Ive been creating again!

Someone stop me as im using all my new stash and dont think i can buy any more for the next 10 years, it might end the nice relationship i have with the bank manager! LOL

Here are a couple of sneaky peeks of layouts ive created on mdf.....im liking it a lot more than working on paper, dont know if its because its 'different' or just because i have loads of new stash to throw at it! lol I bought a sheet of mdf at B&Q and the nice man there cut it down into 12x12 inch pieces for me - these are fab as they can go straight onto the wall and also stand up on their own for use elsewhere!! (i also bought a 10ft piece of dowling but thats another story!) lol

Todays prompt at HS:MS is white : The palest colour and sign of purity. Find 'white' in your space today. This is a bag i posted out to a lovely lady this week - it was the Mary Poppins bag because it has a cavernous inside that you could seriously get lost in!!

Friends.....

The loony lot are going away again in October.....I swear we should need special permission to leave the house! Alone we are all respectible parents, workers, daughters, wives, etc but stick us all in a confined space and mayhem breaks out! Thats what true friends are about! :) Cant wait to see you all girls!

Todays prompt at HS:MS is Friends :- A person you know particularly well. Show us 'friend' in your space today. Well, i couldnt show you one friend without showing you all so here is a layout i did a while ago for Collectively Yours.

Feeling a little alien!

Well, not an alien as such, more like a monster! I bought this little fella from etsy - go check out this seller, all the items he makes are gorgeous (some are a bit freaky in a HAVE TO HAVE THEM ALL kinda way though!) LOL

Todays prompt at HS:MS is wet :-Covered or saturated with water. Find 'wet' in your space today. I promptly tootled outside to see what was covered in water and low and behold its been raining again so i had plenty of choice! Here is our BBQ soaked with water - see those little pools, i swear the birds are loving their new funky baths!!

I also received my fabric and pattern for the sew mama sew review i have to do - wish me luck as im going to make a start on it straight away! If the fabric turns out to be too girly i have a niece the same age as Jake so the coat will be put to good use anyway (that is unless it ends up with 3 arms or no head hole or something else quite possible!!) lol

I dont do gardening!

All my life ive dreamed of living in a little cottage, white picket fence, mature garden. You know the kind where you can have fresh flowers everyday by going out and picking your own. Popping on some gardening gloves a little apron and grabbing a basket to go fetch fresh vegetables for tea, peas i would pop from the pods myself, carrots i have dug up and washed the dirt off myself, you get the picture! :) *dream*

Unfortunately i soon realised im just not a garden person, i hate the fact the weeds come back through with a vengence as soon as ive finished, I hate the fact it always seems to rain and things get put off until later = more weeds! I wouldnt mind if we lived somewhere hot where we could have orange and lemon trees, beautiful blossoming trees that REALLY flower without being windswept and bedraggled and never really get a chance to shine! NO, sadly im just not a garden person - give me a lawn where the kids can play and some tubs of flowers and im happy! I have bought an olive tree for the garden but sadly due to weather resembling the North Pole its on its way out already - see, why do i bother!! LOL


Todays prompt at HS:MS is plant :- A green living organism. Show us a 'plant' in your space today.

Raining ....AGAIN!!

Does this rain ever stop :( I dont feel like we have had a summer this year, what i would give for a couple of weeks non stop sunshine - it changes your whole outlook doesnt it! SO, instead of taking the kids to the park or out doing something nice we are off to B&Q to get some shelving for the craft room. Then we are coming back letting the kids play on their ps2s/watch dvds/eat a picnic of cakes while i get some scrapping and sewing done - yes bad mummy alert but i need some time out!

Todays prompt at HS:MS is can....A container for food or liquid. Show us 'can' in your space today. These cans from M&S are fab - love love love the Pina Colada - not so fussed on the Harvey Wallbanger shown here, too orangy!!

The return of the mojo!!

After shouting from the rooftops the other day about my mojo returning I finally took pictures of my layouts ..... not sure if anything is fantastic about them but hey it got me in the scrapping mood again and for that im thankful!! lol I have posted some atcs too (forgot to take a picture first!) and i have signed up for a card swap, I now have regular challenges to do on the Papercraftjunkies forum and the Design Collective is always keeping us busy so im pleased to be back in the scrapping seat!!

Todays prompt over at HS:MS is Fly :- To move through the air. Find 'fly' in your space. DH will be happy that he is subject of my photos today, well his helicopter is at least! lol You see, as much as I love scrapping and sewing DH loves his helicopters more.

The photograph for today is the one of the heli blades ( i tell you it took me and caz a long time to stop calling them 'spinny things' - so we could annoy them more than anything!!) This shot was taken the other day and it took all my power just to keep up with the thing - I tell you Stuart earned some respect from me that day as it took some control to keep it about a foot from the floor while i tried to focus in close enough without getting dangerously too close!! LOLMwahahahaa Its good that dh has a hobby but its also kinda freaky some of the coincidences that have popped up!

You see me and caz have been friends a long time through scrapping, caz' husband is called Stu (same as mine!) and he flies helicopters too. They are both on the same forum and meet up for the 3day masters each year! Freaky eh? Actually its really cool, we dont have much chance to meet up but when we do there are none of those awkward silences as we all have so much in common - add that to the fact that Caz and Stu are probably one of THE nicest couples in the world and what more could you ask for! :)

An update for those asking about my dad.....

Mum phoned on Thursday after they had been for the scan to see how the chemo is doing. The news is good, infact its better than we expected! The tumors on his lungs and bowel have shrunk to half their size and the ones on the lining of his stomach seem to have disapeared altogether.....mum said the doctor was so pleased and can only predict good things what with another 4 sessions of chemo left! Fingers crossed things are going in a better direction for him and mum! :)

Sale at Oliviagracedesigns...

Check here - I need to make some space so ive reduced the bags and accessories - go bag (mwahahahaa) yourself a bargain!! :)

Friday again....

Why are the days flying by so fast? Has something happened that has made the hours seem shorter - i swear i only just wake up, get 'normal' stuff done and its bed time, it also seems to jump from Tuesdays to Fridays......AND Christmas coming just a little too quickly this year!! Thankfully most of that is taken care of as I WON a PS3 a couple of weeks ago - the kids dont know about it and ive managed to keep it secret so far haha!!

Todays prompt at HS:MS is lock - its supposed to be one with a key but the locks are all boring and i didnt read the prompt properly before i took the pic!! sorry!!


Do you see this photo? Do you think im going mad taking a picture of an empty basket? Do you have kids? If you answered yes to the last one you will realise why i had to take a picture of this monumental occasion!! MY IRONING BASKET IS EMPTY!! Now wasnt it right to take a picture of the empty basket - this marks a sight i may never see again LOL. Now, the washing basket is a whole other story - and a whole other photo which im just not up to sharing (maybe some therapy will get me to share but for now my little Everest that is my washing pile will remain hidden from blogsville!) ;)

I took this picture of Ben as he was running around the field doing normal kid stuff, football/chase etc.......so why do i feel so sad looking at it? Could it be that i can see hes growing up and not so much my little boy anymore? Could it be that i can see the man he is turning into - hes only 11 and meant to still be a kid but his attitude is changing everyday, hes willing to argue more and stand up for what he believes. This is a good thing, just something im not sure im ready for yet :(

Cutie, Congratulations and Carrots!

Bit of a random title haha!! Had to share this picture of Jake taken yesterday - posing with his muscles apparently! LOL (erm.....his fringe is curtesy of scissor happy Scott - yes his brother gave him a 'trim'!!)

Today was girly day, I was picked up early by Andrea and Clare for our day out. No idea where we were going which turned out well as we visited every craft/scrap/art shop in the area!! First off was a visit to The Scrapbook Shop at Durham followed by dinner though at Big Lukes in the Metrocentre - yum!! (Their ribs taste like duck though - strange, unless they have funky looking ducks with huge ribs but they tasted nice so who was i to ask questions??!!) LOL We then dithered and decided on hitting Wards Graphics (good for peel offs! mwahahaa), then into Team Valley for a spot of Hobbycraft (absolute pants and not even nice pants! lol), then best of all we got to Dainty Supplies - now this place doesnt have the best rep but boy was it a fab place to be when looking for Cuttlebug supplies and brads! Needless to say we made up for not spending anywhere else!! lol :)

Andrea picked out todays winner for the bamboo handle bag and congras go to Diana (caz' mum!) Fingers crossed you are staying at Caz' still so i can post it to you there :)

Todays prompt on HS:MS is CHOP - now im not supposed to be let loose with knives without adult supervision but dh was standing by for this shot so im ok - no blood was spilled! ;) (only joking im honestly a good cook!!)

Missing mojo found and Blog Candy time!!

I was starting to get really worried and about to place an advert for a missing mojo yesterday!!You see, my scrapping mojo disappeared about a month ago and no matter where i looked i just couldnt find it!! We looked everywhere, it wasnt even under the kids' beds and believe me EVERYTHING ends up 'under the kids' beds!'

WELL, yesterday i think i found it.......do you know what sparked it?? Some pink glittery paper and little pink jewels - coming from a mummy who only scraps blue/brown/BOY colours I quite suprised myself with the pinkness that turned into a LAYOUT!! Wahooooo, I really enjoyed it too and was on a roll so then made some ATCs and started a second layout........now i just need to get a cage for the mojo so it cant escape again! lol :)

The prompt at HS:MS is Window ......now, i could have gone outside and took one into the house for a sneaky peak but its raining (theres a shocker! lol) so ive had to make do with one looking out -


BLOG CANDY TIME!!

I had so many compliments on the bamboo handle bags that ive decided to hold another competition for you to win one........pop a comment in this section before midnight tonight and I will get one of the kids to pick a name at random :)

I can't get them uploaded to the store as things are changing this end so if anyone wants to buy either the pink or blue ones (coffee one is already sold) theyre £15 including postage - email me for details. :) I will be selling the aprons etc from the blog too - its going to be easier to keep everything in one place so watch out for new releases soon!!

A new addition to the family!

Its ok pick your chin off the floor Im not as brave as Heidi and going for a fifth!! lol Meet Molly,

shes our new addition.....a gorgeous (quite big too!) bunny designed by Melly and Me, its the Pocket and Floss pattern and i cant believe how easy it was to follow!! The girls design everything you could possibly need and then some - dinosaurs are the latest and boy are they cute!! There was only the stitching left to do on Mollys face so while i had the cottons out last night i thought i would finish her, im so pleased i did as she now has pride of place next to my dressforms in my sewing room! :)

Word of the day today on HS:MS is Pasta, I love this stuff and really should try to eat more. We go through phases where its all the boys will eat but lately they cant stand the stuff - fickle kids!! LOL :)

Parcels were posted yesterday to the winners of the competition and im all raring to set another - who else would like a competition to win some goodies?? Check back tomorrow morning for a competition to win one of the bamboo handle bags!! :) :)

Ta-da!!

Im going to share a sneaky peek with you of one of the aprons I have started - it still needs some ribbon and buttons adding but other than that im pleased with the fabrics I got yesterday - something about them said BUY ME!! (its funny but this seems to be happening quite a bit lately - should I worry more for my sanity that fabric is speaking to me or the bank manager who im sure is having heart failure!) lol

Ok so its not a secret that I cant drive - yes I know I need to learn and I SOOOO want to have that bit more independence. I have my provisional license and have failed tests in the past but the thing is I know I can drive as im more confident now - its just the initial getting behind the wheel and some of the idiots on the roads now that scare the pants off me! Do you know we nearly got wiped out by an 18 wheeler that was bombing it down a country lane the width of one lane!!
Anyways, what prompted this outburst (lol) was todays prompt over at HS:MS - drive..... unfortunately this is the only 'vehicle' that im allowed behind the wheel of!! lol :)
Can i tell you about a special lady?? Meet Heather ...... not only is she a fantastic artist but first and foremost she is a mum, mum to 4 wonderful kids - go read her story and I dare you not to be touched by the heart this woman has! Heather has the ability to make you laugh within seconds of meeting her and she is so creative it has to be contagious (please dont shatter my hopes! lol)

We were looking for some storage for the kitchen to pop all the clothes in for the kids to take upstairs and put away and Heather came to the rescue! She suggested Ikea and the Trofast collection - well, I swear im in love - this unit now has pride of place in my kitchen and has had so many oohs and aaahs, is used all the time and I dont know how we managed without it! Thanks Heather!! :)

EDIT :- I made the Papercraft Junkies Design team!! yayyy :) ------------> see my blinkie for a link to the forums!!

Finished!

Need to get these babies uploaded and im off today to find some scrummy black and white fabric for those aprons (last post) - im thinking black and white apron with colour pattern frill, pocket and belt! So excited to get started and would have yesterday if my brain hadnt gone into overdrive and come up with an idea i just cant shake! lol

The prompt for today over at HS:MS is threads - well, i have plenty of those lying round so it fits quite well with the embroidery threads ive been using lately!

DH is busy setting up his new helicopter for some ariel photography so i need to take some pics of it in the air - do you know how hard it is to photograph something thats flying all over the place and doesnt stay still for 2 seconds (with 4 kids you would think i should have the action shots down to a T!!) lol

Todays prompt from HS:MS is down.......I have been sitting at it so much lately the only logical pic for me was the foot on my sewing machine! Im starting work this afternoon on some 50s style aprons - frills, pocket....everything, similar to these ones :)

It carries on shining!

That big ball in the sky was out again today - so warm we headed off to the beach infact! Scott stripped down to his swimming shorts but the rest of the boys didnt think it was that warm (infact i dipped in the water myself - erm toes and thats all as it was freezing!!) You know what you dont see very often near the north sea - a 70 year old grannie in a bikini!! Scott said he wished it was Chanelle (from BB8 - yes im worried about his mentality!) lol This is my pic today too for the herspacemyspace blog - im thinking a pair of ickle feet are as good a double as any (and major cute too!!) :)

I am off now to upload to the store the checkered bag from last night and the blue bag (shown here), just got the others to finish off and photograph and im finished this style, time to move onto something new! Speaking of which im reviewing one of the patterns on sewmamasew - i have to make a jacket for one of the boys as part of their September projects :) If it all turns out well we could be the next Von-Trap family all with matching jackets (only joking!!) lol

Bamboo tote and baseball!

What do you get when an 11 year old brings home a baseball glove??

One over curious 2 year old! Ethan was so funny, he tried every way possible to get the glove on (it was huge on his tiny hand!) and then when he finally had it on the ball was way to heavy for him to catch. LOL He persisted though and eventually had a few throws and catches but gave up - too much like hard work just now when the glove is almost as big as your head!

After a walk in the park it was back to finish off one of the bamboo handle bags i started yesterday. I only have 4 sets of handles and each of them are in different fabrics - i will try to upload them to the site over the weekend as i finish each one. Theres the checkered one below, a blue one in the same fabric as the custom order 3 posts below, a pink one like the box tote in the shop and one other (just not sure what fabric to use yet!) lol

Tote winner and then some......

So, we printed off the names, folded them and popped them into a bucket....

.....in goes a little hand to pick the winner......

....and congrats go to.......drumroll........

....anice!!! Can you email me your address and i will get your tote out to you :)

It doesnt finish there, Scott loved picking the name out that he wanted to do some more so we now have 2 more goodie bags (sorry i cant send you all totes!) to send out! If you are a winner please can you email me your addresses and i will get some goodies packed up and out to you :)

Yay for Yasmin! Congrats to Lisa Swift!Remember to keep checking back for more competitions and give aways as well as all the latest info on my creations! :)

..bags as promised!

Here are the new bags, the blue one was a custom order and the pink one is mine. There are more on the way to be added to the store .......

I am off on a fabric hunt tomorrow, wish me luck!