NEW BLOG

Time for a change!

 Its not quite finished yet, I need to add bit and bobs but I felt I needed a big change and decided my blog was a good place to start.

 I keep forgetting to announce that Emily Tompson was the winner of my last blog candy, I hope she enjoys it! I'm off to make some more goodies, I have a school Christmas craft fair coming up!

I have a new Etsy shop banner too, just need to made some goodies to put in it....

Look what I'm making!

Ive not had the best week so what better way to be cheered up than a macaroon making workshop!! I don't think I will actually like the taste but love the colours, I sure the kids will love them and if I don't like them there won't be an calories!

Cant wait......the colours are very inspiring....may need to go in the craft studio...

Just back from the most fantastic Paperie retreat, Monica Gale knows how to put on a doo! I arrived after a not so good journey,M62on a Friday , what did I expect.. to a lovely old hall called Monk Fryston Hall and the very warmest Yorkshire welcome, the staff were amazing. Between homeade cakes,biscuits, 3 course meals and unlimited sweets I am unlikely to eat again for the next 5,409578 years..

Worth every calorie though...

This is the fab goody bag we recieved full of equipment to keep...yes to keep!

A little tour of the grounds....

Lovely restaurant...

Look what was in my room and no calories!

lots more pics to follow...

NEW CANON 1100D

 I am so lucky to have a new ,second hand Canon 1100D delivered today by the lovely Anne, I was sooo excited when it arrived and its red! one of my fave cols....but technically this is supposed to be the better model but I don't know much!!.......yet...Kirsty Wiseman is doing a workshops for a small group of my buddies so I should be tip top soon.

Anyway this is today.....our lovely Lady C..

 so far this is a good day, she insists on designing her own outfits, which she does well and then was desperate to go a fly a kit down the road....we untangled it for ages then off we went...

 Bored now......

 fabby new hair....

 I dont really want this picture but go on.......

not sure what Nix isdoing...she looks like she is about to eat  her..

Daddys cup....only to show depth of field.....AMAZING! SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!

Stampin up Workshop Today!

I have been busy over the last week thinking of projects for a stampin up project today. My buddy Kirsty Wiseman put me in touch with a lovely lady called Ann who asked me to hold a workshop in her local pub, initially ot was 8...maybe 10 people.I loved the idea of dusting off my craft supplies and getting stuck-in again, I have been so pre occupied with my new business I haven't had time to paper craft and have missed it so much.

Paper crafting for me is my stress relief, love it...

I decided, as it was a group of ladies who love the Stamp Up punches that I would do 2 projects using lots of different punches,this is a bit ambitious because when I arrived Ann told me there were a few more people than she expected.....there ended up being 19! I was soooo happy Kirsty came along for moral support, I couldn't have done it without her..and not forgetting my lovely daughter and trusty assistant Lady K ..she was amazing, rushing around, showing people what to do and getting what they needed.

Firstly I made a hostess gift for Ann, I don't have a picture but it was a bag in a box filled with chocky eclairs.

Here is one of the make and take projects, a stamped triangle box like an old fashioned jubly....sorry about the pic it was a little squished on the way home. Love this stamp set from the spring mini catalogue, only available until the end of Aug!

 And we made a little box, lots of folding but all the pieces were scored ready to go to make the class easier.

I'm feeling inspired again, thanks to all the lovely ladies who made me feel so welcome, I was really nervous but I shouldn't have been they were all lovely.

A new addition to the craft room!

I am not sure where this is going to go yet but how great is this? I LOVE craft storage, if I read the words 'crafty storage' I get really excited....I know its odd but I dream of being the kind of person who can put their finger on whatever they want, when they want....that would be soooooo amazing...it will never happen of course but I will have fun trying to get there...

100 followers!!!!!

I have just noticed I now have 100 followers!!!!!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

I think this means some blog candy!

I will select a large spotty bag from my stock and pick a name from anyone who leaves a comment about my new design.

I wold like to know how much do you think I can charge for the beach caddy?

Bag sets like hot cakes......

I have been soooo busy....I need some more hours in the day, I made this set for hubbys work colleague and now they have gone crazy!! can sew them quick enough.....they are £60 for the set plus P&P

This is my finished bucket design especially for the beach, it has a pocket for money and clip for keys and lots of pockets for different sunscreens....

I WILL be papercrafting this week.....I miss it!

Its good to be different...

This shows how different my girls are, this was a fancy dress event at school both dressed up as they felt was right.....Lady K on the left who thinks shes 16 and Lady C who thinks shes 4....

I love them to bits, its not easy being a parent, lots of challenges every day but I always try to remember their challenges.....Lady C spends all her time anxious, negative and worried, not many people 'get' her or tolerate her...its not easy she has her own kind of inner language, she is trying to show how she feels and it comes out all wrong.......

I never mention hubby, he is Mr List, the lists can be about shopping, holiday, work and after jobs in the house...the jobs in the house list are written usually every January April/May and when we come back off holiday at the end of Aug after 2 weeks of 'thinking' we usually have a good laugh at the old list because of the lack of jobs ticked off from one list to another......
He has worked so hard this weekend, nothing he did however was on the list but to be honest who cares!!
Well done hubs x

Another bonkers visit,there is def no need to wear make up because we cry laughing....I mean tears running down out faces....the best therapy, Laughter..
I love it when Kirsty and Ellie come over, they just slot into our family life like a snog fitting glove, on Sunday they brought along the scrummy Eddie. My big worry was that Harvey and Nix's fave thing is sausage and with Eddie being a sausage dog there cold have been trouble ahead..but no, he slotted in just fine.

Harvey is very very choosy about who he shares his house with, Eddie is def one of the lucky ones x

we polished off a nice roast chicken dinner followed by the 'voice' and 'Britains got talent' then made a plan...we often make a plan to craft but end up taking, dancing and laughing..so instead of crafting we did this instead.

Lady K had a friend over and Kirsty whipped out her camera and took some amazing shots...I will pop them on later....really gorge..

Kirsty has said I am long overdue with a freebie, maybe something new so I will work on something and be back soon, hanks for reading.

Insurance? and the point is.....

A few weeks ago my beloved camera was stolen, with the memory inside (which is the saddest part) I have been really lost with out it so decided to claim on my insurance. 

stage one

Phone the police....long long chat on the phone.

stage two

phone the insurance company.

who are we insured with hubby?

don't know.....so I called Zurich...not us!, called LV...not us! Called Direct line...not us!....

after being passed from pillar to post hubby came home and found the docs (which were from Direct line!..) I called to get a claim form for my £400 camera...

After all this it turns out the excess is £200, the camera has de-valued to £249 so they were going to give me £49 and raise my premium by 10%....!!!!!! WHAT?

Hubby decided to cheer me up to buy me one , for work, really not in the budget at the moment AT ALL but I do NEED it...  

Here it is , it arrived on Sat....AMAZING...cant use it yet of course but lovin it...

FUJI FINEPIX H20 EXR

 

Here is one of my first shots , This is my garden today, the chicks chillaxin.....who needs Spain?

 Something new is coming to town....
www.thecraftjam.blogspot.com

I will be posting my crafty workshops very soon, watch this space...

How amazing is this, Kirsty Wiseman designed it for me, its a standard joke, I keep asking her to come over for a 'craft jam' ....so what better name for a new venture.........

If you need a fabby and  fresh Blog banner,
website,
logo,
business identity
or just need your current blog updating then you MUST speak to Kirsty She is amazing, you can google her name and get to her blog....http://www.limegreenbogiegirl.blogspot.co.uk

and if you want the most amazing pictures or just want to learn how to take amazing photos then Kirsty is your man...well woman....;)

This is my 11 year old daughter.....wow.....what can I say....

An this is my amazing but troubled 9 year old.

Tutorials

Be sure to come back again so view my tutorials!

Videos

Come back soon to view all of my videos!

New Craft Studio WOOO HOOO!

I cant believe my luck, I have a fab crafty buddy who is an amazing tidier!

Ok so it got in a real mess.......and has been like this for a long time..

My whole crafty life changed this weekend...for the muchness better.

When I invited Kirsty and Ellie by crafty buddy and scrummy daughter to come over who would have thought this would happen. They arrived at 8ish on Friday night, we chatted and grazed and giggled for a while as usual then Kirsty said shall we do some crafting....well my other crafty buddy Christine was due round too and had just cancelled and I just felt the embarrassment of my  room would be too much....how could we craft in such chaos?

Kirsty said , "shall we do your room then? I love tidying..especially crafts" I must admit she made this decision 'without' looking in my room...I think her reaction was "holy shit!" but she was not put off and we set to work. ..

 I think maybe Kirsty should go into teaching in a school, she knows how to crack the whip, I was guilty as charged so I did as I was told. She asked me if I really needed 'audio cassette' and packs of horrid cheap tacky brads which of course I didn't so we filled bags of rubbish,  recycling and donations.
We giggled , munched and danced our way round the room, even the cupboards were sorted like never before. Ellie and Lady K chilled watching movies and eating treats , they visited us every now and then. Lady C did her own thing as usual.

We worked out we spent 10 hours at least over the weekend.....10!!!!!
It was sooo well worth it, I am ready for classes now, sewing and papercrafts and cant wait to get cracking.

Just need to sort out the back area where I sew then its all done!

Ive been so busy, I am having a new kitchen floor....I cant be the Interior Designer like a plumber with a leaky tap anymore!! I'm wallpapering a few rooms, touching up very scuffed paint.....we are completely upsidown but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...a couple more weeks and we will be almost there...I am loving it and cant wait for it to all be finished.....



I snatched a little time this afternoon to make a couple of very overdue gifts.....

not long left for you to to get your hands on this gorg fabric, and why not get a stamp set to match? click on the mini catalogue on the right hand side to have a look...you only have until the end of April!

Showhome pic!!

Ok crafting has been on a back burner after a 'difficult' time last week I could keep my mind occupied this week installing a showhome, this our first showhome installation under the new partnership name of CHESHIRE DESIGN INTERIORS


More pics to follow....

I have a few days to get some crafting done now xx

Just a rant......

Ive Been a mummy for 5 years, my girls are 9 and nearly 11 we have had little or no help and support not for want or trying.. and I can't explain what's we have been through and how hard it has been. It would take all night to explain everything but I thought things could not get any worse.....I was wrong.....

I can't tell you too much because it's too serious a situation but my girls have had a massive miscarriage of justice, I don't know how they are going to cope when they find out but they need to know it wasn't us, it was the 'system' the very 'system' that is supposed to protect them, the people who are supposed to think of them first, consider their feeling before others.....

You know who you are and you have failed......

And 'sorry.'....that's just not good enough....you have changed my girls life forever without a second though so you can keep your 'sorry' and kindly shove it....

Its been a while!!!

So sorry Ive been busy designing a showhome with my new business partner, we install om Monday and should be out by Friday, so excited to show you, feel like Ive come to life again, doing what I love and loving what I do....sound familiar?..
Here is one of 2 amazing chairs for the main bedroom....
lush black velvet with chrome studs...

And this is the most amazing pearlised bedroom chair.....scrummy......all from Cheshire Design Interiors!!



I am still crafting of course, love this wallet from a tutorial by Monica Gale and a matching card, love being crafty this is my release....

more embossing, love this strange but fab mix of colours.

Somehow I have managed to fit in some bag orders, here is one just before it was sent out. Love this colour, nice and subtle, very popular. I hope to have a new colour soon a gorge deep denim blue.......


matching purses for the bag order.


For those who know her, we have been trying to get help for Lady C , its been a long road with lots of blunders..(not our fault) but we think we are getting somewhere at last, she will soon be getting 10 hours a week extra help.....she needs more but its a start!!
Thanks for reading