Christmas Star book

Well this is my last christmas card for the year. This is for a bloke at work to give to his girlfriend. He said he needed a special card, something different as he didnt get her a card for her birthday.
Do you think he will like it?
x

Secret Project - Emmas Calender

Ok, i have mentioned a few times over the past few weeks about the secret project i was making for my friend Emma, well I gave it to her this evening so i am now able to show the piccies.

She is over the moon with it. So that has made my day thats for sure.
Hope you like it.
x

Week 2 at slimming world

Just a quick update as i had my second weigh in today at slimming world. I have lost another 3lb. So that makes a total loss of 1 stone and 11lb. Only another 3lb to go then I have lost 2 stone.
Mum lost 2.5lb lst week, and she has also lost another 3lb this week. She went doctors today and he said that she has lost 10kgs since september, not that she was trying to lose weight until last week.
So all in all the weight front we are doing really well.
Hopefully I can do another 3lb this week for my 2 stone by christmas. Fingers crossed!.
xx

Planet Hire Night out!

went out with work friends friday night to brannigans in romford. Was a really good night. Ended up a bit drunk...lol
Piccies - Nicola, Nick, Craig, Marc, Chris, Ric, and Me :o)
xxx

7 new tilda christmas cards

Had a chance to test out my new eyes today and managed to get 7 cards made.
Tilda christmas images, dcwv paper pack, and christmas greetings.

hope you like them.
xx

Stash Photo for Sue!

Well i went stash buying few weeks ago and forgot to upload this piccie i took specially for sue. Hope i make you proud...lol
xx

Laser Eye Surgery

Well today is my first day glasses free, and trust me it is a whole new world with out glasses.
I had my surgery done yesterday at about 3.15pm at Optical Express in Lakeside shopping centre. I would definatly recommend that anyone who has been thinking about it get it done.
It doesnt hurt when they are doing it, but when you come out your yes are streaming with tears, and you find it very hard to keep your eyes open for a good few hours. So that is uncomfortable.
Today I cant get over how clear everything is. I can read things I couldnt read even with my glasses on - it is truly amazing.
My eyes are a bit swollen today but i think that is to do with the wonderful goggles you have to wear to bed for the first week. They are to stop you from scratching or poking your eye, even though they dont look that sexy...lol
Will update daily on how the vision improves, i cant wait :o)

xxx

Weight loss slimming world week one (week 5 dieting)

I know I havent blogged in a while, but i have been so busy i havent really had time. Well i changed from cambridge diet to slimming world just over a week ago, and i had my first weigh in on Monday just gone. Unfortunalty my counseller forgot to write down my weight, so we didnt know how much i lost. So using my brain (yes it did hurt) i called my cambridge counsellor asking her my weight from 2 weeks previously. Working it out from that, i lost another 6lb. So my total weight loss is now 1 Stone and 8Lb. As you can imagine, i am so happy and pleased with myself. Its amazing.
I must admit i have found slimming world a bit hard this week as i have gone from doing a diet that consists of shakes, soups and porridge to being able to eat as much free food as i like. My stomach just cant handle it. So i am doing it at my own pace, i dont want to stretch my stomach aain anyway, i dont want to be big anymore si i need to stick to it. I feel like I am in a different frame of mind. I feel determined. So this time next year I am hoping I will be half the woman I am today :o)
x

Some new christmas cards

Well i have managed to make another couple of tilda christmas cards this evening, as well as doing quite a bit more to emmas secret pressie. this is now 75% complete, and i am very very pleased with it.
Here are piccies of my cards:-

Saras Blog Candy

Have a look at saras lovely blog, she has kindly got some blog candy up for grabs.
http://saz1984.blogspot.com/

Christmas cards

I managed to get out to the shed tonight.
I have managed a few more 'bits' for Emmas surprise christmas present. I also managed to make another 3 Christmas cards.
Tilda Images, papermania christmas stacks, ribbon, and greetings.

Dogs Christmas Outfits

We bought the dogs some little christmas outfits.
Dont think Elle was very impressed with me though...lol
x

Dogs Bath Day

On Sunday i decided to bath the dogs as the baby was smelly..lol
Here are the photos.

Paddy & Poppy - Blog Candy

You have got to have a look at Caz's blog, she has designed some wonderful stamps, they are so adorable. As a celebration of the release of her stamps she has some blog candy to give away - so why dont you pop over there and have a nose. http://foxcrafts.blogspot.com/

xx

New Addition to our family.

After much talking and alot of debating we decided to sell our cocker spaniels. They were just to boustrous for us. Being that mum is at home on her own it isnt fair on her as she is the one who has to look after them day in day out. Due to her disabilities, as well as her dodgy heart i was worried that they could do her some damage. We sold JJ to a lovely lady called Michelle from Kent, and we then sold Lou Lou to a wonderful ladie called Debbie in Herts. Debbie has been kind enough to stay in touch, she texts me and emails me every few days, so that is really nice.

After Sheppeys op we was told we wasnt allowed to breed him, which is what we wanted to do, so again after a lot of talking we decided to buy another shih tzu. I looked on epupz and found a lady selling 6 of them in Noak Hill, not to far away, so last saturday we went there and we fell in love. He is 8 weeks old, and we have called him scrapy. He is the sweetest thing. (apart from my sheppey of course.)

So, meet Scrapy. xx

Weigh in week 3

Havent blogged much lately as i have been so so busy. I thought I better blog briefly today as I had my weigh in yesterday.
I have lost another 1lb. Its not great, but it is another lb off. It should have been more but I was naughty friday and had a vodka and a few chips. Wont be doing that again.
I have been asked what diet I am doing,it is the cambridge diet. It is very strict, but has a good weight loss.

I would love to have linked the website here but i dont know how to do it, so if someone reads this and knows how to add the links in, i would be very grateful of some help.

xx

Weigh in week 2

Well i went and got weighed again last night, and I have lost another 5lb. So in 2 weeks i have lost 1 Stone 1 lb, i am over the moon as you can probably imagine. I feel like i am in the right frame of mind to be doing this now. I will say though that I am taking 1 day at a time, not getting carried away with myself just yet. Still only 2 weeks in, and so easy to fall back into old habits, but so far so good.
xx

Crafty Sunday

Well today has been a crafty one for me. I woke early, for some strange unknown reason, and decided i fancied popping to Barleylands to do some craft shopping. I am needing some pink embellishments for the secret pressie i am making for my friend Emma. So i text Emma to see if she fancied a shopping spree, i mean i did get my pinnicle craft membership card which allows me 10% discount, what other reasons does a girl need...lol.
So me and sister Leighann went to meet Emma and Martyn, and off we went. I needed to show Emma where Barleylands was as we have booked to start a scrapbooking for beginners course in january at Sugar & Spice, and we are both really looking forward to it.
We went into pinnicle crafts and i treated myself to some doodlebugs sugar coating, a little vase jar thing full of flowers, a pack of pink flower embellies, and other bits i cant remember. We then went over to Sugar & Spice where i got some more pink embellies, some of that crackle stuff, cant think of the name...lol, and some other bits which i cant remember...lol

Then i came home and managed a couple of hours out in the shed, i managed to make my first christmas cards of the year, what do you think?


Also i bought a lil jacket for sheppey for when he has his collar off, cos he has short fur he shivers a lot. Mum decided to put it on Elle,how sweet does she look?

xx

Friendship Swap card

I made this card using a penny black image that someone kindly sent me on the do crafts forum. I water coloured it using wh smiths water colour pencils. I used flock on the red hearts. Not too keen on flock, maybe i need a bit more practice with it.
This card is for the November friendship swap on the docrafts forum.


I am also working on a christmas pressie for one of my best friends, i wont be uploading pictures though in case she decides to have a nosey on my blog. So Emma, no point in looking here, you wont get a glimpse of it :o).
xxx

Altered Tin

Been meaning to tackle this time for quite some time, and finally managed to get this done today.
Tin before

and this is what it looks like now.

Birthday Card

I actually managed to get out to my craft shed for a little while where i actually managed to make a card. I know its a shock isnt it...lol
This is a birthday card for a good friend of mine, whos birthday is on Sunday. So hope she likes this card.

My Little Baby.

I havent blogged this week as for me it has been a terrible week. Too much stress has happened and to be honest, i am glad it is friday.
Sunday Sheppey had his operation and we took him home in the afternoon. He wasnt good though, kept crying in pain. He had me up until 2.30am, then mum took over so i could get some sleep before work. Monday we just kept plying him with his tablets, then tuesday his eye started bleeding. So i rushed him back down the vets. The vet looked and said that is isnt looking good, it looks like the op hasnt worked. He said we had to leave it for the 10 days though before they could check. So again we took him home. The poor baby was constantly crying. Wednesday he seemed a bit better, still very dopey but that was cos of all the pain killers etc that he had. When i got home from work mum and Leighann were trying to bath the eye, next thing i know they scream, the stitch had come undone and his eye was hanging out. In that split second sheppy stopped crying and started running around tail wagging, he seemed so much happier. Again i rushed him to the vets. The vey took one look at the eye and said it needs to come out. It has popped, and there is nothing we can do for it. We found out that it was glaucoma that he had, that causes pressure behind the which causes it to pop. He said i could take him home and bring him back in the morning, but i didnt think it would be fair taking him home with 4 other dogs at home. I was scared that they would tear his eye out. The vet said he could stay there for the evening and they would do the operation first thing in the morning.
Wednesday night was horrible, all we kept doing was looking for him, our youngest shih tzu Elle was fretting for him big time. Kept crying, and wouldnt eat.
Yesterday at 10ish the vet called to let me know that they had done the op and all had gone well. She said that we couldnt bring him home though as he was on a drip. I asked if i could go see him though, she said yeah no probs leave it til pm though.
So as i was getting ready to leave work at 12.30 my phone goes again, it was the vet. My stomach sunk. It was good news, he had come out the anaesthetic, and wasnt distressed so we could bring him home. I had to leave it til 4pm though.
So at 4pm we went to the vets, and sat waiting. We waited for an hour before the vet came out and got us. Whilst we was waiting we could hear him barking in the kennels, that made us feel better as he hadnt barked all week.
When they bought him out to us, i could have cried, not cos he has lost his eye, but because i could see him, cos i could hug him.
He is doing very well. He doesnt seem to be in much pain, he is eating drinking and running about. If you are in his way then he rams you with the lampshade around his head...lol.
xxxx

Bitter Sunday Morning

Morning, thought I would add a quick post to here being that i am up wide awake and ready to tackle the shed.lol.
This weekend has been a quiet but mad one at the same time. Plan was yesterday to go out and tackle the shed so i can clear space in it to put my dolls house being that i need to bring it back to dagenham with me as i have sold the bungalow and it obviously cant stay in the garage.
Didnt quiet happen like that. Instead I noticed my poor lil Sheppey wasnt feeling himself, and that his eye was really weepy. So i called the vets straight away. They was fully booked, but i explained that he had been to the groomer on friday and since he been back his eye is glazed over just as they go when the eye is going blind. With that she rushed to get me an appointment and fitted me in at 3.30 yesterday as an emergency.
So i took him to the vets. The vet put a drop in his eye then put a uv lamp over it to see what the problem was, turns out he has got an ulcer on the eye. It is caused by a scratch over it. I dont think this was done at the groomers as i called her and she said he didnt fidget at all whilst he was being cut, so i am guessing its from when all the dogs play fight together. I have been given drops and pain relief to give him now and then i need to take him back on thursday for a check up. Fingers crossed he gets better, cos at the moment he still isnt right. My poor baby.
So about 6pm i decided to go and try to tackle the shed, i only managed to empty 2 units i have in there but that alone took me 3 hours and 5 bin bags of rubbish...lol (not craft stuff old junk i had been holding onto.)
So today i plan on getting out there and spending whole day working. Also need to get an exploding box made for an order. Oh the joys...lol.
Hope you all have a lovely day.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finished Dovecote

just a short entry today, i have finally got the flowers in the dovecote so wanted to update the pictures. i used oasis in the base, had to cut it up so that i could fit it in, i then puched the flowers in.
i am really please with the outcome, and i dont think i can wait until 20th to give it to her for her birthday.
xxxxx

Another blog candy

http://aaronsmoma.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-very-own-blog-candy.html
Have also seen Beckys page, she is giving away blog candy. these are very kind and generous people.
xxx

Blog Candy up for grabs!

Hey all,
I happened to stumble across carlz cards blog, and she has very kindly got some blog candy up for grabs, have a nose here http://www.carlzcardz.blogspot.com/
xxxx

3d Dovecote

Well i have finally finished my 3d dovecote, and i am fairly pleased with the outcome. It has taken me all week to make.
I will be buying some oasis and adding artifical flowers to the vase at the bottom, but i couldnt wait to upload it.
Hope you like it.
xx

Excepted the offer!

Morning, a bit early for me to be posting I know, but I didnt get a chance to blog last night as i had a banging head. I have decided to accept one of the offers that have been made for grandads bungalow, it is a lot less than i wanted for it, but i do have to put things in perspective. If i leave it any longer then the bungalow will deteriate more, and then the value of it will decrease. So accepting what i did seems the right thing to do.
Hopefully all will be done by Christmas, as the buyer whats completion by then.

Well it is day 3 on the cambridge diet. Yesterday was very hard for me. I was struggling relly bad. I wanted to eat, it wasnt that i was hungry as i wasnt, the shakes have food surpresants in them so it kills the hungar, but i just wanted food. For dinner last night i tried one of their porridges, and i was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. I read on their website yesterday that you can flavour them using the shakes, so thats what i did. I made up the porridge and added a teaspoon full of the fruits of the forest shake to it and mixed it in. Oh my was it tasty. I need to go to my counsellor now to buy some more...lol

Suppose i need to get on with some work, i think thats what they pay me to do...lol
xxx

Do i accept the offer?

Well, today has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. My grandads bungalow has been on the market for 8 months, and no interest in it at all. This afternoon i got a call from my solicitor to let me know that someone has put in an offer, but the offer is a lot lot less than the asking price. First instinct was no way, and i told her that too. I came off the phone called mum, and also had a chat with one of my directors. I have to look at things logically and realistically. The house prices have dropped dramatically over the past year which means straight away i have lost money on the bungalow. The kitchen and bathroom need to be redone, stripped and start a fresh as they are in a bad way, so again i need to allow loss on that. I have since been advised that the bungalow will possibly need to be rewired as the electrics are not to scratch. So again more money lost. So i made the decision to call the estate agent and let them know i want 20k more than they are offering, he didnt seem very optomistc. He had a second viewing this afternoon, who he thought may be a waste of time, but he still went. He said when he returns he will contact the first people to let them know my offer. He called just before 5 to let me know he has told the first couple and they said they want to sleep on it, he then dropped the bombshell - the 2nd viewing have also put in an offer, 10k more than the first couple. Even though it is a lot less than the original asking price i think i need to look at this properly, and i am really considering accepting. I will wait and see what the first couple come back with in the morning then make a concrete desision then.

Managed to get out into the shed tonight, so that was a touch. I have managed to get the base of the dovecote made, and the actual dovecote is cut etc and being left to dry. Hopefully i can finish it tomorrow, just waiting for the acetate to arrive for the box. I have also got my next project in mind, which just thinking about it makes me excited with anticipation.
xxxx

Leighanns 21st Photos

Sunday Shopping spree

Well this morning I got up and mum wanted me to take her to a fish shop so she could get plants for her tropical fish tank. So we decided to go to the one in Wickford. Whilst we was there i thought I would have a nosey in the craft shop there, yet when i walked over to the shop they had decided to close for this weekend. Wasnt happy. Fortunalty we was close to Barleylands so to me it was the perfect excuse to pop in there to their wonderful craft shops.
In Barleylands there is a massive craft shop called Pinnacle Crafts.
I decided to sign up as a member,the benefits will be cool and the lady in there is brilliant so helpful. I bought some doodlebug flock, a papermania acrilic album, some silicone, double sided tape, glue, magazine, and some magnetic snaps.
I also visited another shop in there called Sugar & Spice. This one is more devoted to scrapbooking, which is something i want to get into a bit more. I have dabbled with a few pages, but nothing like what others produce. I had a chat with the girl who works there, and she said that they do a beginners course, the next one will start in January, so i think i will treat myself and sign up for that. I have so many photos, and i have the ideas, but i just cant seem to get the ideas to paper. Its a pain.
We then went for lunch. After lunch we decided to pop to costco so i could register my new card, glad i did as i managed to pick up a wireless printer for £70 inc VAT, i am well impressed. It was so easy to install also. Just need to borrow some paper from work tomorrow so i can get going...lol.
Well thats me updated for now.
Catch you soon.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brannigans!

Sisters choice for saturday night for her birthday was that a crowd of us went to Brannigans for the evening, which we all did. There was 8 of us in total. Me,Leighann, Toni, Gemma, Michelle, Cheryl, Bev & Gray. I personally didnt enjoy the evening at all, but that could be because i have become very self consious all of a sudden. Again Leighann enjoyed herself, got very drunk, so thats the main thing really.

Lee Evans - Fab!

Well we went to see Lee Evans on Thursday evening and it was amazing. We went to Wembley arena, last time i was there i was about 4 or 5. It is bloody freezing cold in there though, so i was shivering all the way through. We didnt stay right til the end, which was a shame, but we was quite high up and due to mum being disabled we had to leave when everyone else had either gone already or still sitting there. We opted for the later as we was all so tired, we only missed the singing at the very end. Have promised Leighann that i will buy her the dvd when it gets released on the 24th November.
She had a lovely day and was over the moon with everything. Glad she had a good one as you are only 21 once.
xxxxx

Happy 21st Birthday Leighann

Well its my baby sisters birthday today and she is 21. God knows how she managed to make it to 21 mind you as she is a pain in the bum who causes mum and me nothing but agro, but hey she is still my baby sister.
So Happy 21st Birthday babe, heres to you having a wonderful day.
I bought her Lee Evans tickets for her birthday and we are going tonight, lets hope its a good one.
xxxx

Not very happy!

I am not a very happy bunny. I went to grandads bungalow last night so my friend Stewart could try and fix the patio door for me. The journey itself took nearly 2 hours even though it is only an hours drive away. In that time we sat in loads of traffic, and drove though so many different weather conditions. It started off clear, then we hit that heavy rain, then fog, then that horrible fine wet rain which is a pain in the back side as you cant see the car in front of you and we also drove through snow. So all in all the journey was one of all weathers.
When we arrived i pulled up at the garage, straight away you could see where someone had tried to break into the garage, as the padlock bar was more or less hanging off. As i looked more closly i noticed that not only had they broke off the padlock they had also tried to get in the key bit by jamming a screwdriver in it. I am relieved they didnt get in there as that is where my dolls house is, and if that had been damaged i think it would have killed me.
So we got out the car and walked up the back path to the door, at first glance you would think it was all ok, only when you got closer you saw that it was only propped up as a deterant. In i go whilst stewart starts fixing the door, as soon as i walked in i knoew someone had been in the bungalow since i left the weekend before last. When i leave i always close all the doors, to keep the heat in each room. Well everydoor was open. On closer inspection i then notice that the aircon unit which i had left in the front room had gone. This has made me very angry as i left that there until i could get someone in to fill in the big hole in the wall which was made to put the aircon pipe out. The plan was to then take the aircon unit home for me. Now it has gone. I know who must have taken it as there are only a few people with keys to the bungalow.
Rant over, better get on with some work...lol.
xxxxx

Another weekend

Well i have been a bit quiet as i havent been up to much really. The cough and cold has eased up loads now, and i am honeslty still feeling shattered. that could be a number of reasons though.
Yesterday i had to work a compulsory 3 hours in the office, when i got a call from my neighbour who lives next door to grandads bungalow. He called to let me know that someone had tried breaking in. Talk about a shock to the system. Well it turns out that who ever it was didnt manage to get into the bungalow, just managed to bugger up the patio door, taking it off its runner, and they broke the padlock off the garage. So am not a happy bunny. There isnt much that can be done though as we have no idea when it was done.
Today i managed to finish the star book that mum asked me to make for my sisters 21st which is thursday. So that was a result. I havent managed to finish her scrapbook though, so looks like that will be a xmas pressie, if i can get it done in time...lol.
Catch ya soon.
xxx

Free Counter

Busy Bee

Well the flu has taken hold big style today, and i am feeling terrible, i mean really rough. I managed to go into work this morning to get my daily bits done, had a meeting with one of the directors and then asked if i could come home. Only asked cos the lovely girls on docrafts kept bugging me as they said i shouldnt be in cos of how ill i am. They know how bad it is cos they have all had it themselves, they are a good bunch - if a bad influance when it comes to stash buying. The main person there is sue bubbles...lol love you really sue.
Luckly they said yeah, so i finished off my bits and came home. I got in and couldnt sleep so i decided to be productive and go to the shed to finish off an order i got before i went away. I also had 2 cards left to make for image swap cards on the docrafts forum. I am pleased with the outcome of the cards. The male birthday card i am not sure on but the girls on docrafts asure me its cool.
I have attached the cards in a slide show, hope you like.
Well i am off now as i think i need some sleep.

Cards made today

Friendship Swap Card

Well i have managed to get out to my shed this evening to make my friendship swap card for the monthly swap over on do crafts website. I have been naughty and running very late with this, i am normally on the ball and they are normally made weeks in advance, but because of my holiday and my dodgy back i havent managed to do it.
I used a penny black stamped image which someone from docrafts kindly sent me in an image swap a couple of months back. This is coloured in using WH Smiths water colour pencils. I layered this onto orange card, attaching pearl brads into the four corners. this was then put on a pearlised card using foam pads to make it 3d. I also used some glitter glue added this to the watering can water and the centre of the flowers. this hasnt shown up too well on my picture though.

Today i have come down with this poxy cough and cold that has been going about, and it has made me feel yucky, thats why i only managed to get one card made today.

Well i am off to bed, the late night last night has made me feel shattered today.
xxx

Hello!

Well I have finally decided to take the plunge and do a blog, this is mostly going to be about my interest in crafting, but i will probably waffle loads to help add to it...lol
This weekend has been a manic one for me. Yesterday I went to Broadstairs to show Kevin & Natalie how to manage an accounts book for their driving school they are starting. It was a long day. Fortunately my boss was also going there to fit up some plasma screens at their shop so i managed to blag a lift. All went well and we managed to get the cash book agreeing to the bank statement so all good there.
Today I had to go to my grandads bungalow. You see my nan and grandad both passed away last year, nan in February and Grandad in September, and i was left the executor. So i needed to move a few things about, well mainly my dolls house needed to be moved from the next door neighbours house to my grandads garage, as i don't have room for it in my craft shed at the moment. After we moved it we then popped to Romford for a lil bit of retail therapy, well if you can all clothes shopping for winter jumpers retail therapy then so be it...lol
The plan was to spend the rest of the day sorting out my craft shed. Since i have moved all my craft bits out there i haven't managed to get them into any kind of order, so that was the plan. I had ordered some storage boxes from Arty Miss and thought it was time i used them. I started to sort the shed out, then mum called me in for dinner, then i couldn't be bothered to go back...lol. Oh well another day tomorrow, well another evening i guess.
I should really be in bed, but you know when you have had one of them weekends, even though you feel shattered when you get to bed you just cant drift off. So i decided to come and make a lemsip to help with my cough cold etc, and check my emails. Then i decided to start this blog.
Is it a mistake i can hear myself thinking. Well i don't know the answer to that just yet as this is only my first entry...lol
Plan for this week craft wise - i need to make and send a card with images to 2 lovely ladies on the docrafts website, as well as a friendship card for the swap. I have been naughty and fallen behind with these since my holiday. I also need to get my backside in gear and get my sisters birthday pressie finished for her 21st which is only 11 days away. omg, i got problems there. i need to make her birthday card from me and mum also wants me to make her one from her.
Looks like i got my work cut out for me, as i also have some commission cards to make as well.
Well i am gonna disappear now.
Be back soon.
xxxx