There will be a short break in transmission....

I've decided to stop posting for the time being due to their being nothing much I want to say to the world at present.  Thanks for listening.

Soggy Saturday…

Oh boy, I’ve been letting my poor blog go unloved again haven’t I?  I do think about adding posts every day but just never seem to have the time.

Anyhoo, a quick catch up on some LO’s I’ve been doing for Shimelle’s ‘Something from {almost} Nothing class.

Just using cardstock Using up ribbon Using metal Using scraps of patterned papers.

I’m really enjoying this class and can’t wait for more wonderful ideas next week.

Monday mutterings…

Boy, what a busy weekend I’ve had!! 

An unexpected visitor in the form of someone wanting to see around my house (which is up for sale) appeared on my doorstep Saturday afternoon.  After a quick show around and some Q&A’s he made a an offer and we’ve decided to accept it.  There will be no chain so I could be out as soon as 6 weeks time ~ OMG, I’d better get looking for something else soon.

I completed two LO’s at the crop on Saturday morning which I’m quite pleased with.  One was using up the scraps….part of Shimelle’s class.

Testing Tuesday…..

I have such little will power that it’s quite scary at times! I was doing really well resisting yet another online class BUT I just can’t seem to resist a Shimelle class and so have signed up for Something from (almost) Nothing today. I wouldn’t say I have mountains of unused stash but I still have more than enough and as for some of the ancient papers…….well I just hope Shim can help!

Working full-time again all week, which is good for the funds but bad for the soul! I wish my job wasn’t quite so boring!!

Went to see Lovely Bones on Sunday with Megz, I loved it but she didn’t. Hoping to go and see ‘Alice’ this week  too….can you tell I’ve signed up for a Cineworld card again? Well, if I didn’t go to the cinema, I wouldn’t go anywhere!

Sad Saturday….

Well, the deed is done and the estate agent has been around to take photos and details of the house and it will be put on the market next week.

A bit of background detail…….my husband left me just after Christmas and although we were going to try and keep the house together until our mortgage finishes in 7 years ~ it wasn’t working out.  So I’ve decided to divorce him, sell the house and start again (at 54 ?!?!).  Unfortunately I won’t be able to afford a house of my own and therefore will have to rent one to put a roof over our heads (my two ‘children’ will be coming with me).

It’s funny how life turns out isn’t it?  You think by the time you get to this stage that everything is settled and set in stone but nothing ever is.  Not life, health, wealth, marriage…..nothing!

Dexter goes to his new home tomorrow and I hope he will be very happy there…..that was another very hard  decision to make.  But if we’re moving to rented I can’t have a rabbit digging the garden up.  We’re hoping to be able to take the two cats with us (fingers crossed).

In other news, I’ve been managing to do a bit of art journaling and have just finished a LO for this month’s challenge on UKS, which was Friends.

These are my much missed friends (who I could really do with at this moment!) they now live in Spain and I only get to see them once or twice a year if I’m lucky.

 

St David’s Day….

Happy 1st March!  Yes, I know I’m a day late, story of my life at the moment always running to catch up.  I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, a caught a preview of this movie yesterday – I can’t wait!!!
Anyhoo, March brings the start of a new class for me from Vivianna on Polka Dot Robot.  It’s an Art Journal class called Quiet Nights and I’ve done my first page too….















It’s about where I am right now … - wanting to escape until this part of my life is sorted.  I’m having to put the house on the market and move into rented accommodation due my husband splitting!!  I’m not looking forward to all this upheaval and can only hope it will not be too painful.

Friday’s ramblings….

Today, dear readers, we are going to discuss art journaling as I will be starting an online class on 1^st March at Polka Dot

Robot…..here.

Now I have been trying to do art journaling for a year or more with very mixed results. One or two pages I like 

but most of them I don’t. 

Is this because I spend too much time looking at other people’s journals on the internet and in books instead of just ‘going with the flow’? I’m always trying to make my pages look ‘pretty’ or ‘arty’ and when I come to write my actual thoughts down on the page…..I dry up! Surely journaling should really be all about the writing rather than the ‘art work’, but what should I write? Everything and anything? Puerile and important? Past, present, future?

Does anyone else do art journaling and if so do you have any hints and tips? Do you have any links to good websites or blogs?  Thanks for looking.

Funky Friday…..

Friday rolls around again……..hurray!

I’ve got an all-day crop tomorrow which includes two classes and a shop (Total Papercrafts). I can’t wait, I’m really in the scrappin’ mood at the moment, must get myself organised tonight though so I can have an extra half hour in bed in the morning.

Here are Five For Friday…..

M&S Meal Deal

TV on Saturday

TV on Sunday

 

Taking photos

A glass of vino with friends

Basic biking….

Let me introduce you to my son and his new ‘toy’ ~ his 125cc motorbike!  He’s like ‘the cat that got the cream’ and I’m like the ‘mummy waiting for ‘that’ call’ every time he goes out on it!

  I’ll just hope and pray that he learnt his lesson from the car accident he had last year and rides a bit more sensibly than he drove!

Luckily he’s a long way off affording anything bigger for now.

 

 

In other news I’m just back from the ‘flicks’ with DD ~ we went to see Mel Gibson in Edge of Darkness.  It was quite good but I did feel that Mel is getting a bit too old for these parts anymore.  I’m looking forward to Clash of the Titans, Lovely Bones and Leap Year……coming to a cinema near you soon! 

Being grateful….

After my last whining post I can (thankfully) report that I’m feeling a lot more positive about life now having spent last night and this morning in the company of my brother and his family.

It always does me good to visit them and see how a real family should be, close, loving, kind, sharing etc.  We had fun last night with food, cocktails and games and then this morning a Walk around Bradford on Avon followed by a hot chocolate and toasted tea cake and a gorgeous little tea room.  I also treated myself to a wonderful scarf with the last of my birthday money!

Also, don’t think I showed you the finished invites I did for my Mum & Dad’s anniversary party.

Trying Thursday…..

Oh God I’m so fed up and down in the dumps!  I’ve just done two more full days at the most boring job in the world.  Megan has just received her bank statement and is being charged another £75.00 in fees (she won’t be told!!) – there’s a lot of door slamming and crying going on. Rhys still hasn’t found a job although his father thinks he’s found one for him as a double glazing salesman on commission only basis!?!!!

Trying for a more positive note – I completed this LO a couple of nights ago for Dolly’s 52in10 challenge and I’m quite pleased with it.

I’m also trying to complete 10 party invitations for my Mother who is organising an Emerald Anniversary party for May.  Trouble is, I’m not in the mood now!!

Sorry for such a whining post but it does be good to vent every now and then!

Birthday…..

Another full day at work today but hopefully back to part-time as from tomorrow.

It’s my birthday today and although I’m getting too old for them it’s still nice that people remember and I get a few cards and gifts. I got some money from my parents, a DVD from Megan & Rhys, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from my brother in Australia, some wine from friends and mother in law and a M&S voucher from work.

 

Tea was made for me by my DD, Megz.  My DS, Rhys is no where to be seen (surprise, surprise!)

Been asked to do some invitations for my Mum & Dad’s Emerald Wedding Anniversary bash and also been asked to do some Order of Service for my nieces wedding. So looks like I’ll be kept busy over the next few weeks.

Just settling down with a glass of vino to watch Corrie.  Cheers!

Arts and crafts….

Been a long time again but I have been working full time this week in my defence!  Been too shattered and lacking in time to update my poor blog.

Anyhoo…..here’s what I’ve been doing lately starting and even finishing one or two or three

pages of my art journals. I’m loving this last one the bestest and I’m not sure where I’m going with the green one but am sure to get some inspiration from the wonderful pages on Flickr.

In other news, I’ve had to buy myself a new kettle and although I didn’t really need one, I had to have the matching toaster too!

 

 

It comes again….

the snow ~ it’s back!  Hopefully only for a day because it’s s’posed to rain again on Thursday/Friday.  It does look pretty if you don’t have to go out in it but I do!!

I’ve been to the ‘flicks’ 3 times in the past few days to see this….

and this…

and this …

of the three of them I loved ‘It’s Complicated’ the best – it was sooooo funny.

What makes me angry?

Just discovered this great blog - It's All About Me .  They set a challenge twice a month and the latest one is  …..This Makes Me Angry.  Here’s my take on it. 

Packaging and rubbish get me going.  Have you ever bought something and it’s in a box with a window and then inside it’s in a plastic container and then it’s tied down with plastic cord thingies?!?!??  Is it a fragile?  Does it need that much packaging?  How much rubbish is going into my bin?!??

This is only one of my ‘things that made me mad’ …..What about waiting at a roundabout in your car for people that don’t indicate that they’re turning? ….. What about people who can’t be bothered to hold the door for a second?  …. What about queue jumpers? …. What about people who can’t say please or thank you?

Oohhh don’t get me started…..

More of the white stuff….

We received quite a lot of snow again last night and so I spent quite a while brushing off the snow from the car before work again this morning!

I’ve done this week’s challenge over at UKS (theme = forbidden fruit) my LO was about the pile of books I  have waiting to be read.  I must not buy any more ‘til I’ve read some of them first!

 

 

I also did a nice LO last night that I thought I’d share with you on here as it turned out so well….

It’s inspired by a LO on Two Peas by HelpMeRonda’s lovely page.

Inspiration wanted….please apply within!

All this talk of a New Year and goals and aims and resolutions…….I can’t get enthusiastic about it at all.  I did choose a word for the year….change.  But that was just a knee jerk reaction to my recent change in circumstances….I doubt very much if things will change much this year unless I make an effort to change them.

  BUT HOW!?!!

I think one of my aims must be to get out of this house more before I become a complete hermit.

I should get more organised both in my personal life and with my scrapbooking too.

Here’s my first LO for 52 in 10 challenge on Dolly’s blog.  Quite pleased with it but hate photos of me!

Oh well, back to work tomorrow if we’re not snowed in tonight!

Snow day….

I know everyone will be blogging about the snow but I don’t care I’ve got to post some of my pics too.

I’ve done nothing again today but am feeling much better at least.  Looks like I’ll be back at work tomorrow (weather permitting).

My friend, Sue, came over from Spain yesterday on a long arranged trip to see a Medium (you have to book at least a year in advance) and there’s a good chance she may not get there tomorrow because of the bad weather!  How annoying is that?!

Still haven’t done anything creative yet this year (ok, one page in my new journal) need to get my mojo back in action and get scrapbooking etc.  I miss it!  I’ve got a crop to go to on Saturday morning so that may be just what I need to get started again.

Not a good start….

to the New Year!  I’ve been feeling lousy for a couple of days now cold/flu but thought I should go into work today as it’s the first day back after two weeks shutdown.  Big mistake ~ feel even worse now and am not going into work tomorrow, don’t care what they say!  Ever coughed so much that your ribs hurt?  Ever feel like your nose is gonna fall off any minute?

Anywho…..I managed to do a double LO to finish off my 2009 album before I fell foul of the lurge.

View Full Album

There are so many new challenges for the New Year out there at the moment that I’m at a bit of a loss as to which one(s) to commit to ~ how about you guys?  Have you decided to sign up for any yet?