HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm meant to be getting ready to go to Mum's for the evening with Sis and her O/H, but

I couldn't let 2007 end without wishing you all a

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope 2008 brings you all the good things you could wish for and more.

Hope you all have a safe and happy night tonight.

See you all next year

xxx

Christmas Day

Woke at about 8 on Christmas Day to find that Father Christmas hadn't been here. So, got up, had some crumpets and got ready to go to Mum's. Christmas at Mum's is always great. Walked in to Mum's to find the tree laden down with presents which got opened after lunch. Mum had even filled me a stocking as she thought I was sleeping there the night before. She loves tradition, so my sister and O/H Mark had done her one too.

I love Mum's Christmas lunches - veggie roast, roast pots and mash, roast parsnips, Yorkshire, carrots, mushy peas, Brussels sprouts and stuffing followed by Christmas pud and custard. All washed down with a glass of wine.


We banished Mum to the living room while we cleared the table and despite having a dishwasher, there were still things to hand-wash! Sorry Mark, just couldn't resist posting it! You know I luv ya really. You did make a good job of it.



My sister's mad! In one of the films her and Mark had seen, there was a weather thingy where you can choose what weather you want. Apparently Mark made the remark that "Oh, it'd be so fantastic to have one of those". So, she made him one. On reading the note that came with it, he realised that if he wanted rain and pushing the right numbered button didn't work, he was to go to the bathroom, run a cold shower and stand under it holding an umbrella. For sun, he had to book a tanning session. Ice? Empty the freezer and stand in it. A rainbow? Blow some bubbles and look directly into them. And so on. She'd even made picture weather sticks for him to put in the top where the curly hair is. It was mad, but ingenious.

Yes, Santa had found somewhere to take my presents. I'd forgotten that in my letter to him, I'd told him I was probably going to be at Mum's the night before and that's where they were. Hers some of the things I got: Alphabet die cuts for my new Big Shot, beads, sequins and funky foam shapes, 2 duvet sets, a black fluffy magic scarf, beauty products, cordless screwdriver, chocolate, money and an A3 printer that I actually received in the summer.

Mum's dog wasn't forgotten either. Bless her, she's so small and Mum bought her a squeaky stocking toy. She spent several minutes working out how to open her mouth wide enough to be able to carry it. We thought she was going to get lock jaw, but she did it in the end. That's what you call determination.

After an evening of playing the Taboo board game amongst others we were all shattered, but a good day was had by all and that's the main thing.

I came home Boxing Day at lunch time and spent the afternoon crafting - well, playing with my new die cutter. I didn't achieve much apart from that, but there's always another day.

Hope you were all able to have great days and feel happy, full and refreshed.

I've Finished My Christmas Crafting

I never thought I'd say I've finished my Christmas crafting, but I have, so I can. My nephew is Arsenal mad and Niece is High School Musical mad, so I've made them cards, fridge magnets and door plaques. Hope they like them.

Here's my first attempt at a star card (I think that's what they're called) with it's box

Just so I can give Lou another mention, here's the last 2 curvy cards I made

That's my crafting and probably blogging finished until Boxing Day. Off this afternoon to deliver a couple of cards and presents, then hopefully a relaxing evening before the big day. I'll be spending Christmas Day at Mum's and coming home Boxing Day - hopefully with new crafting goodies if Santa's been listening to me!

I hope you all have a very merry and safe Christmas

xxx

Changes

I've not blogged in a few days, but that's not because I've had nothing to tell you.

My life's changing (for the better I hope). As some of you know, in the last week I've been offered 2 jobs. After deliberation, have taken the one that is so different to what I've ever done. I'm hoping it will be exciting, challenging and rewarding. I'm going to be a freelance sales person for a publishing company and hopefully sell advertising space. I have to generate my own leads and make appointments, then go and get them to sign on the dotted line. I've no idea if this will work, but I'm going to give it a go. If it doesn't, I'll try something else.

The other job was at the taxi office (see 14th December's post). The owner there was really good when I said I wouldn't be taking the job after all and said that I have his number so can always call him. It helped that I worked wth him at another taxi company several years ago, so we knew each other and he knows that I am capable of doing the work.

Apart from having a week of interviews and life changing decisions, I have managed to get into the Christmas spirit eventually. Decorations are still in the loft as we decided to leave them there, but I now want some up. That's a project for Sunday as David's working Saturday - I will be patient, I must be patient, I want them up now!!!. I have managed to make a couple of Christmas cards for family, so have only got 5 left to make. I can see a busy Saturday coming up. Will photograph them all when they're done and put on here. Have also got 2 door plaques to make for niece and nephew's bedroom doors.

Christmas presents are all bought and apart from one last addition (saw and just had to get), they're all wrapped. 3 households even have theirs. I have 3 to go back to shops which will be done after Christmas. A musical book which doesn't work, a spiderman thingy that says 3+ on the back and 4+ on the front and was bought for a 3yr old, and a magnetic jewellery set which I won't give after watching the Dispatches programme on Monday night about the dangers of magnetic toys. It should've been on earlier in the month before we all went shopping. But, I'll now have a couple of pound for stash shopping after Christmas which is never a bad thing.

Oh, we got a couple of lottery tickets (something we hardly ever do cos we never win and don't like throwing our money away) for Wednesday and Saturday night and won £10 on Wednesday! Trip to the cinema is on the cards now, just got to decide what to watch. Wonder how we'll get on with Saturday's draw?

Cards

One week left until Christmas. It's rather scary, but I managed to get another present on Saturday and I'm off tonight to take advantage of some of the shops being open late.

Here's some more of the cards I've made this season.

Still have a few cards to make, so will be busy this week.

Thanks for taking the time to look. Love to you all xx

Christmas Shopping

With Christmas getting close, I've actually started my shopping. Out with Mum yesterday, I have nearly sorted the children out plus a couple of adults. I so love a bargain and managed to do well with them. Have got a mental list for nearly everyone else too and hoping to get those on Monday evening. I have 2 problem presents to get. My nephew who's 13, isn't really into anything much, says there's nothing he wants and his Mum is struggling too. Also, David's Nana who is typical of today's older generation - doesn't have loads, doesn't want loads and everyone struggles to buy something for. I'm not a meanie, but why oh why do we put ourselves through this every year? If people really don't want anything, then why don't we just make them a really nice card with a lovely verse inside and leave it at that? I will never know and every year will struggle to find that 'something' for them all. But they appreciate the gesture and that's all that matters.

Have been out today and managed to get another present sorted. I'm getting there. Tonight is the night for getting the rest of the cards made that need posting. I can see a busy time ahead of me.

New Beginnings

Have been busy making Christmas cards this week for some of my friends. Will post piccies once I know they've been delivered.

I had a couple of hours stint covering in my cousin's son's D.I.Y. shop Thursday lunchtime. After which, I had a job interview at a taxi company to do the same radio controller (despatch clerk) work I've done for almost 20 years. Well, I got offered it and have accepted. I go next Friday daytime for a few hours to be shown how they do things and then I'm there the next night with the boss. I'll be starting work properly on the 27th December I think. I have a half hour journey to get to it and will be starting work at 6am at least a couple of mornings a week! HELP!!!

Thursday evening I went to my niece's school's outdoor carol concert. It was nice, but a bit cold.

Christmas shopping with mum today. Wonder if we'll have a successful time?

Luv to you all and thanks for reading xx

My Christmas Cards

Well, here's the start of the cards I've made for people other than neighbours as there's have been done a while.

I've made a couple of springy cards using a template kindly supplied by one of the forum members of DoCrafts.

Christmas Tree
I've stamped the background in red and the edge of the topper in gold. The Christmas tree is stamped in green with a gold star and heat embossed. I then used pearlised red paint to colour the background of the topper card. Merry Christmas greeting on the base is stamped in red and heat embossed.

Rudolph
The background is a free paper from a craft magazine and I've heat embossed a frame using white powder. Rudolph is stamped and heat embossed. I coloured his nose in red and matted him onto green card. I've added liquid dome gel to his nose, eyes and collar before sticking him onto the card using foam pads.



K-Card
I'm so clever - NOT!! I downloaded the instructions and a couple of pictures for doing these cards and forgot to download the template then forgot where I got it from. So, I've had to wing it. Here's my first completed attempt. The picture doesn't show the design very well. After trying with paper for a bit, I managed to get the card cut so it would just about work. The background is stamped. The teddies and the greeting are stamped in gold and heat embossed before being washed over with red pearlised paint.

Curvy Card
Cut out of cream card, I coloured the front and back using red pearlised paint. Images are stamped in black and heat embossed before colouring in in pencils. Greeting is stamped in black, heat embossed and matted onto cream card. I've put them all on using foam pads. The hinges inside are covered using the same cream card as the base card.
Thanks to Lou once again

Christmas Cards

With my guidance, David made some Christmas cards for his family. Here's my favourites that he made for his Nana and her sister. The windows were made of vellum (I couldn't find the acetate!!) and the scenes light up with a lamp behind them. The tree and bricks were printed directly onto the card and are wrapped around onto the backs. The windows were cut out, a scene was stuck behind the vellum and finishing touches applied. The top pictures are without a backing light and the bottom ones show them in exactly the same place, but with a lamp behind.

The Finished Christening Card

Here's the finished Christening Card. I thought it ought to have something religious on the front, so I used a metal cross charm. Everyone loved it and were amazed at how it was put together. Thanks Lou for sharing this masterpiece with us.