Bargain Stickers & Kitten Update

I found these bargain-priced stickers at The Range... they did have other designs, but these were my favourites - at just £1 per packet! Very pretty I thought... course, I have no idea what I'll use them for yet :)

Callie is doing well - she's found her way to my craft room and has poked around a little bit. I reckon she'll be up here, getting in my way as often as she can, when the kittens are older.

As for the wee little bundles of mewling cuteness...

The grey one on top is the only boy... I think :)The little black one we've already given a name to - BellaDonna - she's so tiny, but when she wants mummy, she'll claw her way through *lol*

No Black Flocked Mock-Chandelier :(

Next time I see something priced very low, thinking I may need it in the future, I WILL buy it. The chandelier I so badly wanted needed for my raft room was sold out :( I do know where I can get another one similar... but I wanted a chandelier NOW! *lol* I compromised with a VERY cheap one that I may alter - colouring the lowest (larger) droplets black. Or I might just see if Beth wants this one in her room when I finally get the black one I originally saw.

It is quite pretty though...

Cardboard Tube Mini

My (not a-) cardboard tube mini album is finished... this one is a traditional red and green... though the next one  will be pinks and blues (and possibly a bit of purple too). This post has quite a few photographs... sorry!

I made separate front and back covers, and decoupaged some of those little toppers you can buy for £1 for 5 packs (think they are "Anita's" brand from DoCrafts) to make the poinsettia on the front cover... and loved using this coffee coloured lace for the edging. I'll probably add some Christmas ribbon to the binding rings... matching the miniature baubles I have hanging there. I think the title is from the "Silent Night" Papermania collection, and the ribbon and bell are also a DoCrafts brand.

The inner of both front and back covers are the same. The first page is a simple photograph envelope with an aperture cut into it (took me ages!). I decided to join the second and third pages... linking the reindeer and sleigh with a ribbon. The pressies in the sleigh are simple little tags.

Page four is a present that folds out to show five journaling/photo matts. Next page is a simple tag in a pocket. Page six shows an envelope that hold three little cards, followed by a simpler page seven - just three stockings hung up.

The eighth page has a small photo frame that is held on with velcro - easy to take it off and mount a picture under it. Next is my favourite page with the mini-mini "A Visit From Saint Nicholas" book I made (shown here) and a couple of tags. Lastly, page ten opens up to reveal five pockets (made from coin envelopes) that each hold a gold-embossed tag.

The tags made for the mini album (two for each pocket) were kept simple, just using kraft cardstock backed with the patterned papers the mini is decorated with. I finally used rub-ons and didn't make any mistakes! Okay... so there ARE mistakes... just not noticeable ones :)

I just have to slip in that little gift I customised now, and it's all done!

Thanks for looking!

Inexpensive Gift

I still haven't managed to craft in my new room yet... to be honest, it's a little bit lonely up there all on my own. It's very quiet. Quiet and small. I'll get used to it though :)

I did manage to finish the tags for the Christmas mini album that's supposed to be made out of cardboard tube (but I made mine from kraft cardstock). I think the general consensus at the DoCrafts site is that we all send a little pressie in one of the pockets in the mini... so I customised a great little metal bookmarker I found.

Just by adding a little Father Christmas charm and a tassle, I thought it would make a lovely little gift for someone. I hope. Actually, I have a confession to make... I thought these metal bookmarkers were such a good idea tthat I bought six of them! My mum is an avid reader, and it's her birthday in November, so I thought I might alter one for her too... I can't say anything else because I know my mum reads my blog. Hi Mum! :D

Blogger Annoyance Update *lol*:

I managed to post on every update... I think... and they all posted ... I think... *lol* Except for...

Sheridan. For some reason, my comment just slipped away to nothingness.

WOYWW 121

Hello WOYWW'ers :)

Julia over at the Stamping Ground is once again hoping you'll all show off your workdesks - good or bad, messy or tidy - and join in the fun for "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?"

Now, here's the HUGE shock... my desk is....

... empty (almost - but even the carousel is empty!).

It's also not my usual desk, and it's moved. I'm now banished from crafting in the dining room, as my 'new' craft room has now been painted and is habitable. However, there are no shelves yet built... and no desk either! Now, I ask you, how can it be craftily habitable without a craft desk? *lol* This is the table from my little kitchen - so I've gone from using a table that can seat up to eight, to a table that could squeeze in two... just. Well it would seat two normal people... but only enough space for just half a crafter (because we're messy people *lol*). Seeing as Tuesday was craft night, all my little bits and pieces from my latest project were bagged up and taken with me - so nothing is on my little teeny tiny weeny itsy-bitsy table.

I do have a bag full of goodies I bought though... including the new Tim Holtz long leaves die - it's so purty! :)

I know I should be very grateful for the chance of having a dedicated crafting space... but I'm just feeling so darn impatient right now! Maybe this evening Hubby will take me out to buy the light fitting I so badly need in the craft room....?

Of course I'll keep updating on the kittens... this is how they looked on Tuesday night, all cosy with mummy :)

Oh, For Heaven's Sake! Blogger!!! Grrr!!!

I have spent most of the early hours of this morning (12am until nearly 3am) leaving comments on every post that has been written by people that I 'follow'... every post that's been written by you lovely people over the past few days that I've missed. I've just noticed that a lot of the comments, after I've hit the 'post comment' button, have just disappeared... slipped into the ether of the world wide net, never to be seen of again.

Darn it! Blogger *shakes fist* You are a pain in the blogging backside!

So... please note that, if I (once again) am appearing to be somewhat absent in your comments section... I have visited, I have loved everything that people have done... I have spent silly amounts of time leaving comments... and it's all Bloggers fault that I have become the invisible woman :(

Gandhi said:

"You can't shake hands with a clenched fist".

Nope... but you can swear at blogger with a clenched fist :)

Loudly.

They Said It Couldn't Be Done...

Everyone agreed... they looked into the little space, and declared with absolute certainty "It won't fit!". But she knew different. She knew there would be space... that there would be a happy ending. There is a moral to this tale...

Never, never tell a crafter that their 'stuff' won't fit into a small space. We'll squeeze and jiggle, push and fiddle... until everything goes where it should.

Actually, I didn't need to jiggle or push anything - I borrowed Hubbys tape measure when everyone else was out... but we'll keep that little gem just between us :)

So...

It's been quite a day... my new craft room has been painted. I chose white - boring, yes - but cheap and practical too! It's a North-facing room, so I needed to keep it light to help what little sunlight I do have peeping through the small window. I've kept the original carpet - the condition is excellent as it's been preserved through years of odd socks, paper bits, and general rubbish being piled on top of it. The curtains were free too - black, of course... and now I only need to get hold of the mock-flocked chandelier in black that will hang from the light fitting :)

Hubby will be building shelves and also a desk for me - we can't find a workdesk I like at all, so MDF and white gloss will have to do *lol*

I've kept my plastic storage shelves... they are useful, practical... and why replace them with something that will do the same job (even if something else might look a bit better)?. Here's the space the storage needed to go... behind the door of the room:

Six plastic storage boxes to fit in the gap? Not a problem...

The red baskets won't stay on top - they'll have a space on the shelves Hubby is building. But the important thing here is... I WAS RIGHT! *lol* Everything fits in the space nicely. Now I just have to get everything else up into my 'new' room too!

Hopefully, everything will be sorted by the time the kittens are getting curious and leaving their little box. Talking of kittens... want a peek? Just a photograph of the little boy kitten - he's such a cutie!

SURPRISE!!

Our little Mystery was solved this morning... Callie had another kitten :)

She's so beautiful... and is so very similar to Mum and Dads cat Mitzi, who passed away on the second of August this year. This new kitten has the same colouring, white paws, white belly, little white nose, and ginger blaze on her forehead as Mitzi had...

Unfortunately, the new arrival just wants to feed all the time... so no decent photographs yet showing her lovely markings... and in the one photo I do have, she almost blends in with her Mum's fur :)

The kittens are so much more of a 'normal' size - especially compared to the HUGE kittens she had fist time round. They are so tiny and utterly adorable. Well, we all know what's going to happen to my crafting over the next couple of months... nothing will get done!

**EDITED

Callie just left he birthing box, so I managed to quickly take a snap of the newest arrival...

The Patter Of Tiny Paws...

After several sleepless nights and false alarms, Callie has had three kittens :)

We're a little worried here at the moment, as she had her last one at around 9pm Saturday night, but she's still HUGE and with wriggling going on in her belly (it's now 1.15am, Sunday morning). She's purring, and has eaten and seems very content at the moment.

First kitten born was a pure black VERY tiny little girl, followed by a silver-grey tabby (also a girl) and lastly a darker grey tabby who is a little boy kitty.

They are GORGEOUS! and much more tiny than her last litter.

The photograph isn't too good - I didn't want to disturb her too much... but here's a little blurry peek :)

Callie Cat

Another non-crafting post... but had to share a photograph of my poor little CallieCat... who is a bit further on in her pregnancy than I first thought (Hey, the grey tabby wins the  "Who's Your Daddy?" contest this time *lol*). She's a tiny, very skinny cat (though she prefers to be described as 'lean' or 'slender'), and yet her kittens are born quite big... she's carrying around a right hefty bump this time, and I think it may be only about a week or so until I hear the patter of tiny paws again.

Callie is in a box on the tiny table in the kitchen. There is also a shallow box in the lounge... one in the bedroom... and one in the hallway. I am not taking any chances this time- nomatter where she decides to start having those kittens, there will be a box nearby, ready to put her into so she doesn't get kitten-birth-bits everywhere *yuk!*

The kitchen box is her favourite at the moment because firstly, it's up on the table away from LilyDog (who tries to basket-share)... and secondly because it has a bag in it.  She does love carrier bags, but I couldn't risk placing a plastic bag in the box... so we compromised with a cheap material bag that she hides in. Trouble is that, right now, she's just too big to crawl inside it! Still, I reckon it must be comfy to sleep on, because she spends a lot of time in that box.

I did explain to Hubby that we needed a lot of those boxes for all over the house for when Callie drops her sprogs (as my wonderful eldest daughter explains it *lol*)... and the only place I can get them freely - and also to ensure they're pretty clean - is to order a lot of crafting goodies so that they are delivered in the perfect-sized boxes. I'm not sure he's convinced by my explanation and assurances that this really is the best way to obtain the boxes... but it's a good tale and I'm sticking to it :)

WOYWW 120

It's Tuesday night, and I'm writing this now, as I may not have time tomorrow... or I may be buried under the bomb-site that is my dining room... It's not so much "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" this week... more of "What's NOT On My Workdesk???" *lol*

Please bear in mind that I am now going to blog a photograph for WOYWW that only shows the tidier part of the desk/room today. It may even get worse before it gets any better...

So far I've bagged three binbags of craftiness for charity, one for local schools, two for the rubbish bin, two for LouLou, and a few bits'n'bobs for giveaway at craft club on the last Tuesday of the month.

And I'm not even a fraction of the way done yet.

My son moved out tonight, to live with his lovely girlfriend Steph... so the dining room will now become a dining room again... eventually! I now have a North-facing itty-bitty little craft room all to myself. Or, I will have when it's all tidied, painted, shelved, cleaned, and made ready for the mess that wll descend as soon as I can get crafting in there.

My papers are sorted, my bits'n'bobs have containers/jars/boxes/wicker baskets or something similar to live in, my Christmas crafty things have a dedicated unit, and I'm all just about ready to finish sorting and take residence in the craft room. It's not just any craft room.... it's MY craft room. *lol*
I know... you're looking at that photograph again and thinking to yourself  "She's joking... that can't be the tidier part of the room!".  Sadly, it is... I cannot yet get to one corner where I have spare chairs and a new unit to go in the craft room (that's already filled to bursting!)...

The view as you step in from the kitchen door is enough to make a grown man weep (well, it did my hubby *lol*)

Hubby doesn't believe me when I say that you have to make a worse mess before it starts to look tidier... hehehe.

I was supposed to be installed in the new craft room by today - but looks as though it will be at least another week - and more for the new shelving to be built. It'll be worth the wait though :)

Pop over to Julia's at the Stamping Ground, and add your workspace to WOYWW #120!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Grans Embroidered Tablecloth

Okay, so this isn't actually a crafting post exactly... certainly not anything to do with scrapbooking or mini-albums. However, I thought I'd share this beautiful piece with you. My father-in-law gave this tablecloth to me before he passed away. It was embroidered by his mother, and I love it so much! The embroidery/cross-stitch isn't just in the centrepiece... it's also on every corner and with little embroidered flowers at the hem too.

 But it has a few stains on it. Gravy and blackcurrant :( The blackcurrant is definitely the worst stain, and although it's faded and could be hidden underneath a centrepiece when the cloth is laid on a table, I so wish to shift it.

I've washed it - carefully! I really don't want to risk such a gorgeous piece on a hot wash - it's over 65 years old... and I've so far avoided biological detergents too.  I would love to return this tablecloth to it's former glory - before it was marked by the hands of gorgeous grandchildren *lol*... any ideas anyone? How could I remove the stain without risking the cloth itself (it's cotton) or the embroidery? I have been told about white-vinegar and also bicarbonate of soda... and even told to mix the both of these together... but would any or some of these be too harsh?

Any advice or laundry tips and tricks would be so useful... even any old wives tales or grannies remedies you think might be helpful :)

Thanks in advance!

A MIni For My Mini

The paper-tube mini (that's not actually made from paper tubes) is plodding along nicely... and I made a mini book on one of the pages that I was so pleased with I just had to share it...

The page isn't quite finished yet - it needs a couple of little tags added to slip under the punched-edge. It's a replica of one of my favourite books... A Visit From Saint Nicholas, by Clement C Moore.

The little book is stuck down to the page, and held closed by a tiny strip of ribbon, tied in a bow. The book is simply bound with a little piece of lace and three tiny bradlets.

Each page of the book is printed on both sides, and is the full 14-verse version of the poem.

I guess I could have made the pages a little more fancy... but for an old 'bird' with mobility problems I reckon I did quite well :)

Please excuse the state of my broken fingernails... but do have a look at the beautiful tablecloth if you can see a bit of it? It's gorgeous embroidery done by my Husbands grandmother.... I'll post a piccie of that a bit later with a question for anyone who knows about stains...

Capture The Magic!

I got a parcel today... and I just have to share what I bought and, more importantly, WHERE I bought the goodies from.

As many will know, I am an absolute Christmas addict. Yuletide starts in November in this part of Southampton *lol*  This seasonal affliction also stretches to and includes the collection of scrapbook papers... and my 'have-to-have' paper for my upcoming project was the Bo Bunny Father Christmas collection. I had ordered 6x6 papers from a certain shopping channel, but was let down AGAIN by them, and so will never darken their stockroom door with an order ever again. I turned to the internet for solace... and discovered an online shop...

Capture The Magic

I'm not always too sure about ordering from online sites that I've never heard of before... but this one had such a good deal on the paper I wanted (per 12x12 sheet) as well as some stickers and rub-ons, that I just had to take a risk. I also ordered the DoCrafts/Papermania  stamp sets - "Baubles", "Stockings", and "Sleigh".  When my parcel arrived, the order included the creativity magazine I had already purchased... and the wonderful people at "Capture The Magic" had used the money-off coupons included in the magazine for the Docrafts stamps. How brilliant is that?!? My friend LouLou wanted a copy of the magazine anyway... so that was useful too! DoCrafts/Papermania have really outdone themselves this year... the Christmas papers are beautiful (bought them, used them... want some more! *lol*) and these stamps sets are such a bargain.

So, here's a selection of my bargains from the fantastic people at "Capture The Magic" in Soham, Cambs

I am going to love just looking at this lot... here's hoping I can actually cut into those papers and use them :)

Blogger!!!! (shakes fist)

Blogger is being a pain for me... it's told me that some blogsites don't exist any longer, or that people haven't blogged for over a year... and it's not true!!! Too late, I stopped 'following' before I realised that it was simply a blogger mistake, so I'll try to sort this out as soon as I can.

WOYWW 119

Yes Sirreeee, 'tis Wednesday again, and I'm going so slow that I'm surprised I'm not going backwards! I've managed to pick up a stinking cold from somewhere, and I can't blame Hubby this time because he's on holiday - I am missing him so much! Ah... could be all the stress from missing darling Hubby that's made this cold bug so awful... Poor bloke - in another country and I can still blame him for something *lol*

Right... onto the awe and wonders of the workspace... Okay, not much awe and wonder in my case, more of a "Wonder what the heck she's doing that for??" *lol*

I've decided to carry on experimenting with this little Toiletpaper Roll Mini... and it's quite a challenge for me to have such a tiny page to work on - but it is fun just to have a muck around and not think too much about what I'm doing. However... that Christmas Cottage Mini Album is building nicely - in my head! The ideas are forming - though the one I had about using raffia to make the roof look like it's thatched is definitely a no-no - too much hassle! Back to my workspace... Tim Holtz inks are out - though I'm only using the Walnut Stain and the Victorian Velvet for this project. I really have to remember to get some more blending foam - all the bits I have are almost worn away.

Top centre is part of my charms stash - just the silver ones that are metal and tiny. Those little plastic storage boxes are so useful - though this one is a bit difficult to open, and I'm always at risk of spraying charms all over the room when I open it :)

My ever-faithful sidekick with a few dies hasn't actually been used yet - though I think I may be using the "Tab" dies in a little while...

So, apart from my Purple Cows trimmer, that's about all on my desk today... and although I do love my Purple Cow, I am hankering after a Fiskars - apparently thay're much more accurate.

Have a wonderfully busy, creative, happy, and super-duper "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" everyone... and do pop over to Julia at the Stamping Ground and join in too if you haven't yet :) Let's all admit it... we all love WOYWW because crafters are just nosey-parkers at heart *lol*

Kiss The Cook!

My beautiful granddaughter went home Sunday morning and although I am shattered, I just can't sleep! 17 hours after she's gone and I'm still yawning, feeling tired... but not being able to catch those Zzzz's! So... I'm about two-thirds finished on Naomi's recipe mini album and decided to show you all a quickie update on how it's coming along whilst I'm still awake. 

I decided to use the black gingham ribbon to attach the "Kiss The Cook" spoon instead of the chain I had before, and that way Naomi can take off the spoon and hang it up if she wants. I may add the word "Recipes" in red... but haven't decided 100% on that yet (when do I ever make up my mind fully? *lol*). The pot is just a rough picture, printed and then glued onto chipboard... then glitter-lacquered - a lot! (Naomi likes a bit of bling and glitter). I cut the lid separately...

... this lifts off to reveal three journalling spaces, so I can write a message to Naomi just from me :)

She came for a quick visit today and rooted around until she found the recipe album (she hates surprises!) and then squealed in delight - she loves it!

She can't wait to try the Moroccan recipes I've included, as well as the Gin & Tonic Sorbet :)

Actually, that G&T Sorbet sounds pretty good right now... *lol*

WOYWW 118

It's been a week?!? No! Really??

Apparently so... I have been sadly lacking in updating my blog recently - and I don't really have crafting to blame either :( Still, that's the bad news, and the good news is that it's "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" again! Hosted by the forever-creative and always-friendly Julia at the Stamping Ground.

Last week she had me convinced I was going mad (or should I say "going MORE mad" *lol*) by posting the wrong week number - but she can definitely be forgiven, as she does host WOYWW and is really a lovely person :)

So, onto my desk...

I really should mention the stamp set at the top centre of the picture... I got these from EBay, from a really lovely lady called Susie Jefferson, and then found her on Blogger and became a follwer of her site - she's very creative over at 1st Floor Flat!

I'm still making the album for my daughter - and for the most part I've decided that Kathy at Paper Phenomenon has the best tutorial for me.  Kathy Orta has to be one of the most talented, funniest, and giving papercrafters on the world-wide-web... pop over to U-Stream, YouTube, or her blog and have a laugh with Kathy! And don't forget to become a P.I.T.A Babe too!

The papers for the album, and also a lot of the little embellishments are from "Printable Heaven" ...

... though I'm not too happy that they put a lot of the downloads on half price sale AFTER I had purchased them at full price *lol* Still... that's the way it goes :)

Not a lot on my desk really this week - but that's mainly because I'm trying to concentrate on just one project at a time right now... though I do keep getting distracted by other ideas - like making a mini album from empty toilet paper rolls. I didn't like the idea of using the actual cardboard tubes from the centre of the toilet rolls, so I made some from 300gsm Kraft paper instead. I also made a multi-pocket flip page for what will be my christmas album for the inside of the Christmas Cottage  and I have my lights for the outside of the cottage now too! I'm SO excited... I think I shall call it the "Christmas Lights Cottage" or "The Magical Christmas Cottage". See... distracted again! *lol*

I shall be off of the internet for a few days, as I'm looking after my granddaughter - I am going to be sooooo tired! *lol*

So... everyone, as usual, have a wonderful WOYWW... have fun, laugh a lot... and make a LOT of creative mess!