The Finished Clock

I finished the clock (a little while ago actually...) and I would upload the photographs... but I can't because Blogger won't give me the option to upload from my computer.

By the way... is anyone else having problems with uploading photographs? I have to download the pictures into Picasa, and then download into Blogger from there - it takes soooooooo long! At least, tha's what I did last time - and now I can't get into Picasa either!

Blogger and Google are so darn annoying!

Post-Holiday Humdrum

Christmas is over... and NOW we have snow forecast...?! How typical! Well, seeing as I live on a very sheltered part of he coast, the likelihood of it actually laying snow anywhere near me will be pretty remote.

I had been taking photographs ready to write some posts over the Holiday season... but time just ran away from me! We had a huge houseful on 'The Day', and yet I still managed to cook enough for everyone to eat a full plated dinner for three days in a row! Christmas Eve was a scream! My daughter and (hopefully-soon-to-be-) son-in-law came over and arranged a 'pass-the-parcel', with "Truth Or Dare" notes in between layers of wrapping... At one point, Hubby was barking like a dog to the tune of 'White Christmas', whilst Dan (son-in-law) was showing us all the face he'd make if he recieved a pressie he didn't like, and I had to admit what the worst present I'd ever bought was.

I've still been working around the house, and have started making scrapbooking boxes and albums again... Yay!

Here's the boxes I finally finished for the shelves I painted in the bedroom:

The only problem was that I had a lot of leftover chipboard bits that were 5x12" and 7x12"... so I used all the leftover bits and started to make a new box and album... I'm really pleased with this one - it's a grandfather clock, that will actually have a working clock in it... I'm so excited!

 

SantaSantaSantaSantaSanta!!!!!

Guess who got to go and see Santa Clause today? ME!

Yay!!!

Of course, I had to drag the grandchildren with me so as I wouldn't look silly standing in the queue with hundreds of little kids screeching for the Man himself... but we all know the visit was just for me really :)

The kids got the gifts... and I got to have hugs from the real Father Christmas... really is him *lol*

He smelled like pine trees and christmas cake... and I could have quite happily stayed snuggled into his fur trimmed coat for a few hours - without the grandkids though *lol*

Next year, however, I shall not have orange hair, and hopefully be back to a more natural, blonder look.

I'm so excited though...

I saw Santa

:)

CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even More Sprucing!

I think I have a bit of an obsession with shelving.

I asked Hubby to make a high shelf for the dining room so I could put all my favourite books out of the reach of sticky-fingered grandchildren and paper-chewing moggies - he did brilliantly!

Then I asked for a shelf above the cooker in the kitchen so I could have my most-used cookery books within easy reach... and he did that too!

After the shelves I asked for the bedroom, and the shelving for the cupboard under the stairs, I am beginning to wonder if I have a problem *lol*

My kitchen is tiny - wee-tiny! I've had to put an extra freezer in there at the moment, to store the food I'll need to feed the 14-15 people I have coming on Christmas Day... and I've had to put the freezer in the front of the dining room door! Still, it'll be back in the shed after the big day, and then I can start to thnk about what else I need doing to the kitchen... being an ex-council house, the rooms are somewhat functional rather than pretty - and I so desperately want to hide the massive boiler that takes up so much room! But... the architect and designer I had visit said that unless I want to rip out the kitchen entirely and start again from absolutely nothing, I'm stuck with it how it is... and we all know how tight I am with that sort of money. I'd much rather 'make do and mend' than 'splurge out and buy new'.

At least the pipes are boxed in... so it could be worse :)

And the freezer, although in the way, is a handy box to put a little spare Christmas Tree on :)

Christmas Cake!!

I decorated my cake! Yay!!!

I actually decorated it the same as last year, but instead of having gold ivy leaves, I handpainted the leaves in green.

Now I just have to stop the kitties and the mutt from sneaking bites *lol*

Remote Controlled Candles

Just a quickie... I wanted to show the candles I purchased at The Range - but they don't seem to have them online :( Anyway... The Range is where I bought them (set of 3) for £9.99. They are flickering, wax outer with inner bulb, do have a simple 'on-off' remote control and are vanilla scented.

I don't rate The Range as much as I used to - the prices have shot up and the quality crept down, though  have to admit that the majority of the staff are absolutely amazing. I am shopping there again though... and my next purchase is this gorgeous table piece.

It matches the mirror I bought for the bedroom. I have no idea where I shall actually put it - I just know I like it :)

More Sprucing...

More little piccies of my home-improvements. I'm sure no-one is really interested in how I decorate my home... but I am just so pleased with all the little touches I have added in the recent weeks.

A little while ago, I had to re-paint the top of my jewellery chest - I had ruined it with nail-polish remover by accident! Unfortunately, the unit is not white, but more of a winter-white sort of tone - so I couldn't match the colour. Never mind, thought I... and went ahead with white gloss and gold-coloured rubbing wax. I did go over-board with the gold - but I did want quite a heavy-handed feel to it really :)

I also bought the little round mirror - quite a bargain at £10. Hubby was pleased, as he thought I wanted a full-length mirror at quite a high price... I hadn't the heart to tell him that I plan on him buying one of those after Christmas :)

I also did something I thought I would never do at all... I got rid of my sleigh-bed. I had wanted one for so many years, and last month I gave mine to my eldest daughter. I now have a much smaller white metal-framed bed that fits my small bedroom much better. I have hanging in my bedroom a picture my mum gave to me - but it had a pine frame, so I painted the picture-frame white and used the gold-rub on that... and found some more words for the wall too...

I bought some dark purple rugs for the sides of the bed (to cover up where my daughter burned the carpet with hair straighteners! - cheaper than a whole new carpet), new bedside cabinets (which I have to find new handles for), gave away a large wardrobe, and invested a little money in a thin, tall set of drawers.

It's all been done on a budget really... finding cheap alternatives for the expensive design items I originally wanted... up-cycling old furniture, and plain old elbow grease for cleaning carpets and walls.

I had an orangey-pine shelf that I up-cycled... giving it the white gloss and gold-wax treatment. I'm pleased with how it's turned out - though I am in the process of making three little boxes for the middle shelf instead of the wicker basket that sits there at the moment.

I added little hooks to the underside so I could hang little odds and ends from them.

I had generously been given some curtains that matched perfectly with my flowers that I've had for about twelve years (on top of the tall chest of drawers)... and found a matching lampshade for just £4.

The candles on top of the chest of drawers are from a set of three that includes the one I placed on the top of the re-vamped shelves - they were an extragavance - battery powered and remote controlled, they cost me £10. The third candle I placed in a half-birdcage - it's quite effective and pretty.

So... that's how I've been spending the weeks running up til Christmas... I've had a lot of spare time with all the present-buying, wrapping, and tree-decorating already done.

Tomorrow I decorate the cake... scrumptious!