Happy New Year

to anyone who reads my blog, not that there has been much to read over the last 5/6 months.  Life is so busy, there barelt feels time to breathe sometimes.

We spent yesterday early evening at the panto, it was fab as ever and well worth the money then we trundled onto the local Chinese restaurant and had a even fabbier time.  Lottie was well behaved and excited to hand Grandma her card made with lots of love - for her birthday.   This year is the first year in a long time that I actually went into a shop and bought a card, to be fair it bought home to me why I now make all my cards - £3.39 for a printed card with a few words!  Will be making them in future I can tell you!  I did however manage to make her pressie which I shall post later when she actually has it!!!

So the rest of the day will be spent chillaxing with a video and a glass of wine I feel.  Ive not made New Years Resolutions because I can never keep them so dont see the point in bothering, I always say yo blog more, eat less and get fit none of which I manage!  So, leave me a comment and let me know, whats your resolution if you make one!

Oh My Goodness!

Just how long has it been since I have blogged!  The saga with my laptop has only just been resolved so I guess now that I am properley back online, I should get on with it and start blogging again!

So much has happened, Im loving my new school, its fab!  Lottie is now in Year 1 and loving that - well most of the time.

The weather has done a complete change and we have had snow and as for crafting, well there hasnt been that much I guess!  Will try and upload some pictures at some point.

Life seems to be on a more even keel at the moment, which I guess is good.  Its the cyber crop over on UKS this weekend, but to be fair the likelihood of me doing much is slim, have lost the will to live as far as pages are concerned, I can just about manage some xmas cards and crafty gifts!  Maybe my mojo will returneth now I am back blogging!

Gone again!!!!!!!!!!!

Remeber whe I said that I had no laptop as it had died and gone to laptop heaven, well medion revived it 3 times and Ive had it back since the end of july, guess what happened yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It died again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am therefore waiting for a rep from Medion to ring me, fat chance that will happen I am sure, so I am mightily annoyed at the moment!!!!  Anyway thought I woud let you all know that posts wil lbe few and far between again!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And Jackie your stamp will be back in the post this week, sorry I ended up keeping it a lot longer than I anticipated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But and soooooo grateful that you let me borrow it!

Wedding postbox and guestbook!

So here it is, I do hope she likes it!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a guest book to match!

Oh what a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had an emergency this morning (as I was making my mates wedding postbox) Lottie calls me mummy, mummy come quickly! So off I rush, mummy I just swallowed a sylvanian families orange! Then we had pandemonium when she realised what she had done and kept saying her throat hurt, so being the dutiful mother (who was more than prepared to just leave it and wait for it to come out!) and then rang NHS direct because I was worried that it may be stuck.

After being told to get her to calm down ( my daughter calm down she is neurotic!!!! Like her dad) and if she still had a pain in her throat to go to A&E. Well after 1/2 hour of trying to calm her down she still wasnt, but by that point I had turned the lounge upside down in haste hoping it may be somewhere I put my hand into her hoodie pocket and there low and behold was the flippin sylvanian orange!!!!!!!
So crisis averted, well sort of! Then my brother arrived to take her out this afternoon (we all know 5 year olds and shops do not mix, dont we????) well he took her shopping and said you can choose a toy (now we all know that kids that are told this think that they can have any toy be it £1 or £21) and thats what she was doing asking for every toy under the sun that was £15 or more, therefore the temper tantrums started and both my brother and his fiance got several temper tantrum whacks and kicks!!!! They promptly bought her home and we then had a barney as she was down right rude to me!!!!
So all in all as days go this one was pretty terrible, all remaining sylvanian mini things have been removed from the lounge and she knows that she must not touch them unless there is a grown up there, and the reason for this little crisis - she wanted to see how far she could spit it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
On the upside I did go to tk maxx and get some yummy adhesive badges and mini days of the week stamps, and I got the chance to make a loads of cupcakes and finish my mates wedding stuff, so am off to chill out this evening with a glass of wine and a cupcake or too, I guess it wasnt so bad after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Will post pics of the wedding PB later!
 
Thanks for stopping by!

Our Town!

So Gill over on Docrafts set this challenge to tell each other a bit about where we live so here goes!

I live in camberley! 

Camberley is a town in the Surrey Heath district in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles (50 km) southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties converge.

The town has a population of 30,155!

Before the 19th century, the area now occupied by Camberley was referred to as Bagshot Heath, which was known as a haunt of Highwaymen such as William Davies - known as the Golden Farmer - and Claude Duval.


The town as it now stands has its roots in the building of The Royal Military College, which later became the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in 1812. A settlement known as "New Town" grew in the area around the college which in 1831 was renamed Yorktown, after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.[4] At this time, the population was 702.
Later, the Staff College was established to the east of the Academy, and a property speculator built the nearby Cambridge Hotel. The surrounding area became known as Cambridge Town, but was renamed "Camberley" in January 1877 due to avoid confusion by the General Post Office with Cambridge in Cambridgeshire. The renaming of Camberley was mentioned in the 1963 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies. The character Piggy states that the new name consisted of three parts; "Cam" taken from the original name of Cambridgetown, "ber" taken from the name of a nearby river (though in fact there is no river with this name), and "ley" because it is a common ending for English town names (as in neighbouring Frimley). Hugh Edwards, the child actor who played Piggy, attended Camberley Primary School which was demolished to make way for the town centre redevelopment.

Wow werent we lucky to be in that book!!!!!
So which weird and wonder people live/lived in Camberley!!!

Well we were home to some fantastic groups (well in their times!!!!)

5ive, boy band 1997-2001. They were the subject of the television programme 'Neighbours From Hell' whilst living in Camberley


Tony Barker-May, former journalist and advisor to two Leaders of the Opposition and to the Premier of Western Australia, and senior advisor to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, lived in Camberley from 1960 to 1971

Darren Barnard, former professional footballer currently playing for Camberley Town F.C.. Has also played football for Wales.

Bros, late-1980s boy band who attended Collingwood school. - delivered the local newspapers in their road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam Brown, 1990s pop singer.

Five Star, 1980s pop group (this band live near Blackwater). Then they moved to Sunningdale to a very posh house!!!!
Brian McBride (Director) MD of Amazon UK and Director of Celtic FC

Tim Sills, professional footballer currently playing for Torquay United.
Spice Girls, who lived together in Camberley for a while.

Richard Stilgoe, lyricist and musician.

Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, started writing The Golden Legend whilst living in Camberley. The site of his house is now occupied by a McDonald's restaurant.

Bruce Woolley, writer of 'Video Killed The Radio Star'

Dame Ethel Smyth, lived as a child at Frimhurst, Frimley Green, and as an adult for some time on the Portsmouth Road, Camberley at the house that is now The One Oak pub.

Andrew Meechan, the champion bull fighter.

Arent we privilledged to have so many famour peeps in our town!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have extremely important landmarks in out town
 

The concrete elephant is extremely popular as a tourist feature - hmmmmmmmm well peeps like to graffitti and put antlers and a huge red nose on it at xmas!
 

The local donkey derby pulls crowds from not very far away!!!!!!!!!

and we trained the finest in the country!

Seriously our town and local area are home to some of the bravest men and women in the world who have been posted to many wars including the afghanistan war too.  In Yateley last weekend the streets were lined with hundreds showing their sympathy and respect for a young 25 year old lad who was killed out there, his grieving wife was a credit to him and a true tribute was paid!

RIP Adam Brown

A true hero for our country!

My Mojo doth returneth!!!!

Well after weeks of no scrapping, my mojo came back!!! 6 layouts I tell you 6!!! I had this little guilt trip when I looked at my credit card statement and then my ever growing mound of stash and kits and realised that actually, I would at some point have to make some headway on clearing and using them in order to be able to get more!!!!!

So here goes, the first is the Docrafts challenge which was to scrap in green!  Yep, def done that! and also to include the title 'Home Sweet Home' I played with the words for this one, but in my journalling there are the words, home sweet home, the pic is of my baby bro, when we were clearing out my nan and gramps house as they moved down here!  60 years of memories were in that house and about 5 layers of Linoleum, which took him and me hours to pull up and break up to go on the back of the dump truck!

Number 2, Lotties rainbow promise ceremony earlier this term, used an old scrapagogo kit which I thought that I would never use elements of, funny how your opinions and styles change over the years isnt it!

Again using the Scrapagogo kit for a layout with her and her first teacher who left at the end of the year, I wonder whether she met her match in Lottie and thats the reason that she went!!!!

This one is an old pic that we polsihed up of my grandad on a beach holiday, looking very young and handsome!  Ive use the Bo Bunny Mamma Razzi papers, from a Cleo Crafts kit earlier this year, I hated this kit the most when I got it, but funnily enough Ive managed to find pics that look good with it and have completely changed my view!

Now Shimelle had a weekend crop, to be honest I didnt have a lot of time over the weekend but I did manage to fo a couple of layouts.

The first being Shimelles saturday sketch challenge

and the second being another saturday challenge, scrapbooking with a little pink!  I used lots and som shocking orange to go with it!!!

So there you go a crafty weekend was had by all!!!

I do have a couple of other pages that I started for the crop and will try to get them done and finished today so that you can see them!

The hols are flying by!!!

Can't believe the weeks are flying by so fast for the summer hols, blink and you will miss the rest!  We have booked a week away for october this year, so are waiting patiently for that, even though we would rather have been away in the summer, but finances arent as such that we can afford a summer break!

So this is where I have been spending heaps of my time, my new classroom, looks a complete tip doesnt it, and after 3 days of being in there it still feels like it to be honest!  They arent deep cleaning till the end of next week so Im still quite limited as to what i can do in there at the moment, since these pics were taken I have managed to fill 3 display boards with bits and pieces that will stay as static boards, meaning I dont have to change them for the whole year, maybe just add some bits to them every so often!!!!  Yay!  I love boards like that!

What a tip!!!!!!!!!!

I have spent this week working on wedding orders and bits, my friend from work asked me to do her wedding stationary a while back and her invites were completed and delivered, but the order of services and table plan are on the cards for this week!

I also have my baby bro's wedding invites etc to do too, wedding season is upon us!

Today I went to the crem and sat chatting to grandad today on his bench, Im sure that everyone who was there must have thought I was crazy, but it does make me feel much better chatting to him there, I left some flowers and checked that everything had enough water and now feel at peace today.  They say time is a healer, I guess it is in some respects, however memories certainly live on!

Have done a little bit of scrapping this week including a mini book for MIL and a couple of pages, will upload them later in the week if I get a chance and am making more cupcakes this weekend for Emily!  She will enjoy them!

Some cards

Here are a few of the cards that I have put together to sell for charity.

Sorry none of the images are cropped properly!

Have a crafty day!

A busy weekend

So here are my cupcakes, and delicious they were too mostly all vanilla cupcapes with sprikles of glitters on them

but these little lovelies were coffee and walnut, yum!

So the past few days have been extremely busy we have:

been to birdworld where we watched the pengiun feeding, a bird show, petted mice rabbits and guinea pigs, chased chickens, ridden a pony (all time fav part of the W/e for Lottie) and had a fab time!

We also have:

been to a fun day at my old school where we got to brush donkeys'

play Indian drums!

and have panned gor gold at Paultons Park as well as a few roller coaster rides and splashes in water kingdom there!

Phew!  am a bit puffed out now!

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm

The house is filled with the smell of cupcakes, inspired by the ones we had last weekend at the music festival!  mine are better of course, both in look and taste!  i even went all professional and piped the icoing on and everything, topped them all of with a bit of glitter and well posh!  Will post a pic in the morning.

Havent scrapped for ages, but I am card making at the moment for the residential home that my nan is in and also for the forces out in afghanistan, so have 2 charity projects going on, but I want to do lots for both as they are both worthwhile causes!

Anyhow, Im off as Lottie is trying out her new bike - its not a new one - but a hand me down from some friends, but it looks good enough!

Where has the time gone!

Whoa, slow down!  Life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately, Ive had no laptop since the 3rd June, and I am finally back online now!!!!  I did get my laptop back from the dead, for 3 days, before it died again!  Never buy a medion!!!!  They have spent more on new motherboards than the computer is actually worth!!!  Each one costing £236.00 including the person to fit them!!!  Its had 2 in the space of a month! But never mind I am back!!!!

So what have I been up too... well I have a new job in an infant school, its a maternity contract but will do!  I have left my own school, which was good to do, but I shall miss some people like crazy, esp Steph, who will I laugh with about 'Rat' and the 'bear fruit' !  Long story, but bought tears to my eyes!

We scattered Grandad's ashes last week and I was very lucky to be able to go, I nearly wasnt!  It has helped quite a lot with the healing process, and I do like going to the crem to sit on his bench in the peace and quiet!

So the summer hols are upon us and we are going to enjoy them, hopfully my laptop wont give up the ghost in the next few days! 

Will be back soon!

Yum Yum!

I just found 3 mini selection boxes left over from xmas that i bought for my neighbours kids, I wonder whether I can eat all three tonight!!!!!!!!!!  I think NOT!

Im still not posting because of the depression Ive sunken into again, I was in the same place last year, but this time is worse, mainly because Im going for all these interviews and still not getting any job offers, I feel like a failure, ive never been for a job and not got it!  Now Ive been for 3 and not got any of those, Im hoping that something will turn up soon!

So this month we have:

Seen these very funny morris men at the yateley may fair.

Listened to these fabolous men and women, they are at the fair every year, this year there were less than normal, but they are a joy to listen too, and work really hard there!

and finally have made these little babies for my baby bro and his wife to be....

The weekend has landed!

So the weekend is here, Im not posting much at the moment as Im not in a happy place.  Im struggling to cope with much and even my usual crafting online haunts arent seeing me either.  Im struggling with uni work, preparing for my final assessment, preparing for my 80% teaching a week and still trying to find a job amongst all that!

I went for and interview this week for a job I really wanted and didnt get it, over one little thing!  However that does mean that my confidence is talking a huge knock and Im now struggling even more and despite what everyone thinks primary school teaching jobs in this area are pretty scarce, which is then causing me extra worry because there arent many that I can apply for!

Anyhow, Lottie is off on her rainbow sleepover tomorrow, not sure how she will be but hopefully she will enjoy it!  And it means that i can watch over the rainbow in peace - Sophie to win!!!!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy!

This week has been hectic beyond belief and it isnt getting any easier.  I have three job interviews over the next couple of day, which is very scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Wish me luck, there is one that I really want, and one that would come a close second!

My 80% placement is proving tough, and even harder work with interviews and job applications to sort!  Im snowed under, cant wait for the weekend!  Im hoping that I might have some good news by then on the job front!  We shall see!

A long ole week

This week has been a long one, I start my 80% teaching next week and Im totally exhausted before it is even happening.  Still busy job hunting, studying and teaching, its a full time job this job hunting malarkey isnt it.  I sooooooo can't wait to have half term.  My folks have finally agreed to take Lottie out 2 days for me to give em some study time and I feel that i will need it by then!

Last night I spent making my friends wedding invitations and we are still not done!  They are getting there tough, will show you a sneaky  of them later when I find my camera.

i did a couple more pages over the week, but again need to find my camera in order to photograph them.

Tomorrow we are off to see London Nights, Broadway Nights, a musical medely, with loads of songs from the musicals, I cant wait, Im going with mum, and my sister in law and my sister in law to be!  Should be a lovely night out!

Will be back later with some pics hopefully!

Another Lift!

Still in the scrapping mood at the moment, but not in the mood to design my own pages, so Ive lifted this one from clare33 over on UKS.  Its of Grandad and Lottie taken when he still lived in London and I love this pic!  Ive used some old papers from the Fancy Pants Sweetpea collection which were just sitting around gathering dust, and now they are no longer!   It does feel good cutting into all these papers and making things with them!

Anyway, off to look for more easy scraplift pages!  Thanks for stopping by!

Said I would be back, didnt I!

Well here are three of the layouts that I have done today, I didnt realise just how much stuff I really do have for scrapping with, its beyond a joke really!  Too many pretty papers to stroke and look at and not actually do anything with, I have 10 scrapagogo kits which have hardly been cut into and now a few others as well that I am beginning to accumulate and when I went under the bed today I found 3 huge pads of papers including a WRMK tiffany pad i bought from QVC months ago and had forgotten about, so Im going to  start using them!!!!

The first layout is made using a Scrapagogo kit from April 2008, Ive done a few layouts with this kit and their is still loads left!  Sorry the pic isnt fab, it looks completely skewwy, but thats just me and the angle that i have taken the photograph in!

This next page is a very young Lottie! from April's Gottacraft kit, its a total lift from their booklot, but I like it!  I used a few prima essentials and also my Martha Stewart corner punch.  The chipboard stems are from an ancient pack of cherryarte chipboard which I have inked in pinks and reds.

This final layout is from a set of MME Jack and Jill, from favourite thing and Life is good!  Ive used some of my QVC primas and a journalling card from etsy.   This page is a bit of a scraplife from Laura's blog here!

Im pleased with all of my layouts, I know that they are basic, but Im still happy!

Thank you for stopping by to look!

Its raining, it's pouring...

It must be bank holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhow, Im busy with uni work and planning, I cant wait for the year to be over and I can be qualified and think about uni again!  Won't that be nice!

I have been busy making Emily's wedding invitations this weekend and really enjoyed cutting and snipping whilst watching over the rainbow, the question is who will go tonight????

Anyway only a quick post for the minute, will be back later with any updates and hopefully a new scrap page too!

My UKS challenge!

So today was my turn to set the challenge over on UKS, Scrapdolly asked for volunteers a while back and Id forgotten that Id put my name down!  Anyhow so here is my challenge:

As today is the 26th April, there are 249 days left of the year, use 2, 4, or 9 of something on your layout,

Make and use your own paper - glimmer mists, stamping, doodling etc,

In 1993 The queen opened Buckingham Palace for the first time to the public, so use, red, white and/or blue on your layout somewhere.

and finally some bling!

So if anyone else wants to join in, please feel free and leave a link to wherever your work may be!