Tuesday, August 29, 2006

*bling*

ok, soi'm getting into this whole 'bling' thing with my scrapping.. i blame it totally on suzanne (but then again she is my scrapping scapegoat!!) at the weekend whilst perusing the aisles of the local poundland i found a make-your-own-bling kit.. bargain!!! little diamantes already on sticky strips.. fab:)

my mayaroad paisley mini book needed something, and it turns out that was it! oh and after half a day of painting it.. it looked terrible.. so back to covering it with paper. i have no idea what to put in it, but i'm decorating for art's sake:)

oh and today i realised i have turned into a snobbish scrapper.. i was looking through what will be my last copy of TSBM (letting my sub go) and it took me till the the middle to find a lo i liked. perhaps it was just one of those days, but i'm being really picky! and that's horrible because that it someone's work, someone's family.. *sigh* perhaps like Dh shouted at me yesterday i do have 'an attitude problem'

on other news, the 2nd window man has been round to measure up.. hopefully we will finally have a date of when we can expect them to be round. it's meant to be the end of this week but i'm wondering now.. work is so busy i can't just take a day off at the moment. it took a whole day last week to work out when i could book day!

ok, off to play with some more paper:)

Monday, August 28, 2006

personality test

hmm, not sure about all of this, but it's pretty:)

it's a Bank Holiday so it must be raining!

oh and DH must also decide to suddenly start a DIY project!

so we've now got a new floodlight out the front, i've been going crazy with washing, drying etc etc.. so domesticated!

going to make a bread pudding this afternoon and might also go pick some more blackberries from the new stash i found!

Dh made a lovely lasagne yesterday.. it is one thing he knows how to cook, and does it well.. so i leave him to it.. trouble is, it's so HUGE we'll be eating it all week:D

i've also gone crazy getting birthday presents bought, and wrapped, and also heaven forbid, started thinking about xmas pressies.. i know , i know, but if i have a though, then i might as well right it down so that i'll have it ready for when i need it:)

haven't done any scrapping, but i have sorted out a few bits and pieces and will be putting some more things on ebay later on. i love the feeling of clearing things out. if i haven't used it in a year, i might as well sell it on, or give it to someone else who'll use it!

talking of which, we've been a part of the local Freecycle group for a few months now, and have managed to pass on some stuff that we weren't using any more, and pick up a couple of things for us to use. great stuff, and today we ended up with a Dyson! it will need the head replacing soon, but it works at the moment! (anything that gets Dh excited about vacuuming is ok in my book!)
So, highly recommend looking at your local group and see what you can freecycle!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

smelly house, smelly house...

yep, well standard day at work - highlight was the ymmy bacon and egg granary baguette i had for lunch:)

then went to a special event day at the local candle store where they have the Yankee candles.. i'm a sucker for these:) so i bought some yummy smelly things! i now have the scent of ginger cookie in my bedroom! it'll either make me so hungry i'll go eat the contents of the fridge, or it'll curb my appetite for sweet things...

then went out to fatty arbuckles for tea.. really enjoyed it. i lurve ribs.. even DH couldn't find anything to complain about! then it's been raining all evening, so pups haven't wanted to go outside, i severely hope we wont get woken at 4am cause the doggies need to spend a penny!

Dh is sorting out getting broadband changed and saving us some money in the process.. fingers crossed for a smooth transition, and me being able to convert all my logins and accounts over to a new email address!

ooh, think i might post a pic of the pups just so that you can adore them.

Monday, August 21, 2006

birthdays, mirrors, and complaints:)

firstly, BIG happy birthday shout out to Anam (kihaku) a fabby lady who is so generous with her time, wisdom, and talents. love you loads, and miss you even more.

second, i've just decorated the 2 bargain mirrors i picked up at sainsburys.. just boring old square pine framed mirrors, but i've put some heidi swapp tape and some blossoms and ribbons on and they look quite sweet now. will take a pic of them in situ tomorrow when DH decides to get the hammer and nails out and put them up:)

third, i've done something i almost never do.. and thats write a letter of complaint:0
was so fed up with the room i hire for the crop, the bad service etc that i actually wrote a letter and sent it off this afternoon. i'm sure they'll think i'm over-reacting etc etc, but for once i thought i needed to say something. In writing that's a hell of a lot easier than in person. cause i know i'd just get frustrated, and when that happens it all comes out as tears! so i look like a gibbering little female, and not an assertive person!

i've also been a right old grumpy cow today, talk about getting up on the wrong side of the bed.. gees, i think i got out the wrong side of the universe today! i can't believe i lasted all day in the office without walking out!
lets hope tomorrow is a better one:)

Sunday, August 20, 2006

speshal dare


here's this week's Everyone is Speshal dare..

did it late last night, don't know what came over me.. obviously i was just inspired!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

ahhh, saturday!

what a nice day today has been.. although it's had it's ups and downs!

crop today, and conferencing are going to get a piece of my mind on monday about the lack of care they have for people booking rooms.. difficult access to toilets and hot water.. but anyway.. i'm calm now and things were sorted, but it's really pissed me off. I'm annoyed, cause if i wasn't an employee, i'd be incredibly unimpressed by their actions.

anyway.. it was good to see the girls. had a lovely chat with suzanne and fran. had a look through everyone's stash and drooled! me and Bev didn't get much done, i don't think the inspiration was there! but we had a raffle, with some prizes generously donated by suzanne. not that Fran fixed it at all for us to both get a prize;-)

came home to a lovely welcome from the pups. they both wanted snuggly cuddles, so i had to oblige:)

watched some tv and have been listening to some cds tonight.. where i got inspiration for this week's speshal dare. I'm really loving the challenges that are about at the moment. I don't seem to have a huge amount of inspiration myself, so these are fab for getting me moving!

ooh, and got my pad cc swop from Sue.. It's a lurvely mini frame, and i've already put a photo in it. will try to upload a pic soon.

well off to print some piccies.. got the parents-in-law visiting tomorrow.... hmmmm

Friday, August 18, 2006

I'm it!

ok, suzanne tagged me so here goes:

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?

ooh, so many places. if i am allowed to build one house, surely i've got enough money to build a few right?
in the UK, then i would choose Charmouth, in dorset, many happy holidays as a child there.
in Australia, it would be Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. quiet, beautiful, but near enough to a big city:)


2. What's your favourite article of clothing?
hmm, my lovely layered brown skirt from Debenhams. goes with loads of things and makes me feel girly!

3. Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex?
arms. weird i know.but nicely toned arms..

4. What's the last CD that you bought?
honestly can't remember. last CD i downloaded was Jack JOhnson. Love it. makes me feel all summery.

5. Where's your favourite place to be?
well i love snuggling under my duvet when it's all wild and windy outside.
either that or on a beach, but not sunbathing just paddling and walking on the sand:)

6. Where's your least favourite place to be?
the dentist.. work... at the doctors have a cervical smear;-)

7. What's your favourite place to be massaged?

anywhere! i'm not fussy:) but i agree with suzanne about having my hair played with. i love going to the hairdressers simply to have it washed!

8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
urgh.. mind i guess.

9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
6am the alarm goes off.:(

10. What is your favourite Kitchen appliance?
steamer.. seriously! the best wedding present ever!

11. What makes you really angry?
people not listening to me when i'm being serious.

12. If you could play an instrument what would it be?
drums.. i do a good 'air drums' :)

13. Favourite colour?
turquoise

14. Sports car or SUV?
any that come with a driver!

15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
sort of. i don't really know. that's one thing i do sit on the fence about!

16. Favourite children's book?
too many to list.. but 'the magic faraway tree' ranks up there quite highly!

17. What's your favourite season?

autumn.. cooler than summer, plenty of berries and fruit about to make crumbles and pies, and the promise of christmas:)

18. What is your least favourite household chore?
washing up. drives me insane how much 2 people can go through.

19. If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
to be able to speak many languages

20. If you have a tattoo what is it?
nope, none.. but i did have my nose pierced when i was at uni.

21. Can you juggle?
jobs and commitments yes, balls, no!

22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
my nan.. i never really knew her.

23. What's your favourite day?
thursday. nearly the weekend, and far enough away from monday!

24. What's in the boot of your car?
i don't drive, but in our car there is a first aid kit and some boxes.

25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
i quite like both to be honest.

I shall tag :
cath

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Lost

what a fab tv series.. just been watching some episodes, and had to stop, otherwise i'd have been up till midnight!
it's got so many new twists and plots, anything could happen.. it's great!

sooo, tomorrow i'm on the clearing hotline at work.. never done it before, so should be interesting. Hopeflly i'll be able to help out a few students! i remember hving to go through clearing myself, a scary time, i didn;t know what i was doing, and just remember it all happening like a dream.. but somehow, i got through it, got a place at uni, and it was the best decision ever.
I love this uni, it's been really good to me, and the staff are genuinely friendly. I really hope that everyone getting their results tomorrow does well, but, if it doesn't go as planned, all is not lost. get on that phone and talk to people. and then enjoy the ride!

(can you tell i've had a drink? LOL)

Monday, August 14, 2006

credit due


oops, forgot to say that the LO i posted yesterday was inspired by a class by Ria.

Today's LO is from another class at this weekend's pad crop - this time taught by
jaq (sorry keep trying to put a link on here, but it doesn't seem to like the picture and the link at the same time!!)

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Busy Little Bee

thats me.. :)

cybercropping on the pad this weekend, and i've loved it. .been doing a bit of household type stuff too, but i've got some serious cropping done.. and you know what.. saturday afternoon seemed to never end.. it was great! normally time goes so fast when having fun, but not this time. great feeling.

so, i've finally:
- used my mini sewing machine on paper.. (boy did that take a while ..especially with the instructions being wrong!!),
- used versamark and chalks (why did i wait so long??),
- used basic grey paper and actually really liked it enough to consider getting more,
- make an atc,
- use jump rings

here's one of the layouts



yep, that's me in orlando on our honeymoon, and yes that is a bum bag - well when in Rome...

I've used up a ton of old stash, completely run out of adhesive (oh dear, you mean i have to go shop?) and won a prize! woohooo, yes i've got a surprise box of stash coming next week. thanks to Marja who donated the prize.

hmm, well i can't seem to post more than one picture at a time, so this will just have to do. off to finish a pad cybercrop swap...

Thursday, August 10, 2006

poorly tummy

well, that'll teach me for eating ice cream:) I've been keeping clear of milk etc for a while now as i thought it might be contributing to my IBS type symptoms - had a bowl of yummy ice cream tonight, and well, lets just say my tummy didn't like it very much:(

been trying to keep a food diary to try and see if there's a link between certain foods etc, and this is definately one of them.. i'll have to go see what the dr has to say i suppose.

but on good news, i had an ok day at work helping out in the recruitment office. lots of envelope stuffing but it kept me busy, and Kathy and i had a laugh reminiscing about cheesy 90's pop bands..

Looks like i will be able to do the beginners calligraphy course. got in contact with the chap who runs it, so should be good. been looking at some of the stuff that people do and its fantastic. my dad does calligraphy, but i've never learnt it properly. so that should be something nice to do over the autumn. and hopefully i'll be able to incorporate it into my scrapping.

okey dokey, off to see if the dogs will let me have some of my bed!

last day at work..

well, until next week :D

i've got tomorrow off and i'm soooo looking forward to it. OK, so i'll have to take the dogs out for a walk all by myself (fingers crossed it's not raining like today) and i've got to wait in for the window man, but i get a whole day to myself! woohooo!

got absolutely soaked this morning taking the dogs.. they looked very sorry for themselves when we had to dry them off! hopefully they'll lay in the sunshine and get themselves dry today.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

f'lup!

phew... just been out for a meal ( all desire to make something vanished!) and i'm stuffed. it was lovely, and had some yummy salad as well - my token contribution to healthy eating tonight!

then off to the shops to get a few bits and peices.. nothing exciting, but a flake somehow leapt into the basket so i have a treat for later.. or tomorrow when DH is away visiting his brother before matt flies out to australia.
shame i can't go, but we have the dogs to look after, and also the window man to measure up for DG hopefully. i can't wait to have that done.. it'll be so nice in winter, and hopefully reduce the amount of gas etc we use.

saw a poster advertising a calligraphy course in a nearby church hall. only £14 for 4 sessions, so i might see if i can go to that. would like to learn to write things nicely.

*yawn* i think all that food has made me sleepy.. off for a cup of peppermint tea and a snooze!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Happy Birthday to Suzanne

just a quick post to say Happy Birthday to one of the most gorgeous people around.. Suzanne.. hope you have a fab day and the postie brings you lots of lovely things.

Monday, August 07, 2006

challenge completed!


Just completed a fab challenge by Anne Hafermann - posted on her blog.

they are from thenew Ali edwards book - the patterned papers one.. (which i am lusting after, but can't have right now.. roll on xmas!)
this was so simple, but so great - i used up cardstock i'd had for ages, some pretty awful photos which i cropped right down, and some very random paper scraps. love it! oh and there's a bit of heidi swapp tape in there too for good measure!

So, in non-scrapping news.. the loft is done.. hurrah! we can now safely fit all our rubbish up there, and we're insulated, so come winter we should all be toasty warm:)

I'm also the bog beast from hell today.. it's hormones i'm afraid, and i know it is, but i just can't stop being narky! everything is annoying me today.. work was absolute pants, i was so bored i can't tell you.. so i'm afraid i just wallowed in my awfulness and felt bored, pathetic and unfulfilled..

hopefully tomorrow will be a better day;-)

Sunday, August 06, 2006

ewwww

well i'm sat here amidst a whole heap of dust, dirt, power tools and bits of wood.. Dh and FIL are up insulating and boarding the loft.. it's going to be so nice when it's all insulated - lower bills, toasty warm in winter - but also nice to be able to putthings up in the loft without worrying it's going to fall through the ceiling, or get covered in dust and dirt.
I'm telling you, there must have been 50 years worth of industrial town soot and dirt up there. I've got one hell of a cleaning job to do when they finish!

but it's also been good cause we've had to go through all our old stuff and chuck things out.. why on earth i kept half the stuff i did, i've got no idea!
I'm also having to go through all my craft stuff and sell a lot of it. What with all the things that went wrong on the car recently, the holiday and now doing up theloft, things are a bit tight financially.
Well they say it's good to declutter..

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

friends old and new

well, over the weekend i found a bunch of emails and letters from a LOOOONG time ago, and realised that i had lost touch with a few friends. So, i thought about trying to get in contact with them all again, and guess what? one of the email addresses worked after 6 years! so i've got in contact with a friend again which is really nice. going to get a few more emails written now.
It was really odd reading the old emails again, things i'd totally forgotten about came flooding back. and interesting to see what was soooo important all that time ago!

oh and i've started putting links to friends blogs and a few of my fave websites. hope you all don't mind if i've linked to you?

right, off to have a think about this week's pad challenge.