Lucky try

Wow today has been busy. After dropping the kids off we went right into town with a long to do list. Managed to get quite a lot done as well as finding this little cutie in a charity shop for Caitlin.

She want to dress up as Fern from Charlottes web for world book day so obviously we needed a little Wilbur to go with it. We lucked out finding this one in a charity shop :)
Picked up breakfast at town so home to start die cutting. I'm making little presents for everyone on the retreat I'm going to next weekend. Taking longer than I planned but it gives me the chance to catch up on tv, or youtube in this case :)

So halfway through that I got bored (as you do) and decided to cut a load of backgrounds and files for my retreat this weekend. Yep, two retreats back to back!
I only go on two a year but typically they run right next to each other lol.
I also decided to reoranise all my shillouette cut files, as you do. 3 hours later I had 6 different cuts and a nicely ordered folder system. I class that as a success!
Haven't done any scrapping, obviously, but I love this one I did a few months back.
Before I got my machine I was lucky enough that my friend Jacqui sent me a selection she cut for me, including this one.

The photo is from Spain a few years back. There was a tiny fair type thing next to our hotel where all the rides were 1 euro each. While waiting for a bus trip I gave the kids one euro each to have a turn on a ride. Caitlin wanted to spend hers on a teddy crane machine. I said she wouldn't win, they were rip offs etc etc but she insisted.
Little begger won on her first try didn't she.
She still has that teddy, and STILL tells the story where she was right lol.

You are crazy

So much for blogging on Monday lol. When I was away with my Mum at the weekend we popped into Hobbycraft. They had albums, and boxes of 60 page protectors reduced down to £15, bargain! I decided Monday would be spent organising my layouts and putting them into albums. A few hours at most I thought.

It took me 3 freaking days!! 32 albums and I still have a huge pile of layouts needing homes. I need to scrap less.
As well as that and sorting out the house I didn't have a spare moment this week, so I was very grateful that the girls wanted to see some god awful film on Saturday morning. I got to sit in the new Costa coffee and chill for a bit while they went in. Perfect :)

Speaking of crafting, I did this layout for a sketch challenge a while ago. I cut the trees on my machine and used the for another layout but stuck glittery brown cardstock on the back to do this one. :)
For Christmas a couple of years ago we went to a stately home, it was dreadful but they did have gingerbread decorating. I love how different each one is Marks is the first, its a gingerbread zombie (of course) Camerons is next, an attempt at a traditional design but ends up covered in sweets, then Caitlin, very organised and detailed.

I thought this title was pretty apt.

Will hopefully remember to take a photo of my new car to share tomorrow!

Long few days :(

On Sunday we took the kids down to Tesco to get them a doughnut and a little bit of shopping. Got back in the car and it wouldnt work. :( The engine light went on as soon as I started the car, and whenever I slowed down the battery light would come on and the car would cut out. We rung the AA and long story short it was dead :( Would cost more than the car was worth to fix so no more car. :(
We rung round a few garages and managed to get onto the mobility scheme so getting a new car that way, but had to say bye bye to my little Citroen. It's done me well over the years!

So lots of walking in my future. The new car won't be ready until next Friday and I can't stand buses, good way to hatch pokemon eggs though ;)

On an up side though I'd put in an order with Hey little magpie which came along with lots of other happy mail :) A prize I'd won online, a crafting box for the kids, and a free toilet roll! lol. I do a lot of questionnaires online, and sometimes places send me products to try out and give my opinions on, I don't just get toilet roll through the post ;)

I've also been crafting, lots and LOTS of crafting! So far killing a kit a month has been easy, fingers crossed it continues as theres plenty left. Typically I've not photographed them but this is one I did last year so still something to share.
Love the colours in this one. It's a picture of Mum and me at Disneyland, not sure if Caitlin or Mollie took it but I love this photo :)

So it's been a heck of a week, not quite the half term I expected but we've still had fun :) Will share more of that tomorrow though. Yes tomorrow, I WILL blog more!!

January round up

OK so I'm a bit behind on posting this but I've been keeping track and not doing too badly!

Books read
Mary higgins clark - Ive got you under my skin
Maggie hartley - Tiny prisoners
Jodi picholt - Small great things
Casey watson - The wild child
Ken mcclure - Pestilence
5/52 - One ahead of target, yey!

Layouts done
21/365 Not quite my 31 target for this month but we'll see.

Pokemon caught
Caught/evolved 14 pokemon this month! Wow way more than I expected :\ 3 were from the new pokedex so I'm not counting those but still a good start :)
131/150

I'm thinking that my 365 target for layouts is a bit optimistic but I'm not ready to give up on it yet. I've got way to much stuff so I have either got to get rid of stuff I still love, or use it.
Might need a time turner from Harry Potter at this rate lol.

Challenge YOUrself, stamping

Wow I blink and another month has gone, more on that later though, it's time for this months challenge over at Challenge YOUrself! :)
So this months challenge was to use red, and stamping......

Red, no problem, however I don't own any stamps. Yes you read that right, not a single stamp lives within my stash.
Don't get me wrong I've tried it, different inks, different types of stamps, I just can't seem to get the hang of it.
So I was seriously stuck, then genius struck! In this months Like for ever kit I got a pack of foam thicker shapes, could I use these as 'stamps' I wondered. So I painted this large star with Heidi swapp colour shine, stamped it onto some white card, and...

look how cute! I LOVE this effect, looks a little like water colours. I did a couple of hearts to just to have a mixture.

So this is the finished layout. I painted the foam star green and used it in the top corner too, waste not want not.

Close up of the finished star.

Just goes to show there are lots of ways to use your stash, :) Thanks for looking and I can't wait to see what you make!