I'm also sad because...

I'm unplugging my computer at the weekend.

In order to sell my house, I need my kitchen to look like a kitchen and not a franchise of HobbyCraft, therefore the computer and all my crafting stuff will have to go into storage for the foreseeable future. I will still try, where possible to leave new card pictures and messages for you all at the weekend, when I am able to pop round and see my parents. I'm sure my lovely daddy won't mind me taking over his office for the few hours I get to see him.

Also, belated birthday wishes to my lovely mum. She was SIXTY on Monday and we all went out for a lovely meal on Friday evening. Family and friends gathered, and danced, and were merry (mum especially). It really was a lovely evening, thanks mum! Hope you had a lovely time at the meal and also on your actual birthday, despite watching the children for me when I returned to work. Thanks for everything.

Today... I am sad

and a little excited too.

Lianne starts secondary school tomorrow. It seems like only yesterday she was crawling through the back garden on her hands and knees, stuffing her face with everything she could find and filling her nappy. Now I find that I am standing here ironing a secondary school uniform and she's getting ready for her first big day and a new big challenge. Yet another milestone, I wasn't quite prepared for...

Good luck Lianne, I'm proud of you, every day, I love you so much.

Hap-Bee Birthday

These are some of the glitter embossed die-cut images I was telling you about (from the garden insects collection) that I purchased the other day up the town, aren't they cute!

I made a really, quick simple card by sticking them on the cardstock with sticky foam pads and then added the 'Birthday' greeting.

Thorpe Park Day out

Well, we had a fabulous day at Thorpe Park, it was just me and the children in the end who went as my friend didn't feel up to it on the day and not wanting to disappoint the children we went anyway, just the three of us.

We had a great time and Lianne went on almost every roller coaster ride there. Despite the huge queueing times, me and Lewis waited with her in the queue until it was almost time for her to go on and then we raced back to the ride to watch her go around all the loops and twists and bends and curves. She had great fun. There was lots for Lewis to do there as well (although I was a little worried that he might get bored waiting for Lianne all day) but he went on a few rides with me, not quite the rollercoasters Lianne was used to but he had a good time.

Later on in the day, when the queue waiting time had dissolved quite dramatically, I even managed to get on STEALTH. Boy I wish I hadn't but was glad I did in the end, it basically goes in a straight line from 0-80mph in about 2 seconds and the g-force holds you firmly in your seat as it then goes up vertically, twists slightly to go over a loop and then twists again to come back down in a vertical drop! The whole ride is over in about 10 seconds but was worth the experience just to say I'd been on it!

Thanks to everyone who kindly gave us vouchers (Julie, I'm pleased to say that your vouchers arrived literally moments before we walked out the door - thank you). They will all be put to good use as they can still be used over the next school holiday... Alton Towers here we come!

Penguin Moment

My second Christmas card of the day... that's enough for me. Sorry girls, Rudolph Day can have two contributions and LIKE IT!!!

Materials:

Background paper was part of a prize from Card Making & Papercraft

Christmas Tree and Penguins, Whipper Snapper Designs

Jingle and mittens from Jolee's Embellishments

Button, flower and ribbons, from local Craft Shop

Doggie Treats

Me and the children went into town for a while today and we found some lovely die cut images that were just begging me to buy them. They had four themes, cats, dogs, summer and garden critters, so of course I had to buy all FOUR! Anyway, when we returned from the town, I discovered that the buckle on my favourite belt had broken and that there was no way to fix it (no I haven't put on weight, it's just a very well worn belt). So anyway, being the crafter that I am and not being able to bear the idea of throwing it away, I cut the buckle off so just the leather and the studs remained!!!

I then wondered what on earth I was going to do with it. So I came up with the idea of making a dog card with the die cut images I had just bought and that part of the belt could be used to resemble a 'dog collar'... good idea or what? You tell me... do you like?

Materials:
'Dog Treat' from Autumn Leaves
Embossed Die Cut Embellishments from Poundland
Belt, Artists own

Kenya Part 1

This is the front cover of my Kenya Safari Adventure Scrapbook.

It occured to me today that I have never shared this book with you on my blog. Basically, I WON the trip of a lifetime on a local radio station a few years ago and it really was the holiday of a lifetime. Seven days safari, luxury hotels (and believe me, they were gorgeous hotels), wonderful food, all inclusive), it really was a wonderful experience. I hope to go back one day, when the children are a little older so that they can experience seeing wild animals in their natural habitat rather than locked up in cages in a zoo, although that can be fun too, if not a little sad!

JAMBO is the Swahili word for 'Hello'. We heard this a lot during our stay in Kenya.

Photo 1
This is a couple of photographs of the red elephant and the giraffe we spotted on the first day of our Safari. The leaves are stamped images from Whipper Snapper Designs and the Jeep is from a collection at Jolee's Boutique, coupled with the brown and the African background papers.

Photo 2
This is one of the red elephants we saw. They are called red elephants because the dust on the ground here is so red and when the elephants wash, they roll around in the dust, which makes them appear red also. The metal embellishment says 'Make a Wish...' I added this because never in a million years could I have ever wished to see such a thing, it truly was tear-jerking to see such an amazing creature, so untroubled by our presence, and yet so graceful and beautiful.

Photo 3
These are the zebra we encountered on the side of the road. They just stood looking at us as if to say, 'You're the funniest looking creatures we've ever seen!' Over in the distance, we could see them running around and playing, like wild horses do, it was really lovely to see them like this. Our guide explained to us that the zebra stripes are like a fingerprint, no two zebras have identical stripes, not even twins!

Kenya Part 2

Photo 1

In this picture you can see Steve is standing on a huge pile of volcanic rock in the middle of a volcanic crater. The volcano (thankfully) isn't there anymore, because when it last erupted about a 1000 years ago, it totally flattened itself and now there's nothing left but rock , although our guide did say that it's only just in the last 100 years or so that plantlife have started growing around the rock, which is why you can see a little greenery too. I added the wording... 'Where's room service when I need it?' as there was nowhere nearby for refreshments or anything, oh to be a man on occasions such as these!!! The photo in the bottom left of Photo 1 is of a giant spider. We had just found the perfect spot to sit and sunbathe within the grounds of our hotel, right by the pool (and the bar). When we were comfortable, I laid back on my sunlounger only to see 'Boris' right above me. God knows how, but I managed to stay still long enough to get a picture before we made a hasty retreat. Well, it was only fair, he was there before us - and he can stay there too, if you ask me!

Photo 2

Just passing through. This is one of the monkeys we saw on our safari travels. He didn't seem too bothered by us, in fact, he even got up and gave us this little pose. Bless him! The embellishments in this photograph are again by Jolee's and the postage stamp is an original one from Kenya.

Photo 3
This is Steve and a couple we met while on safari having a look through the telescope within the grounds of our hotel, which overlooked a vast landscape. We managed to find a herd of elephants at a watering hole, a family of giraffes grazing, some lions and some water buffalo.

Photo 4
This is the final page of my safari scrapbook and this has the most amazing coloured lizard featured at the top. Together with a picture of Kenya at sunrise and Kenya at sunset. It truly has some of the most breathtaking sunsets you've ever seen and the red dust roads are in themselves a sight to see. At night, the hotel staff spray the thatched roofs with some form of bug spray and in the morning when you come down for your breakfast, there are literally hundreds of these scorpions lying around on the ground and in the flowerbeds. This one was about the size of the palm of my hand, and we were informed that he was not one of the largest species in the area. Believe me, there was no way I would've photographed this bad boy if he hadn't already been dead!

Hope you enjoyed looking at my memories book of Kenya, one day...I'll be back!

YAY...It's RUDOLPH day!

And you'll be pleased to know that I HAVE made an offering for today. Yes, yes, yes I know I'm supposed to make at least five Christmas cards today, but cut me a bit of slack will you, it is only 12 o'clock and I have already made three cards today so NER!

This is my FIRST christmas card offering today and I'm really pleased with it.

Lots of different elements to this card. Please see materials below:

Materials:
Christmas Tree stamps, Unknown (a stamped image swap from Linda)
Snowman from Whipper Snapper Designs 2008
'Twas the night before Christmas... puchased from Ebay, no details
Christmas blue polkadot ribbon, a freebie from a craft magazine
Christmas background paper, a gift from Sarn
Button purchased from local craft shop
Glitter

Doggy Pile

Hi everyone, I just love love love love love this card...don't you? It's just toooooo cute for words!

Everytime I use this image it just makes me smile, because they all look so uncomfortable yet sooooooo comfortable at the same time...does that sound weird? I think you KNOW what I'm trying to say?? Anyway, enough rambling Fae...shut up!

This is another one of Katharina's great sketches was used for this card to which I added the background paper, stamped image, which I decoupaged and mounted onto brown card, then I simply added the ribbon and the flowers.

Materials:
'Doggy Pile' by Whipper Snapper Designs
'Dog Treat' Background paper from Autumn Leaves
Cardstock Sticker wording by the Paper Studio
Large Flower and Metal Embellishment by Paper Mania
Small Flower by Prima Marketing
Ribbon and Gemstones from local Craft Shop