Picture heavy post.

So, since I have been away from blog-land for a long while. I have a few bits to share. The majority of these were created well before my hectic work schedule began. Well, ok this one was made the other night with my new box of SC goodies :)

The lace was from Pitsea market... A bargain at £1 for 3 long metres...!

This photo cracks me up... Emily does pull some of the funniest faces.... :P

How many photos can you fit on a LO? One? Two? Maybe more......?

...... Alot of photos on this one. Summing up our lives together so far....

Speaks for itself really, doesn't it?

Apple made from a maya road mini chipboard tree. I love trees... but I also love apples too. And this binding was from etsy. I am not sure of the seller but no doubt she is added into my favourites.

Yum. SC kit. Yum. Cork alphas. Yum. Brass charm and very worn and vintage pearl buttons from etsy. Again, i'm unsure of the selller.

SC kit again.... I love this weirdly taken pic of Benji and me. It makes me happy and sums up us.

I wanted to document that Ben calls hair 'feathers' at the moment.... :D

My first house love. This was my little baby in Debryshire... And even though I think we had the neighbours from hell. Seriously. It was and still is my fave little house. I loved this place.

Ummm. Weird LO but one that should be documented.

The kids, Kev and me at Barleylands farm...

Me in an extra special and happy time in my life. I want to remember this moment forever. Its so much more than just a couple of pictures of me.

It's officially an end of an era. Emily is off to big school, Benji off to pre-school and no more baby naps!! :(

Right, must feed kids and must get jobs done as i'm working tonight!!

Super Furry Animal

I have been feeling like a hamster of late. Meaning that I have been working non-stop and thats about it. It's always the same, every holiday, I go all out and work all I can. It means that blogging, crafting and any other activity apart from eating and sleeping are really out of my life for six or so weeks. It's coming to an end ;) Mixed feelings really. I like the 'stress', the motivation, I hate the no mojo, no time, tiredness, hardly seeing anyone, the rushing out of the house at some ungodly hour of the morning, feeling like I have a phone taped to my ear (!)... but I love the company and I will love my pay cheque in September...

...it will pay for Disneyland Paris, which we are taking the kids to in October! Emily is sooooooo excited. Ben is excited but unsure why. He just chases her round screaming disney :D So we have that to look forward to. Seems like it will be fun.

And just because I haven't been making, doesn't mean I haven't been buying. I have! I have had three magnificent Studio Calico kits arrive in the time i've been away (ok, maybe just two... i'm unsure) And of course the new stuff is starting to hit the shop!! MLS is gorgeous... I have yet to use it though.

We are having a time with my MIL, she is really quiet poorly and so we are all awaiting test results. She goes in for a biopsy tomorrow and fingers, toes and any other limb is crossed for her.

Emily also is eager to start 'big' school! She starts on the 9th and she cannot wait. We have enough school-i-form to sink a ship, including what seems like the most expensive pair of childrens shoes ever ;) I am mixed about it all. My first bubba starting school! She has loved the four taster sessions though and all of her pre-school friends are there... so I know she will be fine. It's just bringing it home even more that she is growing up and isn't my baby anymore. I know a lot of you are having this right now... I feel for you all! And Ben starts pre-school two mornings a week too! OMG! I will have 4.5 hours to myself each week! No doubt it will be filled with ironing, tidying, cleaning... etc... But all mine! :)

And just to keep you happy ;) This was made with last months SC kit... Fabric rip strips are ace :)



Sassafras stickers can be made to look less 'sticker-ish' with abit of 3d foam tape and buttons...

An old photo but I love this one. It's so much more than a beach photo. It was taken just before Ben was born. I was heavily preg and it was a sweltering summer... I lived in a blue and brown patterned cotton skirt to keep me cool... And this was taken on our last trip to MIL caravan before they sold it... So much more than a beach pic. :)

Re-living my yoouff ;)

After watching alittle bit of Glasto and hearing alittle about Louise's tickets to see this band... I have been listening to them non-stop on my ipod. Lily Allen has taken a backseat.

From around 1994 to around 1999... I loved this band and in particular this blokie. hmmm. He still looks pretty darn cool now. I am kinda thinking I maybe need to re-live my music mini and add in a few more cool moments from years ago.

And it's left me wondering does Ainley's music store in Leicester still exist??

Very Sunny Here!

It's so sunny here. And I mean SUNNY. I think yesterday was 32 in the shade and the day before even hotter. I am not wanting to complain but I do not enjoy the heat. It makes me tired, lazy and just wanting to veg out. Consequently I have not ironed as yet this week... the pile is growing and growing. I am guessing it may take me an hour later on to conquer it :(

I had some extremly good news yesterday but it's all alittle *hush-hush* yet! Well, I think I ought to keep it schtum for a while. Its very good though, well I thought so... Kev was little more disappointed as he thought we had won the lottery :D No, I haven't.

I have been also working on my Donna Downey fabric album which I got a couple of kits back from Studio Calico. I decided on a forum suggestion over here, to make a button rainbow and stitch it onto the front cover. Now the rainbow is finished, it looks fabulous!! I love it. It jingles, it tinkles and rattles. It has also made me realised I have w-a-y too many buttons but it was hard work. That cover is made of stern stuff. In the end I stitched it on some left over cotton I had and then tacked it on with blue embroidery thread. The sewing looks untidy but its supposed to have that overall handstitched appeal. I wanted to wunderweb it on but had no idea how too with a whole heap of buttons already on there, maybe thats where I should've foreplanned and wunderwebbed the cotton on first and then stiched the buttons on. Still, the plan is starting to come together. There is no doubt that this months SC kit will be here before I have finished this album!

Our obssessions this week:
Kev - he has his new joystick thingie and has been on it every night this week. He is out tonight for a haircut though so I may have the downstairs tv to myself!
Emily- she is loving Ella. The cute little girl from over the road :)
Ben - he is loving the waybulloo's! he love yojojo ;)
Me- I am loving the fact I have so many crafty projects on the go and in two weeks, this Friday my sister will be here to stay... and that Emily soon breaks up from school, along with Kev...! Good times at the mo, even though it is alittle too hot for my liking :)

Just a little bit to share...

It seems that my LOs are a mixture of allsorts of late. I mean, a mixture of photos that are new and old, and a mixture of kits/stash buys. This one was mainly from Studio Calico but alittle of Sarahs cards thrown in...(the little maya road velvet flower)



I am loving grey at the moment. And I love this American Craft paper which I had been saying for that LO. I think it goes well with the navy in the picture and the navy lacey/crocheted ribbon. I also love that thicker font too!

Eyelets!! OMG! A blast from the past. I alcohol inked them, kinda! :/ and added my rocket stamp I got from Ally Pally. I hadn't even got them out of the packet :( until now. And they were in a long line but I chopped them up so they are now six individual rockets.

It's documenting my new-ish now, trainers complete with rockets, robots and multi coloured star eyelets!

I love trees! (and houses) and loved making this one, adding gems and cutting out grass...

I used my sugar and spice stamps on this one and used the 'i' from the word with which I masked off so I could stamp the phrase 'I just love you'. I love that font too :D

This LO actually made me have a little tear when I took the picture. I spent every weekend getting drunk in this pub from the age of 15... I played pool here, I had an unhealthy obssession with a blokie called Mick Greaves here (LMAO), I threw up here (yes, I was young, and it was literally by that little brick wall you see), I wore my C & A (remember that store?!) clockhouse Jarvis Cocker stylee cardi here for the first time. I was sad to see that it had changed its name to 'The Boathouse' even though its a beautifully idylic pub by the river Soar, complete with narrow boats of all colours and pretty field views... for me, it will always be 'The Riverside'.

I never really talk about my dad. Not that I really call him that. I have very few photos of him and although I don't want to look at him, he does not deserve any attention of mine I am curious still. This photo was taken at my eldest sisters wedding, about six months before we moved from our family home. I wanted to document that even though I try to not let my past affect me now. It does.

And look how pleased Kevy is! He just got his new gaming joystick thingie for his xbox. He didn't expect it to arrive yesterday and when it did he was happy :D He played til gone midnight last night...

Also my dresses have arrived for Anthonys wedding do. Hooray, I think I like one defo, the other I am waiting to see once my Gok, suck you in underwear arrives...

And lastly:

The twiddley blog has a challenge, so go pop over and have a go! If you are lucky enough to win, you'll get a parcel of yummy twiddley bitz :D Which is well worth having a go for ;)

Lots to share...

...but alittle too hot to go back upstairs (it's like a sauna up there) to get my LOs to photograph.

I will when it's cooler.

Also need to get Emily ready for her third session at 'big' school.

Laters!

Hola!

Emily has taken to watching Mickey Mouse on Youtube. She asks everyday, while Ben is content with anything really... Kev fed him his tea the other night while Pocoyo was playing; in Spanish. He was very contented... these were the piccies that followed.

Too busy watching, no time for kissing!! Looking a rather hot and sweaty little boy who is in desperate need of a haircut :D Know anyone with the patience of a saint???

I am busy preping for my journo'ing class... I need to print out all of the handouts... in fact one huge long one :) Just tweaking now in between picking Emily up from old school, making lunch for Benji and me and blogging. Right, back to it!