Ugh, muggy weather

Far too warm and clammy for my liking,  don't mind blue skies and sun, but the sticky, humid stuff...  yuck.

So it was time to finish off a few challenges,  this one (see pic) has been waiting to be stuck down since beginning of June.  The theme was green and purple, well that only means one thing to me - Wimbledon!  I went through my old photos and found some I'd taken when I was there in 1981,  which shows how the place has changed over the years.  Again the Slice came in to play for the lettering - Zo thank you for your comments,  I'd like a cricut but can only afford the Slice,  but it is a very versatile machine and I wouldn't be without it.  Lettering used to be the bane of my life, especially with scrapbooking,  the Slice is far cheaper than buying endless alphabets for the manual die cutters.  

The second page is my retirement party which was last June!   I was going through the photos and realised that nearly all have moved on to new places of work,  same employer,  well for all except one,  must find out what she is up to these days.  It took place midweek,  and we went to a Chinese,  it was a shared party, I was retiring and Kirsty was leaving, she was heading off for America!   Mean was okay, but sadly Jane got food poisoning, we ended up in pub across the road,  I departed about 11 pm, left them to it,  not sure how they all got home, a few didn't remember getting home!   I still keep in touch with them,  call in every few weeks, have a cuppa and a catch up.   But glad I am not there any more,  less staff, more work... meanwhile a few bosses invent daft schemes just to justify their existence. 

Also watched the Women's open,  sadly it was poorly attended,  shame,  also a shame that the BBC didn't devote more time to it, in fact it would be nice if they did devote more time to women's sport in general.   Of course when Wimbledon is on the usual moaners go on about the women only playing 3 sets,  well that was not their choice,  it was decided for them many years ago, some man thought that women couldn't possibly play 5 sets of tennis!   I think playing 5 sets at the majors would improve the women's game.   And the men can be just as boring.  

Hope you are managing to stay cool where you are, thanks for stopping by.

Well it is Wednesday.. .

And I'm hot and dripping,   fed up of this menopause stuff.  I washed my hair this morning, it looked really nice till the first hot flush, then it was as flat as a fluke. Why do I bother! 

Summer has returned,  I enjoyed  a pleasant hobble to the high street.  Stopped to watch men painting tower block,  which may not seem very remarkable, except they were all dangling from ropes, it looked very precarious. 

Today it was over to Hobbycraft, to get a few bits for wedding stationary,  and hoping for some inspiration.  Didn't get much of the latter,  picked up a few bits and bobs just enough to make up a few samples.  I also got the embossing tips for the Slice,   I have the daft idea of embossing the invitations...   I also spotted a half price CD rom on - wedding stationary!  Grabbed that,  and it has proved very useful already, has some nice designs for favour boxes.

Found some wedding stationary templates on the microsoft site,  ther is no way I'm attempting to write on them,  my handwriting is appalling.   Going to keep them simple,  nothing fussy as my niece is the unfussiest person I know.   I also have to come up with some table decorations!   I think it should be white and gold,  the wedding is in the Spring, so I'm thinking of daffodils, which lets face it are a very cheerful flower. 

Pic on left is my swap card for July, the thankyou for the fat page book.  And partly why I wanted the brayer, for this card I made do with the ink blender,  and used my Owl stamp,  with my Slice providing the lettering.  

Well one year to go to Olympics...   9 billion has been chucked at it so far.  Sometimes you wonder if we get our priorities in the right order.

Thanks for stopping by.... 

Being crafty...

So got brayer,  have big and juicy pad,  best to start using it?   First attempts were rubbish,  off to Youtube to look for tutorials...  ten minutes later I am armed with brayer...    another rubbish attempt,  but keep going and hurrah - success!   See picture for proof.  Yep finally got hang of it,    now need to try masking and the reflection technique.    I may need to get some Barbara Gray stamps,  I love her work, she is so clever and makes it look easy! 

I also have another inspiration book to make, so I think I'll be using the brayer - which probably means buying another big and juicy pad! 

I did also make more pages, will put more pics up in next few days,  tho there is one page I am not happy about so will have to do it again.   Did this one yesterday,  I remembered the cat stamp I had - love this inspiration book as I'm finding old stash and using it up!   Punched the border, mitred the corners,   then used some buttons from Klara's Crafts, she makes her  own from fimo, she is so talented and is always making something.   Just wondering if the cat stamp needs to be enamelled?   Always looks better when it is glossy, or perhaps I could use glossy accents?   Mmmm,   need to think about that.

I hadn't realised I had a butterfly theme going!  Oops,  didn't mean that, but then again flutterbies are lovely.   Used the Tim Holtz stamp on this one, well two, one is a sort of smudge, so used that to make the border,  I like the chap with umbrella,  and one of his discs. 
I also found a new poky tool, well not new, but can't remember when I bought it,  but it is nice and thick so makes bigger holes. 

Weather is picking up,  managed to walk through to high street,  thought at one point it was going to rain but it kept off.  Had a look in all the cheap shops for an Owl,  yes an Owl, suddenly I need to have an Owl!   Keep on seeing them,   the one in the garden centre was way too big,  ideally I'd like a plain wooden one.   I also need Klara to make me something....     Going to start altering bedroom decoration,  getting a bit tired of this look... 
Have a good weekend all, catch up with you on Sunday.

Now very soggy...

A bit tired of this soggy stuff,  it wasn't on my summer order,  I made sure mine said:  SUN for May, June, July, August, September...   humph. 

Yesterday was diabolical,  I had to go to craft shop, (honest!)  to get ink blender,  ended up also getting big and juicy ink pad and a brayer... not sure how that happened!   Had nice chat to assistant,  she was showing me all the new stuff that had come in, new pro markers, the new nibs for them....  never realised that there was THAT many pro markers.  Later I went to my drumming class, we went through our entire repertoire,    I was surprised by how many we've managed to master, well almost master.  Then we had a go at new routine,  I was doing fine till I looked at Lisa, who was next to me and she was in a mess,  that threw me off. 

I am a bit pleased with myself as I managed to get a lot done today.   Aside from the usual stuff like the supermarket shop...   I finished my first essay of my course,   got swap card in post and made two more pages of the book!     Think I was most chuffed with the essay,  been a while since I did any academic work so it was nice to know that I had remembered how to do it.    Now can't wait to get the next bit of the course. 

With the book I am copying a couple of pages as my friend did like them,  not making exact copies,  I'm enjoying using the different colours,  it will be a rainbow book :-)) 

I was also rummaging around for some DST and came across some of my old stash,  at long last I can make use of it.   I used the dragon fly 3D sticker from a very old Anna Griffin kit,  totally forgot the stickers were still there. 

I'm also liking the new blender,  makes like much easier.  Had a go with the brayer,  not bad results but I do need to practice with it to get a more even result,  but it was fun and it is something new.  I do like watching Barbara Gray, she is so talented and makes it look very easy, which is certainly isn't.  I may indulge in some of her stamps.

Was also annoyed as my Stayzon stamp seems to have dried up!  Needed that for stamping acetate,  only used it last week and it was fine. 

All for now...   just hope the weather improves.

Some crafting!

At last back to crafting.  Though I think the break did me some good.  Started another inspiration book, this one is for a friend.  I kept this page pretty simple,  just card from papermania (6x6 basics),  and some Anna Griffin stamps, the corner stamp,  bought the set ages ago,  it's very useful as it has swirls,  corners and tons of other fancy stamps,  all useful for finishing touches.   The Slice also came in handy, used the Findings software to make the key and the lettering (using the shadow option),  and Basics 1 for the other letters.   I also inked round edge of quote,  and discovered I need more refills for my inker, or whatever it is called.   Think I may buy the padded version,  I find this one a bit hard and not as easy to get a smooth finish. 

Then I moved on to page number 3,  since my friend liked one of the pages in my book I replicated it, but used different colours and a different quote.  I chose pink,  since it will go opposite the green page (above),  and used the fairy stamp,  plus some pretty flowers of a delicate pink colour, or is it Coral?   I may add a bow, not sure yet,  needed to let the pinflair glue dry before adding anything else.   I'm out of 3D tape, was sure I got some at the craft fair! 

Was going to start on page number 4, but that is when I realised I was out of refills for the inker,  needed it to ink round edges of next piece of card.  Rats...  far too late for me to nip up to craft shop.  I had been engrossed in the golf,   it was nice seeing Darren Clarke win,  such a lovely chap who has had a rough time of things, so time the nice guy won! 

All back to normal here,  mum arrived back yesterday,  far too early for my liking, thought she'd be back a bit later!  Oh well.  Was going to do some crafting yesterday, but my sister hung round, so it seemed a bit rude to disappear, then blow me she gets out her laptop and proceeds to spend the afternoon on it!   The weather wasn't fit to go anywhere,  a really soggy morning,  slightly better in the afternoon,  but absolutely dreadful today,  been raining since early morning.    Can't complain too much, weather was decent last week, so I managed to get out and about, even caught the sun! 

All for now,  thanks for stopping by... hope you had a good weekend.

Two friends, sun and a duck...

Just had a refreshing few days with two friends, packed mum off to a cottage with my sister and settled down to a week of fun, takeaways and wine...  Mind you after a stressful week it took me a while to relax.   We just had a very chilled out day on Saturday,  I shipped mum off and then my friends arrived.  So we just pottered around a few shops,  well two,  a new age shop and then Tesco,  from one extreme to the other!    Saturday night was Mexican food,  we got all the essentials from Tesco,  including Tequilla....  probably just as well I no longer indulge in spirits.   We had a good feed and a good natter,  amazingly we woke up next day refreshed and hangover free!    We headed off to Liverpool One for lunch,  I spotted the Jamie Oliver restaurant, so we were all set to eat there, until....   we asked to sit outside cos I smoke,  but then waitress said that outside was non-smoking...  then she added this caveat:  I could smoke if we just ordered drinks.... go figure!   A red mist descended,  I am not given to being rude, but I told her how ruddy daft it was and I was off to find somewhere that would let me smoke, she said all the restaurants were the same.  Well they weren't!  All the rest allowed smoking outside, so yah boo sucks to Mr Oliver.    Holier than thou non smokers or ex smokers need not bother replying...    We ended up in a South American restaurant,  very designer,   I ordered steak and chips,  steak came cut up on a skewer with a lovely sauce and... 3 chips!  I kid you not, just 3 chips!  My two friends ordered the paellla and had no difficulty in counting the prawns,  they got 3 each...    After that we headed for a normal pub,  in the Albert Dock and sat enjoying the sun.    Monday we headed for Chester,  another beautiful day weatherwise,   then we had a drumming class - brilliant!    Tuesday was beach day,  wasn't intended to be, but we all just felt like a calm day.   I took my friends to see the Iron men on the beach and they were most impressed,   then we had a pit stop at a local hostelry,  as one must.   But by time we managed to get home I was, or rather my knee was very sore and didn't want me to budge from chair, so we ordered takeaway from restaurant we were meant to be going to.   We had so much food it lasted us two days.  Then Wednesday,  well we were supposed to go see the newly restored Japanese garden,  but it wasn't open...   humph, unamused,  they could have made that more obvious on their website.   So we headed back to Albert Dock and decided to have lunch and take the duck tour.   It was a good laugh, tho alarmingly the duck appeared to have a list...  not a good thing when you are in water!   Took photos as we went along,  wasn't bothered about getting the 'right' shot, just wanted a pictorial of the trip.  It was odd tho, the moment we stepped on board the duck the weather changed,  it went from sunny and warm to bloody cold with a freezing wind.  It took us ages to get warmed up. 

Photo is of the statue on the old Lewis's department store...   as the song says: exceedingly bare!

From sizzling to soggy...

Ain't it great, our British Summer, no sooner have we chucked away the raincoats and stored the brolly and what happens?  Yep,  it disappears and is replaced by grey and very leaky skies.  Oh well... 

Well Murray lost but Djokovic won,  so I was happy, two brand new Wimbledon champions, can't remember the last time that happened.  It's all over for another year :-( 

Not been doing a great deal of crafting this week,  I have started a new mini book.   Must remember to take it into craft shop,  cos when I was buying the chipboard album the assistant said that they didn't sell many.   I wondered if it was cos no-one knew what to do with them.   Think they need a mini book workshop, happy to do it in exchange for supplies ;-)


This will be a for a friend,  I've picked out lots of lovely quotes to go in it,  and got a new set of stamps, a set of trees, well she likes her trees.   I also want it to be rustic.    I may get going on the first page tomorrow,  just been busy all week getting flat ready for my two friends who will be coming to stay, and organising mum who is going away for 10 days.   It is tiring having to think for two people,  mum is only making the minimum effort these days,   it is also hard to get her interested in anything.  If I try I risk getting my head bitten off,  then she'll reel off all the things she has decided she can't do, which is just about everything. 

Today I blitzed the flat,  over the last few weeks I've been tidying up places like the airing cupboard, food cupboards, sorted out the fridge yesterday,  gave it a good clean,  only one dubious looking jar of pasta sauce needed to be ditched.   Still building up to tackling the cloak room, have to get mum to agree to part company with a few of her 18 jackets and coats!   She wears just two,  when I told her how many she had she was surprised, but when I suggested that she could give some away she refused!  It is the same with her shoes,  she can't wear any of her old shoes,  but she just won't agree to give them away. 

Next week there will be no crafting at all,  will have to store my stash in cloakroom, at least now I just about know were everything is.  Getting those storage boxes was a very good idea,  but will copy the lady off CnC and will put the silicon stamps into empty CD cases,  rather than just keeping them on the acetate sheet.   I also made some space in my craft tool box for more of my tools, now the heat gun will go in it,  must really give it a good sort out, not sure what is lurking at the bottom! 

All for now folks, thanks for stopping by...