She's So Perfect!

I finally completed a layout...

WooHoo!!!

Of course it's my Bethie's Prom Night, and her looking so perfect in her dress. I am a bit frustrated though... the ink in my printer has decided it wants to ruin everything, and it's not drying on the photographic paper. Already the photo in the layout has some colour rubbed off - but I'm hoping it won't show too much. Beth's sister Naomi bought her the corsage (she was robbed, by the way! *lol*) and the pearl-top pin stuck into the photograph was in the centre of one of the white roses.

There is a fair bit of stitching - two ovals around the photo... you just can't see it too well. I used MME papers and also a couple of pieces I cut from sheets from the Mariposa range. The larger flowers are some I made ages ago, the lace was a bargain from Hobbycraft, the pearl brads from Papermania, and the brad centres of the smaller flowers are Basic Grey. The lettering is American Crafts - I've had these stickers for years! I also used Perfect Pearls here and there.
The photograph does her no justice at all... the dress was made especially for her (and then she went and lost weight after the fitting and before Prom!), and is a soft sage green shot through with golds and pale blue. It really is stunning. There are so many photographs I'd like to make layouts with from this night... so I think I may have to make a mini-album instead *lol*

**EDIT
I changed the layout slightly - added more pearl brads, and layered another (not ruined) photograph on top of the original... I'm much happier about it now.

The updated layout

Details... you can see where the new photo has been placed on top of the older one.

The pearl pin (with added bits) that was in her corsage.

P.S... Thank you so much for all your comments! My baby (16, but truly still my baby!) thinks she's horrible looking - and I'm sure that all your lovely comments about her will help bolster her confidence.

What A Fantastic Haul!

I've just been shopping. And, boy! do I mean SHOPPING! The rain was pelting down outside, and I didn't notice at all as I filled my basket to the brim.  Now, some things may not, at first, seem to be an obvious 'crafty' item... but I do have plans :)

Despite having taken some amazing photographs over the past couple of months, my 12x12 scrapbook page mojo has (once again) taken an extended vacation... I needed some much-needed inspiration, and a kick up the backside, to start the juices flowing again. Maybe, just maybe, this little shopping extravaganza will help :)

Here's what I managed to get:

• A lace fringed shawl
• two bottles of glitter glue in blue and green
• 3 pairs of jewelled tiebacks with useful clasps
• 4 large packs snowman rub-ons
• 3 packs 3-D stickers (match the rubons, above)
• 2 packs giant playing cards
• a wonderful hardback book about Van Gogh
• 2 large books about scrapbook layouts
• 6 packs of metal charms in 3 dfferent designs
• a ringbinder
• index cards (large, A4)
• A4 lined paper pack
• pack 20 glossy photo paper (A4)
• pack 20 ultra-glossy photo paper (A4)
• Pack 60 white card (A4)
• large pack printer paper
• Clear parcel tape - 2 large rolls
• 3 extra-large packs alpha's and numbers lettering, wood effect
• 8 extra-large packs of alpha's and numbers, vintage

AND... the best bit... this whole table-full of goodies cost just under £23.

A friend took me shopping so there were no travel costs, and parking was free too.

The large playing cards will probably end up as mini-albums, and the jewelled tie backs will definitely be taken apart...

I'm quite excited about my budget goodies, and am hoping to get started on something... as soon as I've had a nap to recover from the shopping trip :)

5 Things I've Never Done

Okay, so it's yet another non-crafty posting again... but couldn't resist this little idea that I read on Dawns blog here.

1. I've never participated in the Race For Life... and I so want to. However, unless I can succeed in my second "Never Done" I don't think I'll ever manage it.
2. I've never maintained a healthy weight for more than two years before chocolate, bread, cake and laziness have ruined me ... again! *lol* Two years ago I was a svelte UK size 6. Just don't ask now what size I am!
3. I have never borne a grudge and have always forgiven anyone I've ever known for hurting me. I just think life is way too short for hating and remembering bad things instead of holding onto the better times (and my mum is exactly the same... think I must take after her).
4. I have never liked a photograph of myself. Simple as... I just can't stand photographs of me, cannot bear to have my photograph taken, and avoid a camera as much as I can. I especially hate and avoid candid pictures... ugh! *lol*
5. I've never believed that I have deserved such a wonderful life. How I have had such a perfect childhood, loving parents, brilliant children... and the most amazing husband any woman could ever wish or hope for, is a mystery to me. And never for a moment have I taken any of it for granted... I know how lucky I have been and how lucky I am.

Well... I could have added a ton of things to this list like: bungee jumping, extreme ironing, skiing, been to Vienna or Red Square or a lighthouse in Maine. I've also never been on an aeroplane before (and don't plan to either) or had a 'normal' sleeping pattern... but these are all things that a thousand other people could also include. I wanted to list some things that show people what kind of person I am... and I hope I've done just that.

I promise that the next post will be a crafty one :) I have almost finished the Christmas House outer box... except for one teeny-weeny detail I'm waiting for - and as soon as I get my little 'extra' in the post, I'll finish the box and post a piccie of it here:)

My Baby Girl

... not so much a baby any longer, my baby girl is all grown up. Yes, I'm all emotional and teary-eyed as I write with my youngest child away at her prom. She looked so beautiful... and different to a lot of other girls (my baby has a fantastic sense of style!) in her sage-green gown and her hair all done up with curls and pearls...

She said that there was no way she could ever be one of the prettiest girls at her prom... I agree - not one of the prettiest, but THE prettiest!

Okay, so I am a bit biased being her mum... but I think you'll all agree what a gorgeous young woman my baby has become.

Of course, to hear her and all her friends screaming and giggling whilst driving away in a bright pink stretch limo, you'd not believe a single one was over 5 years old! *lol*

Bless them all...

here's hoping tonight is a brilliant success for them all... pretty and gorgeous every one!

WOYWW #110

Wednesday has crept up on us once more... *drum roll, please!*... time for another "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?"  with the wonderful Julia at The Stamping Ground.

The same project - I'm working so slowly on this Christmas house... but I have been a busy bunny this week! I managed to get a new craft mat - a very large green one this time - because the purple one (which is in centimetres and pink on the reverse) has almost doubled in price since I last bought one!  This new green one is twice the size, with centimetres and inches both on the same side - so no having to turn over mid-flow on a project if I need to measure the 'new' way (I'm so much an imperial measurements kind of gal *lol*). Of course, the old craft mat is still on the table... can't get rid of her just yet.  I've bought out my Christmassy craft box to see how I'll decorate the house and the mini album I make to go inside... so much choice! The papers are being kept nice and safe by CallieCat who has an amazing ability to sit on whatever it is that I want to use... whether that is a paper I'm reading, or papers I want to craft with.

I also stocked up on some really lovely lace yesterday - cream, white and back designs that will end up one way or another in a mini-album or scrapbook layout. The ever-cold cup of coffee is also sat on my desk... and maybe at some point I'll manage to finish drinking it!

Regulars to my blog (thank you to the few! *lol*) will notice a slight change... the desk has moved, the room is different... My curtains are no longer rolled up (well, if we want to be posh, they are actually voiles *lol*), picture frames are back on the window sill, crafting items are strewn about...

This can mean only one thing...

the kittens are gone!

All rehomed with wonderful people who are loving their new pets - and one crazy lady who takes her new kitten everywhere she goes. This lady would be my eldest daughter :) I swear that girl spends more time here since she moved out than when she actually lived here. Since Sox has become her 'baby', she has come to visit twice (in two days!) No box is safe from Sox... not even my Christmas House project...

Give that kitten a box, and she'll take a nap!

Callie is doing okay since the kittens have gone ... not that she's missed Sox much with all these visits!

Misty was taken by Amiee Rose and homed with her lovely family... and Max and his brother BooBear (now called Simba) are homed with Mark and his partner and are being spoilt rotten (the lucky little kits!).

Do I miss them...?

A little ickle bit... maybe. I'm not so much a kitten-person as a cat-person. Oh, yes! they're cute when they're little babies... but a full-grown cat is so much more fun! (and less messy, more independant, doesn't chew electrical wires, and doesn't need a litter tray to pee and poop).

Anyhoooo...

Once again, have a wonderfully brilliant "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" and may the rest of the week be amazing for you all too!

Cordless Hot Glue Gun

The new toy on my desk this week was the cordless hot glue gun (Docrafts 'stick it!' Excel).  I thought it would be fantastic to take with me to crops and crafting sessions - it's incredibly lightweight and measures just 7"x5".  The plug-in hot glue gun I also have (I believe it's made by Bostik) is lighter and smaller (not including the cord) at just 4.5"x4"... but to be quite honest, the bigger glue gun (cordless) is much more comfortable to use with it's wider handle (I have rheumatoid arthritis).

They both take the same size glue sticks, and both heat up about as quick as each other - though maybe the battery-run one is slightly quicker. HOWEVER... you are guaranteed a continuous, constant heat with the traditional plug-in glue gun. The cordless glue gun uses batteries pretty quickly - though this may be partly due to my cheap batteries. Using re-chargeable batteries will save a LOT of money in the long run - but buy enough so that you can have one set in the gun and one set charging for continuous usage (my glue gun takes 4 batteries, AA size). When the battery power gets low, the glue gun just doesn't melt the glue sticks as well - though there is a red light above the on/off switch that fades as the batteries lose power.

More pro's and cons for each type of glue gun:

The cordless glue gun has a smaller, more precise nozzle - it appears (so far) to drip less and doesn't clog at all. When stood upright when not in use temporarily, the nozzle points upwards so no dripping hot glue everywhere. Unfortunately, this also means that the end where you load the glue stick is pointing downwards, and until it's in the front barrel the glue stick will fall out. Okay, so that's not really much of a hardship I guess.

The plug-in hot glue gun has a resting position that means the nozzle is pointing downwards. This means the hot glue drips out and I find that the nozzle becomes surrounded in hot glue which causes more 'glue strings'. Of course, this resting position also means that any glue stick loaded into the barrel won't fall out. One huge disadvantage to the plug-in hot glue gun is that the cord tends to get in the way - not just when you're using it, but also when the gluegun is at rest - it can twist the gun round so that it constantly falls over.

The cordless glue gun is very stable when in it's resting position - though lightweight, the batteries help keep it from toppling over.

As you can see from the photographs, the plug-in glue gun is pretty messy - with hot glue over the nozzle and the front barrel of the gun itself... and this happened quite quickly. Maybe it's just me... but this has happened to both my traditional plug-in glue guns. I've used the cordless one for a few days straight... it hasn't got glue mess anywhere yet - either on the glue gun itself or anywhere round my workspace.

So, I guess overall I'd pick the cordless gun every time... unless I need something less precise and don't mind a bit of mess, well then the old gun will come out to play again :)

WOYWW

I only seem to post twice weekly lately - and one of those posts is always on a Wednesday to show my workdesk to the world! *lol* So... happy "WHAT'S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY?" to all.

By the way... if you ever want to join in just pop over to the Stamping Ground and add your name... it's really a lot of fun to have a nose around other people's work spaces :)

I've started work on yet another mini-book project... a Christmas House, and this is taking over my desk this week (and possibly a few weeks to come too!).

The house (which will have a 6"x8" mini album inside when complete) has had the edges painted, and the roofing 'tiled' (Martha Stewart edge punch) and I'm using Papermania silk papers to decorate it (eventually!). My carousel is full again... including glue sticks that fit into my new glue gun that Hubby bought for me (YAY!!!). It's got a lovely small nozzle, and runs on batteries... so no cords getting in the way (for kittens to chew). Quite a tidy desk today (I'm quite proud of myself for being less messy *lol*) and even my work mat is clean. Though that mat will have to be replaced soon - I'm wearing away the numbers and cutting grooves into it!

More news (you just know this will be about kittens again! *lol*)...

I sold a kitten!

A lovely lady called June bought Boo-Bear, renamed him Thomas and took him home to meet her 8 year old cat Charlie.

The next morning June phoned me... Charlie had no intentions whatsoever of making friends with 'Thomas'... so he's back with me and being called 'Boo' again...  ah, well.

And it didn't take him long to snuggle up next to Sox and get right back to being part of the household again.

All kittens doing well... being very cute... and still biting my ankles. It's a wonder I get any crafting done at all! *lol*

But they are so adorably cute, aren't they...?