Wet Wednesday

I can almost smell the salty sea breezed air soon to fill my lung capacity, as I type....the rain is still coming down :(

I have been experimenting with my new Flip video recorder and hope to bring you a little something soon.

I've been to visit a friend this morning, I don't often take on commissions for other peeps but, I've known her a long time and she had asked me to make 2 cards for her so I needed to drop those off.

I'm debating wether to take any crafting supplies on holiday with me?, like I'm gonna have time?, who knows?...I deffo want a trip to the hippy market, I'm imaging lots of nice beads and ceramics, I always buy something to adorn the house..(even if it is only for 6 months then to be took down and stuffed in a cupboard and forgotten about). Maybe I will take a sketch book and design some Ibiza style stamps...ooooeeerrrr...maybe not!

Can't get rid of my black cloud

OK....all summer..( what summer,I hear you all shouting..ha!), I've been living off bbq's done on a little portable number, bearlt big enough for 2 burgers, never the less very tasty. I mentioned to you a few weeks back, my bargain bbq from Focus, a grown up version, something to stand tall and proud in the garden with a proper wooden shelf to put all your condiments on. I even took pride in buying a protective coat for her to wrap up in when the cold and frost was here, Linzie and I spent 3 hours patiently assembling her from her many thousand screws and bolts.

She has been sitting in the garden with her coat on for the past few weeks, unable to be used or even seen ..why?.....CAUSE IT'S NEVER STOPPED CHUCKING IT DOWN SINCE WE BOUGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. and today is no exception, when is it ever going to end?

Not long before I'm soaking up the rays in Ibiza, how organised am I........even checking I have no allergic reaction to my new bottle of fake tan, I've lathered my legs this morning and keep glimpsing at the bronzed cornbeef staring back at me...!

I've also fallen out with Blogger, what a day I had yesterday, it just wasn't going to upload any pics at all..how annoying is it?..I just gave it up as a bad job~..what I was trying to show you was, what I think, every girl should have......a large wheeled tote!

The amount of "stuff" I can cram into this little lady is amazing and it still has space, however I do have two favourite compartments which, when opened, makes me go all tingly and light headed...firstlt this one

yummy, lots of things in lots of colours..drool..drool.., next compartment may not get all of you excited but, I happen to love wire..(mouth is drooling just saying it)..I know very strange...maybe it harks back from my jewellery desiging day, who knows?

And the fact my bag is in a yummy shade of lime suede makes it the best :)

PaperCraft Inspirations

August brings the September Issue Of PaperCraft Inspirations.

I was extatic when asked to design some stuff for them and have been excited to see it in print.

I used some scrummy stamps and papers from The Scrapbook Shop, which is too local for me ;)..iykwim, and included a template or two to have a play with.

Here's a quick glance, if you want to know exactly how they are made, the magazine is well worth a look with lots to offer from some very talented peeps (Issue 51)

On a slightly different note: I have just come back from visiting my mum, (yoo hoo, I know she reads my daily ramblings), I've managed to talk my way into bagfulls of stash that she doesn't have the time to play with so ends up just stroking from time to time when passing it. So...I can put it to good use,right?....have a play, right?......save myself some money...lol..lol.., right?

but first I have to find a home for it all. My tote is large but I'm not sure if I can manage to stuff all of that inside..(I must remember to take a pic of it though and show just how much I have managed to get into it)..of course I will tidy it up first and make it look like I'm really efficent and business like....naahhhh...why bother, I've never been good at lying :)

Life's like a box of chocolates.....

.....as long as I don't unwrap any orange creams, coffee creams, strawberry goo stuff, any sort of alchol induced sweet or truffle, there......I think that should do it.

I made this little box a few weeks ago. All I need now are the chocolates to go in it.;)

I will be glad to put this week behind me and relax over the weekend with a nice glass of wine and some scrummy chocolates from my box.

Fantasy Fibre.

Don't you just love it?, ehh?, don't ya?

The fact that it looks like the softest fleece from a magical multi coloured sheep that lives with the fairies at the bottom of the garden, makes it more inviting (just roll with it..lol)

These are made using Willow Designs Patchwork Butterfly and Friend stamps.

For those of you who have subscribed to Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine lately, may have these fab stamps to play with.

A quick update on Niamh, she has had to be put on a different, easily digestable diet, which she happens to love (miracle), antibiotics are making her a little sleepy but..other than that, I think she'll be back to herself in no time :)

Fantastic News!!

Sorry I have been missing these past couple of days but I have been worried sick about Niamh.

She had blood tests on Saturday which came back with elevated liver enzymes..(should be around the 200 mark, hers was 2000).

After worrying all weekend, not been able to focus, you know the feelin right? We were advised to have an ultrasound done on her to see what was going on.

Let me tell ya....today has been agony, she was dropped off at 8.30 this morning and had to be picked up at 4.30. I have been crying all day, it's not like me..I always look on the bright side:0), tis in my nature but, I just wasn't ready to part with my little crafting buddy...not just yet! After imagining she had a tumour, and of course cancelling my holiday, I had it all worked out..I would change the names on my tickets and give them to my cousin....all this thinking while I was watching pictures flick on the tv (wasn't watching it).

We got the news, braced ourselves........the vet is stunned herself to find her liver is healthy and everything in good working order, we still aren't sure what has made her levels rise but the vet suspects a really bad infection (which I think she's contracted from a river nearby).

As I type, I feel an overwhelming sense of relief, she's at my feet, by my side, where she'll stay.xx

What a weekend!

For those of you who read my blog, know all about my dog, Niamh and that she hasn't been well the past two weeks.


Well..the worry all started on Friday, she'd been vomiting on and off for about two weeks, obviously after a few days we had her to the vets who gave her a shot of antibiotic something to stop her feeling sick ;(..poor thing.



Anyway, the sickness subsided slightly and started again on Friday morning, even though it was a tiny amount. So we knew what was coming....a blood test, don't they just scare the hell out of you?. Anyway, £85 it cost for several type of test and a poo poo test..(and let me tell ya, it wasn't pleasant!)..so when all comes to all..the vet couldn't find anything other than elevated enzymes in her liver..the next step for that would be an ultra sound...yikes!....but it's looking like we won't have to go down that route (touching wood as I speak as she's stopped vomiting and has the best appetite ever, which incidently has never gone). While I'm typing this she's lying on her crochet blanket on the small sofa...boy...she sure knows how to milk it but...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Needless to say I havn't done any crafty makes over the past few days so I leave you with this, you may recognise it...it featured in a recent issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine and was made using the free flower fairy stamp, the challenge on this image was to be coloured in exactly how it was on the stamp, a challenge indeed but......I love to paint and love a challenge so a marriage made in heaven!