Getting Ahead

Well I am not usually this organised but here's my first Christmas cards for this year.  The cute stamp was by Penny Black, coloured using Promarkers.  I also used a couple of new dies by Marianne for the snowflakes and lace.  Although they cut perfectly on the Bigshot I found them difficult to get out of the die.  Also the embossing part did not emboss, maybe I need a tan mat?  Let me know if any of you have any ideas for these problems.  I used a Cosmo Cricket mini pad in the Mitten Weather range for the backgrounds. 

So three cards down, only forty or so to go!

This is the day.....

This is the day I shouldn't of tried to make this layout.  When the idea popped into my head to make a layout about a particularly disastrous day trip I thought what  a good story it would be to tell.

It all started when Nigel wanted to go to the British Museum to look at some Celtic Art that he had seen on a TV programme.  Now I could be here all day explaining the whole days events and no doubt you would get bored and fall asleep.  So here's the edited highlights:

• Missed buses and trains
• Rescheduled trains and underground routes due to maintenance work.
• Evacuated from British Museum due to gas leak scare.
• Took two hours to get home when usually it takes 20 minutes.

Yeah, and then it rained when we walked home as buses are non existent after six in the evening in our town and got drenched. 

And the layout.......I smudged ink (made a feature of it in the end), got glue stuck on Nigel's face(had visions of me squidging glue in his face when I wrote that but I meant on the photo), Got bits of fluff stuck on embossed letter so disguised it with more ink, had to trim the photo border (which I like to keep) as drew on it and it looked pants and generally I wasn't feeling the love from this layout.....still don't like it.  But it's still a good story.

One Trillion Calories....

Although baking is a craft of sorts (stick with me here) I have never posted my baking efforts on my blog.  I love to bake....but hate cooking.  When you bake it's a special sweet treat, a naughty reward but when you cook it's usually a weekday chore.  Anyhow, anyone that knows me knows that my baking saviour is Mary Berry.  You young whippersnappers are probably asking 'who?'.  Yes, she has been around for years but Mary knows her onions (or the all in one method) when it comes to baking.

She has recently been staring as a judge on 'The Great British Bake Off' on BBC2 where some very talented amateur bakers have been baking delicious bread, cakes and pastries.  One lovely lady called Ruth, who came second overall has a mouth doolingly gorgeous blog called 'The Pink Whisk', where I acquired her recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  They must have a trillion calories in,  but my word they are delicious.   My son Rob doesn't like peanut butter (strange child) so I made him some Vanilla Marshmallow cupcakes.   You will find the recipe in 'The Hummingbird Bakery' recipe book.  These contain enough sugar to send you hyper for a week but then as a teenager he sleeps far too much anyway. 

Henry, Elizabeth and a pile of scraps

Due to a clash of dates with my year 5 class trip to Hatfield House to meet Henry, even though he didn't live there, but Elizabeth I did....but the topic is all about the Tudors so i will forgive them for that...though I don't know if Elizabeth will show her face as well....anyway Breast Cancer coffee morning has been postponed to November.  This gives me time to make more cards to sell.

I'm trying to use up my mountain of scraps so I don't feel too guilty if  when I buy more card stock at  Alexander Palace this forthcoming weekend.  The trouble is that I would have to make hundreds of cards to even make a dent in the pile and I really hate to throw away the tiniest pieces (just in case).

Note to self......stop buying sets of papers, you get bored easily!

Flutter

When I first saw this photo I instantly fell in love with it.  I love how the sand draws you towards the three teens, galloping towards the sea, their arms embraced with the azure sky above, not a care in the world.   Their life ahead of them, waiting to spread their wings, new adventures await. 

I used some gorgeous My Minds Eye papers with Glimmer Misted splodges.  Inked, Crackle Glazed and Cosmic Shimmered butterflies flutter and fly.  The Journalling reads......'flutter your wings and fly far'.

Inspiration was found at the Chicken Soup site ( gives visual therapy to poorly mojo's) here.

Bling it on Baby

Cosmic shimmer sprays, gold leaf and gold embossing powder......bling it on baby!  Bow to Her Royal Purpleness.... Queen Bling.

Hello September

Well it's the first day of September and I am back to work at school tomorrow.  I hate the first day back after the long summer holidays but at least I have two inset days before the children begin.  Oh I know you are probably thinking 'Get in the real world woman!, we have to work every day'  I know, I know, but after having lots of days to catch up on jobs around the house and crafty projects it's going to be a shock to the system and major holiday blues!

So to cheer up those who are in the same boat and having to go back soon too, here are some wonderful summer blue Cosmic Shimmer sparklyness.  I have only just been introduced to Cosmic Shimmer sprays, but in my opinion you can't help but love the saturation of sparkly colour they give.  Just in case there wasn't enough sparkle I dotted Stickles glitter glue onto the dandelion stamp ATC and heat embossed with black sparkly embossing powder on the birdie ATC.  Sparkly heaven!