch is a seagull in a perfect vantage point to spy on people and getting ready to pounce when they get some food out at Blackpool

Oopsie

2011-06-29T14:29:00.000+01:00

On Monday evening I went to pull that cord that would bring the slats of the venetian blind in the kitchen down so I could shut it and the whole lot came flying down along with plaster, dust and a right mess.

Now the blind has been in place for well over 10 years and our first thought was that some damp had gotten in there somehow but it was all as dry as a bone. I have no idea why it fell down but we were left with a bit of a problem to solve because I hate not having anything up at the window. We live in a long terrace with other houses looking straight across at both front and back so I needed to do something to have a bit of privacy.

I ended up making a dash to town yesterday morning before a hospital appointment to source some net curtaining and a tension rod. Luckily there was some plain net in a clearance bin at only £1 a metre so I snapped it up and spent the afternoon taking it up by a few inches and then ironing the creases out. Plus scrubbing the window and surrounding area.

It isn't perfect but much better than nothing until we can get the plaster sorted out.

I really can't wait to start decorating the kitchen. The green paint is vibrant and loud and I hate it with a passion. It is such an immense task though so I'm thinking of maybe september when the kids go back and the weather isn't too hot or too cold.

Looksie at what I got in the post today.

Enough to open a wool shop I think. They were bargain packs at stupid prices so I guess I'm going to be busy making some flowers for the shop in some lovely new colours.

Hot Hot Hot

2011-06-27T13:44:00.000+01:00

Well it looks like we have summer here in the UK for maybe a couple of days.

I'm not a fan of intense heat and prefer spring and autumn to summer. It is so much more comfortable to be out and about in cooler conditions and definitely preferable for sleeping. Not that we have been getting much sleep recently as the equivalent of the Jeremy Kyle show have moved into a rented house over the back from us. 1am they decided to take themselves and their loud conversations inside last night. Anyway the forecast is for cooler conditions from tomorrow so maybe sleep will come easier.

This lady will be happier (I hope) when the sun turns the thermostat down a few degrees. She is in season at the moment and is not happy at all. When she is in season she pees more frequently, the weather means she needs more water so therefore is peeing even more. Poor love is being hounded by our male dog who, despite having been castrated, is very randy and won't leave her alone.

My husband on the other hand loves the warm weather and would spend his time outside if he wasn't working. He took our youngest camping in the Yorkshire countryside on saturday for the night before the weather got stupidly hot. Boring, moaning old me refuses to go. My excuse is nobody to look after the dogs as the eldest teens wouldn't hear them if it involved getting up before 11am. The real reason (and he knows it) is that I prefer to have comfort and practicality surrounding me on my holiday. Having to tramp through a muddy field to a toilet in the early hours of the morning is just not going to happen. Caravans yes (with a proper flushing toilet) tents absolutely not!

The place they went to looked gorgeous from the photos he brought back and I wouldn't mind a drive out there (just not overnight).

This photo makes my heart jump a bit with terror - look at that slope!

and this one - well it sums up my little man. He has aspergers and has to know everything about everything and apparently he NEEDED to know the workings of this train carriage. He never stops talking and last time they went camping middle man went with them aswell. He texted me several times saying he was fed up of little mans random facts about things he had no desire to know. Aspergers meets autism with those two. People say they are the same thing but not so with my two. Their traits are so different it is unbelievable.

Anyway back to trying to cool down. I've given up with my hair. It is straight but even the power of three day frizz free from Frizz-Ease isn't working so for the first time in a very long time my hair is tied up. My face has a nice red glow and sheen and not from the sun I would add lol.

Skywatch - 23rd June 2011

2011-06-23T19:00:00.005+01:00

My little man loves to watch the clouds.

Busy Busy Busy

2011-06-23T11:08:00.000+01:00

Oh gosh - no time to blog and the more I leave it the less time I seem to find so I'm still here just

BUSY BUSY BUSY

like these little things at this time of year

and stressed on top of stressed with a whole heap of things that I won't go into on here - some for professional reasons others because they are quite personal involving how cruel kids can be about others who are different to them. I might talk about it one day but right now I am trying to stop myself getting too annoyed about how my son has been treated.

I had to miss the Punky Scraps challenge last Friday because with all the stress going on I just didn't have the energy to make the layout I had started come across as lighthearted as the pictures are. It is still half done and I will get around to it sooner or later when I am in the right frame of mind. If I had had the time I could have done a very angry punky layout but unfortunately meetings etc prevented that. Please do stop over at the Punky Scraps blog to see the challenge for last week and take a look at what the fabulous design team have created. Plus there is an extra challenge.

One very good thing that happened this last week was that I got a custom order for my flowers from a scrapbook kit supplier so I'm busy in a good way crocheting like mad but I'm enjoying it more than ever. So I guess that now makes me a professional hooker lol. I have to chuckle at that term.

Skywatch - 16th June

2011-06-16T17:14:00.000+01:00

Punky Scraps & Days 8 9 and 10

2011-06-10T15:00:00.000+01:00

First up is this weeks Punky Scraps Challenge

It is a photo inspiration

Perfect for all those 80s photos I have in the loft but they are impossible to get to without embarking on an expedition of mountainous proportions so I took my inspiration from the 3x3 grid and came up with this.

It is one of the only layouts I have ever done on A4 and it wasn't planned that way. This piece of corrugated card was an insert in a pack of photo paper and I had put it to one side meaning to cut it up into shapes. When I was looking for a piece of cardstock for my base it spoke to me (well not really spoke but you know what I mean lol)

Onto the 30 day June challenge and days 8 9 and 10

Day 8 was sunset

I have loads of sunset pictures but I wanted to play properly and use the sunset from the actual day. I ended up using my phone so the photo is very grainy

The clouds look rather menacing

Day 9 was fresh fruit

This was what my son took to school with his lunch

Day 10 is animal.

I took this quick phone shot of the heffalump sat on my feet most of the time aka Daisy dog