What a time!

Well things have been manic here. I have had to have my computer reformatted as it got a virus. Still working on putting all my stuff back so there has been no time for playing. Oh my, all those things I dreamt of doing now I had a little time and I end up having to do that! I did manage to make a card before it happened though... my daughter told me she had a black Christmas tree this year... yes black! I made a card to go with it. The bits were cut on my robo from files provided by the lovely ladies on UKS... thanks to them! There are some pretty weird trees out there this year... even seen an upside down one! Why? Call me old fashioned but I can't see anything wrong with a good old traditional one myself! ;)

I have some more bits cut and ready to use so hopefully I shall get those finished today... I really need to post my cards on time this year!

A robo day!

Today has been a lot of fun and after the manic last few weeks I have really enjoyed it! The fayres went extremely well, in fact I had to scrabble to make more things for the last one, which was in Portishead. All over for this year for me, thank goodness so I have been able to relax a little this week. My son and his partner came down at the weekend to see the boxing at my daughter's... mega disappointed with the result though! It was a shame I had a fayre at the same time because it limited the time I could spend with them but there we go... can't help it now!
Yesterday I started playing with my robo (about time to!) I have bought some files to use and I am quite excited about making them all up. Today I made a Wedding cake and box from a file I got from UKScrappers JennieBean for which I thank her very much! :D It is fabulous and I have included some piccies of it. Tomorrow I want to make the other things up and I am really excited! I do hope that I shall soon be able to make some of my own files up... the girls on UKS have been so generous with their work I would like to reciprocate... well one of these days! I confess to having unpacked robo and not read the manual but blundered on so far... really should do it properly! Bliss! It is really good to get some time to myself! (especially with all the stuff I still have to do for Christmas... bit close now isn't it :?) Ah well back to dreaming of what I shall make tomorrow!

Another fun day!

I have loads of fun today... made some more snowflakes and icicles using some coloured Swarovski this time... and they look fabulous to! Not sure whether to show them with the sun catchers but will see when I get to the fayre.I also made a baby boot with my robo using a file from a very clever person on UKScrappers! Thanks to you! One of these days I might even get around to making my own! Perhaps when the fayres are finished I can really play!Bad fight with the dogs again today... hubby must really start putting his things away as Maesey is so very possesive and we (me, Jack and Josh) were passing one of his coats (just slung on the nearest thing that would hold it... what do you do to make a man of his age put his things in their proper place???Tomorrow I have my appointment at the dental hospital... dreading it! I am hoping I won't feel to bruised and battered after as I still have some things I would like to do for the fayre but they aren't that important so I am not going to panic! (well... I say that but who really likes the dentist??? although mine who's name is Lucy is fabulous!) Oh well... I guess tomorrow will tell!

Proud Grandma

My Grandson got his name in the paper yesterday... he is an avid football player! Only 6 he adores his football and he plays in an under 7 team. My daughter (his mother) is actually qualified as a referee and coach but only manages his team. I have included the piece from the Bristol Evening Post

Rain all day but sunshine in my workroom!

I have had the most fun today! I made some 'Suncatchers' and it was one of the most fun things I have done for a long time! (well since I first used my robo anyway!) I have taken some piccies but once again my photography has let me down... mind you crystal is the devils own job to get right!

The one on the left as your looking at it has some fabulous Swarovski crystals in it, can't remember the name of the colour but the are a sort of coral and I think that is my favourite. The middle one is plain crystal... well AB but no colour other than that. The one to the right has pink Swarovski and looks much better than in the photo... well like I said I am a useless photographer! :? I made my own hangers from silver wire and hammered it. They don't show but I was well pleased!

On a different note I took Josh and Jack for their weigh in today and Josh has lost .4kilo whilst Jack has stayed the same.... well he doesn't have anywhere near as much to lose so it would be slower. We now have to cut their dentastix in half to help... poor babies!

Been a while since I posted

I had a 2 day craft fayre at Weston-Super-Mare last weekend so things were manic here as you can imagine! Today I have spent my time making some more stuff for the 2 fayres I have next weekend... well inbetween visitors, why don't people understand that I work from home? . Some turned out ok but the Christmas tree earrings didn't come out quite right so it's back to the drawing board! The gold angels are from a site with free projects I found while out surfing... there is a link to the site on the Paper n lace forum, thanks to who ever it was who wrote it... I did adapt the pattern for earrings and they are fun to make! I shall spend the day tomorrow doing some more beading... might even try another Christmas tree.. Anyway have included some piccies of the things I made today.

I took my new printer back yesterday... what a waste of space that was! It wouldn't scan properly... didn't like anything much other than regular paper and left black ink all over everything :? PCWorld were brilliant though and gave me a refund on the printer and the ink I bought for it (which had been put into the printer) I shall not be afraid to buy from them again! The guy there did tell me that printers now don't like stuff like vellum so I guess I shall stick with my trusty HP 3 in 1 and have to fiddle so I only print one sid e of a sheet at a time!

First Groom

Well they look lovely! Apparently extremely well behaved to! (well the boys... Maesey is always a real Princess!) Of course you can't add hair so Jack's ears are still far to short but his tail does look like a plume now! They are doing really well with their weight to... last weigh in they had lost over a kilo each since we had them (about 2 weeks) and are now on fortnightly weigh ins... mind you having been on countless diets (or is that a permanent one until a little while ago) I really would love to know what they lost this last week! It is really showing to... Josh looks well defined now with a definate narrowing to his rear end looking from the top. We have taken the decision to let them upstairs at night as Jack cried pitifully and we couldn't stand it! At least the deficating and urinating stops with that to! I am absolutely amazed with the fact that they adore me! :O Normally in this house all animals adore hubby... and I mean adore! I never get a look in! Josh loves nothing more than spending his days sat at my feet in my workroom (and I love it to!) The fighting has settled down thank goodness. I hated all the 'top dog' stuff. I am not even sure who won but I do know that Josh gave in gracefully very quickly..... sensible lad! We still miss Harvey like heck ... still cry when we talk of him... he was a super duper dog and I can honestly say he took a part of me with him when he died. How lucky we were to have shared our lives with him and what an advert for taking a rescue dog! The top picture is of Maesey who turned 3 this month but she refused to look at the camera!

Made some cards....

Not many but a couple of new ones ready for the fayre next weekend at Weston Super Mare (see http://www.kevinmurphycraftfairs.co.uk/ Kevin is fabulous and works really hard for us all so if you live in the south west of England check his site out... his Fayre's are well worth doing!) The bauble opn doesn't show up so well as everything is shiny and glittery but it is pretty (well I think so!;) ) The mask one is one of my stock ones but I ran out of silver card so used pink which I think worked well... The fayre will be a 2 day event and I am really looking forward to it. If your in the area do come and visit... I would love to meet you! I will be using the Midas Celebrations name as this is my card site.

The biggest problem we have now is with 3 dogs we don't have enough room for them to come with us so hubby has to take me and come home.... means I have to rely on the goodness of others to cover me if I need to 'leave the room' but they are all such a good bunch and are always happy to take care of my stall for me... aren't I a lucky bunny!

I got some beading stuff today and I am hoping to get it all made up ready... want to make some snowflakes and sun catchers... hopefully I will be able to sort my room out and make some up tomorrow... time will tell!

Things are happening! (at last!)

My new workroom/shop is actually looking like it is happening! At least the floor joists are down and the floor is being laid now. It will be a smashing floor... all wood and smashing! Mind you hubby has hurt his back again so not sure how quick it will happen if it doesn't settle but he is trying at least! I have been very lucky and been able to get some bookcases and the lining from freecycle so have saved a lot of money... wonder what I can spend that on? ;) Here are a couple of piccies so you can see for yourself! Looks smaller on the photos than it really is to be honest... can't wait for it to be finished!

Tried my hand at photographing jewellery again

Here are the results... well I have always said I wasn't to good at it! I love this watch... well I have always said if it's pink fluffy and sparkles it's mine! This sure is sparkly and because the crystal are AB there is quite a lot of pink to! Got some more beads like this so I am hoping to get some more stuff made up ready for the fayre at Weston-Super-Mare on the 24th and 25th of this month. I shall be back later with more!

Proof positive!

I have always said I wouldn't do scrapbooking but have enclosed a picture of the album I bought myself to prove that I intend to have a pop! ;) Now all I have to do is actually start it!

Now what?

So what else is going on here? Well the workroom is coming along.... snails pace is the operative phrase though! At least is is moving though and the floor joists have started to arrive! I have been very lucky and managed to get some Ikea bookcases (one of them the cube one) so have saved a lot of money! I shall spend it on something else! ;) (well you have to don't you!) I finally had had enough this week so I took a good long hard look at my workroom and decided to lose my cutting station. It has made a great difference though. Thank goodness! I really couldn't carry on as I was. I have missed being able to cut at will though and have been using the scissors a lot... why is it that even though it's only a small cut and you line the scissors up it goes skew whiff??? I made some Bookatrix cards for the fayres. I have enclosed piccies but my batteries were dead so they are scanned a look flat.... well they do get squashed in the scanner don't they! Other than that I have a real stonker of a cold and sinusitis so feeling pretty shabby at the mo... I am so glad I don't have a fayre this weekend! Have ordered some new beading stuff and I hope it will arrive in time for me to make some snowflake ornaments... time will tell on that one but I hope I can get it sorted before my next fayre.

Long time since I posted

So very much going on here. After Harvey died Maesey was finding things really hard and one evening actually started to throw herself against the door and crying really hard. We took on a pair of boys from Bichon Rescue... Josh and Jack, 10 and 5 respectively. Very overweight and in desperate need of a bath we collected them from Barbara from the rescue at Masgor services. I must say it was tinged with great sadness as that was where I first saw Harvey. Both are now on strict diets and hubby is saddled with taking all 3 on walks as I am not well at the moment. It calls for some hilarity when they get the leads tangled but the dogs enjoy the fun! I won't post a piccie yet (haven't got one here on this computer anyway) But will post a before and after when they have had their first groom. I was told they had been groomed but not sure who did it because the cut isn't a Bichon one!

Harvey

I am sorry to say that Harvey lost his fight for life yesterday at 9.05pm. We will all miss him deeply, Maesey (our other dog) is at sixes and sevens and has gone all quiet. It is a very sad house

Thistle Wedding Card

I have finished it at last! It was especially ordered when I did a craft fair.... not to many changes, thistles instead of vellum daisies and tartan blue ribbon instead of white and silver.... (do you know how many blue tartans there are? :O) I am pleased with it so I hope the customer is as she is taking whatever I make! It has been a nightmare though, what with not being able to get thistles small enough and having to make them myself and having to buy the ribbon online as I couldn't get any close to home and the postal strike holding it up!!! I have enclosed a piccie so you can see although once again my photography isn't up to much!

Harvey Update!!!

We were getting very distressed at how ill he was. I tried to pick him up and he yelped in pain... not good when you know what the outcome might be. We took the decision (hubby and I) to put him back on his metacam and low and behold it made a mega difference! The vet wasn't to happy as it shouldn't be taken with steroids but she could see how much better he was so has taken him off steroids so he can keep taking it. Poor little man does have arthritis which is very painful and he is in less pain with the metacam... got to be worth him not taking the steroids and enjoying what time he has left as much as possible! He has his next appointment in a month unless we need to take him sooner

Update on Harvey

Well today has been a bad day for Harvey. I won't go into details but suffice to say it involves his tummy and beyond. From what I have found online it is one of those things that happens but the poor lamb is in a lot of pain from it. Not good reading on a blog but thought you might like to know. We have 24hours to sort it... well less now but tomorrow he needs to see the vet if all we have done hasn't worked. Sorry that this isn't about crafting but that is the furthest thing from my mind today

Harvey

My wonderful dog Harvey came to us as rescue dog. He is absolutely fabulous and I love and adore him. Last night his breathing seemed laboured so we took him to the vet. He stayed overnight and we found out this morning that he has cancer. It is advanced and he won't be with us much longer. Not sure how I am going to cope with this... I love him so.

Sadly I had loads of photos of him from day one but lost them. He was a real mess when we got him ( I thank Barbara for saving him and bringing him to us... Barbara now works for the Bichon rescue) Sadly I lost all the photos when my puter died but he is the most gentle of dogs. I do love him

What a long time!

It seems like forever since I was told 2 weeks to get my new workroom/shop up and running... actually it has been about a month so I am not really exaggerating! At least things are still happening but I don't think I will ever be able to live with hubby's mañana attitude! Bless!I am still under siege in my workroom... to to much stuff and so many boxes in there alone.... spare room (and every spare space) is also full so if it isn't done by the time my guests are due to arrive later this month I will be in real trouble! Oh well it will be worth it in the end!I have upload a photo so you can see the site as is... will be happier when posting finished pictures :DWent to Backwell Scrap Crop last Saturday but went 'empty handed' as I have no idea what you are supposed to do or take ... well I didn't then anyway! Spent a lovely few hours with the girls there and I am looking forward to the next one. I hope to make a page or two of the work to get to 'heaven' (well it will be having so much space!)

My robo!

Boy oh boy what a hoot! I have had such fun this afternoon playing (for the very first time) with my robo. I have had it about a month but not got round to doing anything with it but made my mind up today was the day! It is sooo noisy and does some really weird things... even seeming to 'chatter' to itself while it works (so funny!) but at least I have actually used it! I can see a great future for me and my robo... even if it's only playing! All I need to do now if find out how to make my own templates.... any ideas? My first attempt was with the car template supplied with the machine and then I popped onto UKScrappers and some of the girls on there have done some magnificent stuff so I tried one of theirs (Thanks so much!). Some people are more designer orientated than me... especially when on technical things like this.... now I know I am an 'Old Bird'! I can honestly say that so far I have no regrets about buying it.... unless it is not getting the larger one but that, as they say, is another story! ;)

Phew what a day!

I decided that from today I would be more organised... not sure it worked though. I have spent the day making a greenhouse from the Helping Hands range (available from the Paper and Lace shop). It was as much fun as the wardrobe to! I did get a bit of something on the acetate but stuck a ladybird on to disguise it, hopefully it worked! I am useless at photography though as the picture will show. Really must look into doing a class... Not sure what tomorrow holds... will have to wait and see

Greenhouse Card

Melksham Fayre

Yes, that's right... Melksham! Hubby got it wrong. Thankfully I had insisted we leave early so when I found out he did have it wrong we weren't late! Trowbridge is on the 27th of October.
It was a good fayre for me, actually my best ever so I am feeling chuffed especially as I wasn't ready for it... at least I hadn't done as much as I wanted for it. I really do need to learn to manage my time better! Hopefully by the next one I might have managed that! I did meet some lovely people, that is an added bonus! Trying to persuade hubby to make another display stand but he does have a lot on at the moment so I don't think he has time at the moment. Today will be spent dealing with the aftermath of bad packing after the event (I should really mark the crates so I know exactly what I am supposed to put with what!) Other than that I need to catch up on some stuff around the house... it is such a mess, so I think I may well take the day off. Tomorrow I really must get to grips with my robo, had it about a month now and have only plugged it in, shame on me!

Busy day ahead

Loads on today... really far behind with getting stuff finished for the fayre at Trowbridge tomorrow. I will have to settle for the things I have finished and make the boxes for them as I have an appointment this afternoon. Maybe someone can teach me time management and I can actually get things done in a timely fashion instead of having a huge rush at the last moment! Any takers? I did actually get to finish one of the Helping Hands templates... the wardrobe (picture enclosed but not a photographer so it isn't a good one) and I confess that I am pleased with it. The greenhouse and other wardrobe will have to wait for next time. The templates are available from the Paper and Lace store

Well here we go!

What can I say? This is my very first blog and the first posting on it... let the fun begin!