Very quick entry tonight as I want to catch the end of I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here. Still got my cold so not felt like doing a lot again today. Saying that I have been playing around with the photos I took of the girls for our family christmas cards, I now have 3 more designs to add to the one I made a couple of weeks ago, now all I need to do is decide which I am going to make up in bulk!

I also made this for a friend of Lillie's who's birthday party she is going to tomorrow

I was talking to the mum of the boy who is playing Joseph in the school nativity again today and she told me that Lillie is his favourite at school at the moment, she is all he talks about at home and says that she looks so pretty in the mornings when she comes to school and she has really beautiful hair! Aaahh.. bless him!!

We sat in the hospital yesterday for what seemed like forever. We were there at about 7.40am and the sign said they didn't open until 8am luckily for us as it was really cold the lady opened the doors about 7.50, Matthew was among the first 8 or so people to be called through onto the ward and we thought yeah this is a good sign, but oh no, when we asked the lady said he was last on the list for his surgeon and it would be late morning, ugghh....

He finally went for his op at about 11.30am and seemed to be gone ages, but I managed to get 2 bag charms and a bracelet made up and another bracelet when he came back. He was drowsy for a while and get drifting off, after eating, drinking, having a little walk etc he was allowed to go at 2.45pm. Mum and Dad had taken the girls back to ours so we invited them to stay for tea. It sure had been a long day!

2 black bracelets made at the hospital

2 bag charms

another 2 bag charms, the one of the left is multi coloured and the one on the right is clear and silver, I love this one and also got really good feedback from my mum and Matthews mum when they saw them, as this can go on any coloured bag. I will be making a few more of these!Today he is a bit sore and achy and sits on tender hooks that one of the girls is going to jump on him or bash him by accident. I have a blinking cold, runny nose, sneezes (my nose tingled all day at the hospital) and have to keep catching my breath, so I haven't really done a lot today. I did have to go to the dentist for a check up, got to go back for a filling (great more expense!) and had to collect a parcel from the post office. Apart from that and the school run, I made a quick card Kay had asked for and collected this afternoon along with the watch and notelet set she had ordered, before she left we showed her Matthews log/tea-light creations and was quite impressed and decided to buy one of those to!!!!

The 'in the nightgarden' card requested by Kay (not my best, but all I could muster today!)and finally a pair of chandalier style earrings I made whilst tea was cooking. I had an order of earwires this morning, I can make 4 more pairs in this style but have got 50 other pairs to!!

Woo hoo Lillie came out of school today and glee-fully told me she was going to be 'Mary' in their school nativity play, how excited was I. I have just told Matthew and he said "good ole girl" bless her, leading her class in the ballet show and now Mary we could have a star in the making LOL!!!
Well I've been piling the beads onto headpins again today ready to take with me tomorrow, I just hope there is somewhere I can work. I'm taking the findings to make 2 black bracelets and 2 black bag charms, 2 more bag charms and a bracelet, so if I get those done I will be happy. I also bought a magazine to read when we went to collect the chinese, yeah we didn't have to share it with the girls tonight as they are having a 'sleep over' at nannie and grandads! Mum won't sleep a wink as she watches them all night!! They shouldn't be too much trouble, Hollie has a bit of a cough and a cold, but she has taken her medicine and once she's asleep she's ok.
Well best get my beads packed away, and remind Matthew where his new pants are LOL and look forward to a really exciting morning sitting in the hospital.

Busy start to the day today, after we dropped Lillie at school Hollie and I headed for town. I needed to top my bank account (for ebay) up yet again, nip to the doctors to sort out my prescription, only to be told I need a check up before I can have the next lot, oh joy! Then we had to get Matthew some new pants, bless him he is worrying about his op on Wednesday (a delicate 1, see card below!) LOL I keep telling him I had my stomach cut open when I had Lillie (c-section obviously) and he's going to have a tiny little 2" cut!!!!!! Still it means he is going to drag his sick out for 2 weeks, that on top of holiday days and days off to correct his working hours means we will have him home nearly the rest of the year, I think he is only working 5 days, we love having him home but it will make going back harder.

Matthew's card I will give it to him after the op.!!!

and the insert (I hope these pictures don't offend anyone)

So jobs done, and a quick catch up round the CM&PC forum as I didn't get on the pc yesterday as we went shopping to take back the girls tv/dvd and get them a new 1 and Tia a portable tv for christmas. Then by the time we got back we had arranged to go up town with mum and dad for the oh so exciting switch on of the christmas lights! It was ok the girls had a good time going to see Father Christmas who gave them a bag of sweets (ok for a voluntery donation) a couple of goes on the side stalls and a ride or 2 on the fun fair. Then it was back home to ours to cook tea, then bath then bed.

So today I have been putting beads on headpins ready to take with me on Wednesday when I have to wait at the hospital for Matthew. Those, jump rings, pliers, chain and clasps and I should be able to get some bag charms/bracelets done, well that's what I am hoping anyway. I also made 3 pairs of earrings, I just love making them as they are so pretty and so quick and easy. Therefore ordering more findings, beads, jump rings etc

Todays earrings

I also made this other card today for a forum friend, unfortunately it is going to be late.

Tomorrow I hope to get lots more headpins loaded, thing is I could get so many more done if I wasn't so finicky and worried that I'll run out of a certain type LOL

After a bacon butty for breakfast, I had a quick catch up around the forums, then did a bit more beading, it's getting easier with practice!! I had already got the head pins made up for a bracelet so I got that made for Mandy and made 2 pairs of earrings.

One black and silver bracelet

and here are the earrings, the black ones are just like the ones I didn't get to photograph before Mandy snapped them up yesterday. I just love the amber/brown ones I may have to keep these myself they will look nice with the dress mum has bought me for christmas!This afternoon I have baked my 12 sponges ready for delivery tomorrow, boy how I need the money, I am spending as if there is no tomorrow!! I am loving beading but buying all of the bits required to make these delectibles isn't what you would call cheap!

Hollie made me laugh today, she plays with Stripes our latest guinnea pig (my birthday one) like he's one of her toys, she always has him out of his cage and even when he nips her she doesn't care. Anyway she had only got him belted into her dolls buggy and was pushing him around the room, the second time I looked he had been given a handbag and a doll to keep him company!!

Wow just realized I haven't blogged since Tuesday, must be this busy life I lead LOL.... Wednesday we met up with Mandy and Luke at playgroup for an hour, we have started leaving early because they now do singing nursery rhymes and reading stories and that's not our thing!! Besides mum was coming over so we could go to Debenhams as it was 20% day and then go to Matalan as I had seen some bits in the brochure I liked the look of. Debenhams was pants, I didn't buy a thing and mum only bought 1 little manacure set for sis for christmas!
Matalan was better, I got the girls some lovely longer length tops/dresses with free leggings, and long sleeved nighties ready for christmas morning. I picked out a couple of long top/dresses to wear with my leggings and long boots, I let mum get them as she has no idea what to get me for christmas. Only thing is I now have to wait for them, mind you I could do with loosing a few inches between now and then, but I know it's not going to happen!
Thursday I did some beading as I need to catch up with the orders that I have. I successfully made the 3 bag charms sis wants for the boys teachers. After we picked Lillie up from school we went over to mum and dads as Lillie hadn't seen them since the weekend, so I took my beads with me and made another bag charm, and pair of earrings, pinging bits of metal all around the room when I cut the ends off of the head pins!! We popped up to see Matthew as he had been off work for 2 days (correcting his work hours) he was laying a patio at my aunties around her new conservatory. He had just finished as was clearing up when we got there, it looks really nice, my auntie can't believe how particular he is with his work!!!

Take 4 lengths of chain, attach a clasp

a few beads and heh presto 2 bag charmsand another 2, I really do like the colours of these 2 This morning we were invited to stay a while at school to look at the childrens picture books (books with pictures of them doing certain activities during their school time, Lillie started hers in nursery). A couple of the mums who I was with saw Lillie's hand writing book and couldn't believe how good her letters were, their children only had lines in their books. It is really good all of her letters are readable, we occasionly write words for her to copy but not that often. Her head teacher came and asked if I had seen it and said how brilliant she was and that she had taken Lillie's book along with 1 other pupils to a school meeting yesterday and they thought a year 1 pupil had done it, not a reception pupil. I am very pleased with her and should really spend more time with her reading and writing.

I have also been beading again, and have made a watch for Kay who changed her mind with the red 1 as I said I had no idea of how to make the brooch, she has now requested an amber coloured one!!! So that's done and another black bag charm made. Mandy popped in so I could measure her wrist for her bracelet and saw the earrings I made yesterday and bought those along with the bag charm she had ordered, and has also ordered another 1 for her mum. Oh I do enjoy this!!!!

Kays watch, not a very good piccie but it is lovely in the flesh!

I didn't get around to taking a piccie of the earrings as Mandy snapped them up before I had the chance! Oh well they were easy enough to make more of!

Oh and I forgot last night I made this quick card for the girls to give to their cousin who's 5th birthday it is today. The fab 3d image was made for me by a forum friend.

Really pleased that I channel hopped last night, as I caught Sara demonstrating the 'ultimate crafters companion', the first thing she made was a notelet folder! Wow just what I needed, as Kay had said she had looked all over for a notelet set with birds on for her mum and couldn't find anything anywhere. She also showed other bits which I hope I will be able to remember!

Here is the set I made with Kays mum in mind

view from the insidethis is the note paper, 6 different birds, 2 of each so that makes it a nice set of 12 A5 sheets and envelopes

I liked it so much that I made this onenot a very clear piccie but here is the note paper, all the same this time, and I have done this as a set of 10and another onethe note paper, again the same and a set of 10these are so easy, and I think a nice little gift, so yes I will be making more of various designs! But I guess I should really get doing some beading, Kay has just emailed trying to persuade me to make a brooch aaarrgghh... I have the fitting but no idea of how to make one, she wants a watch to match so better have a go!!!!!! shouldn't really turn down an order!!!!

Hubby decided he would like to take the children to Thursford yesterday, as they had been advertizing a winter wonderland and chance to meet Father Christmas (for a price of course!). It was very much like the display they have at Baytree garden centre, but I would say nicer and they also had shows on for you to watch if you wanted to. We got to see a ventriloquist (mmm..spelling!) and a magician, which were both quite entertaining. Father Christmas was lovely, Matthew thought he was very much like the 'real' Father Christmas, but mum and I saw one far better in a grotto in Asda a few years back!! The girls got lovely presents, Hollie had a barbie doll with a set of clothes for it, Lillie had a disney princess case full of make-up and Tia got a very pretty watch.
We called in at mum and dads on the way back, and had tea there, we had bought some fresh bread and bits when we called into Morrisons en-route.
That's about it for yesterday.
Today I called mum early and got her out of bed, to ask if she wanted a trip to Toys r Us so reluctantly she said yes, we were in there just over 2 hours. Hollie made us laugh when we got to the doll section she found a buggy feld up, she proceeded to open it up and then pushed it all over the shop where ever we went, it kept her quite amuzed! I think the 3 wheeler buggy I got her for her birthday to go with the baby anabel we have got will go down well.
Sadly no time for crafting today, hopefully tomorrow!

Ran out of time to post yesterday, so catching up today. Well it was children in need day, and it was role reversal day at school, so the pupils were dressed as the teachers and vice versa, Lillie was so excited, she wore a skirt, jumper, tights and shoes, I had made a name tag which I laminated and tied with ribbon which she wore around her neck it said 2chuildren in need, for one day only Miss Lillie, Teacher, and had popped the lenses out of an old pair of glasses for her to wear!! Unfortunately they hadn't reminded people so there were only about 8 in her class that actually dressed up! I wasn't too happy when I read the dates of times of Lillies christmas play, as I've said before the 2 days they are doing it are mad. Yes just as I thought it's in the morning on the Tuesday and the afternoon (right in the middle of Hollies playgroup christmas party, around about the time father christmas arrives!!) aarrgghh...

So anyway we decided to pop over and visit nannie and grandad as Lillie hadn't seen them all week, whilst there I read the local paper, and the garden centre where I am having a stand at the craft fair had a full page advert in. There was a small piece about a crafts event they are having, yes......., and......., it's only 6pm to 8.30pm Matthew had lead me to believe it was an all dayer!!!! I screamed I laughed I danced around the room, it meant I could go and see at least the 1st performance of Lillies play yippeee......

In the afternoon I had made a quick couple of pairs of earrings and finished a bag charm that I had started, not 100% happy with it yet but I have a few different bits on order so may swap some bits around.

Here are the earrings, quick and simple

and the bag charm, these take a bit more planning

I am really enjoying making these and have Kerry (Angelswings_2) from the CM&PC forum to thank for inspiring me with her lovely work.

I also made this card for my nephews birthday which is at the end of the week, now all we need to do is try and think what we've bought him and find it in the loft!

'Mater' is 3d'd and looks fab in 'real life' I think it's one of my favourites, I have made it so that if wanted the 'mater' top will actually come off and could be framed, or just blue tacked on the wall, it would be such a shame to throw him away!

Off to bake cakes (12 of them!)

Had a mad crazy day today with visitors. Kay came round with her 2 boys just after lunch, her eldest is a little sod, he does something naughty, says sorry and then laughs, I'm sure he's got invisible horns!! Her youngest is happy enough playing for a while and then he starts crying because he wants her to pick him up, which she does and has done every single time he has cried since being born, I've told her many many times she needs to leave him to cry, so he knows he's not going to get what he wants all of the time, but she doesn't take it on board, you would think 3rd time she would've learnt!?!
Then as she was leaving sis turned up, she wanted me to have Ethan for a little while whilst she took Jordan to the dentist, bless him he was ever so good he came with us to pick Lillie up from school which was a surprise for her. But when Jord got back they trashed the living room, well covered it in toys aarrgghh...!! Still it got cleared up. Jordan is very impressed with my jewelery making and wanted some bits to take home to make me a pair of earrings, but as he had no idea what to do we made a pair together, and then he went and gave them to his mum!!! I don't mind, she has now asked for them to be made in every colour!!

We were all organized to go to playgroup this morning when I checked my phone and there was a text from Mandy saying her little boy had been up since 1am with no intentions of going back to sleep and there were knackered. So we didn't go, instead we went round the house for a little while, she liked her engagement card!
I mentioned that I had made another bracelet and a bag charm and that I had them in the car to show my sister, she said she would like a look, and put in an order for a brown bracelet and bag charm, wow my first order!!!
After we left we went to mum and dads as Claire/sis hang rung earlier and said she had the dentist so would be over for a while. I showed her my jewels and she was very impressed, so much so that she had the brown bracelet there and then as a pressie for her mother-in-law abd she has ordered 2 more bracelets, 1 pair of earrings and 5 bag charms!!! OMG I will be dreaming beads!!!!! But it's so exciting!!
Here is the re-worked red bracelet and newly made earrings to go with it, so that's one part of sis's order complete!

Hollie was happily playing in the room this afternoon and when I went to tell her she had to get her boots and coat on to pick Lillie up from school, she had arranged the 'little people' in this circle! It was so cute she even turned the people so they were all looking into the middle at the baby!! She usually lines them up as if they are going into school like Lillie does!!

What an awful start to the day, I had an absolute nightmare. I always leave things until the last minute. After the card demo I did last month a little lady placed an order for 2 bookatrix cards, no problem, 1 was already made and just needed the verse adding, the other needed making but I got all of the elements ready last night. This morning I made the second card, yep lovely, only to then get my ultimate crafters board out for the first time to make the boxes to realize that no matter what I did the cards would not fit, bu**er!!! I couldn't make the boxes any bigger so had to make the cards smaller, so I had to chop the sides off, ruining one card, so with several swear words started to make everything again from scratch. It was a tense morning but I got it done I hope she likes them after all of the stress I caused myself.
The 1st card is for a Diamond Wedding Anniversary

This one obviously christmas!and this one I've just quickly thrown together for my friend, she texted me yesterday to say Pete (her man) had proposed at the weekend and she accepted, divorced and engaged in the same week, can't be bad!!! I will give it to her tomorrow when we meet up at playgroup.Thinking about it my nightmare actually started last night, after rushing to Norwich with mum and dad and getting back in time to pick Lillie up from school. I then had to crack into getting the dart/domino food ready combined with getting the tea. Only to just get sat down for tea when the phone rings the opposing team had pulled out so the game was cancelled, aarrgghh...... Poor Matthew bless him, he had egg sandwiches for breakfast and a load more for dinner, Lillie and I had tuna, Matthew has the remaining egg ones for tomorrow and everything else got thrown in the freezer. How annoying heh!?!

Managed to get some cards made today inbetween jobs. I have used the same layout as the cards I showed yesterday but slightly altered it.

For some reason I struggle with children (and mens) cards, this isn't too bad I have cut a panel from a sheet of DCWV Nana's kids pad as a topper, the striped paper well it's card really is from the same pad, I love it.

A christmasy oneand another this time with the topper in the middle, I think I like it like this so will make some more!

Hubbys in the garage again this morning creating his masterpieces!!! I saw the original idea in a book and thought "ah.. these are easy enough to make" so sketched a picture for him and now he's making them in his spare time. They are something a bit different to put on the fireplace or anywhere you fancy really, hoping someone may take an interest when we do the craft fair in December.

This is my favourite so far, it's got lots of character!Not sure about these ones made with the off cuts.

Today has been quite productive, well sort of! I got up this morning with the urge to do some beading, I had started putting some beads onto headpins on Wednesday when we went over to mum and dads and did a few more yesterday. So with those in mind thought I would get a bracelet made, which I did in between breakfast, dinner, baking half of my usual cake order (she want 10 sponges again!) and tea!! Oh and a visit from the in-laws who wanted me to type up their house details for them, as they have put the house on the market, not with estate agents yet they have put it in a boating mag which isn't out until the 11th but they had someone phone up interested in it already, must subscribe to the mag, boating because they have moorings! I am really pleased with it and so proceeded to make a handbag charm, I wasn't sure about it but mum thought it was really nice when she brought Lillie back from her sleep over, she also really liked the bracelet.

Here is the bracelet, it looks better in real life!

Bag charm, looks nicer in real life also, was difficult to catch right with the cameraOh and Matthews brother came round to do something to Matthews van (he's a mechanic) it's his youngests birthday tomorrow so I quickly made this card for him to take when he left, all Matthew had to do was put some money inside and give it to him to take, did he? no, so it will have to be delivered tomorrow.Matthew was going to do a couple of gardening jobs today but it rained quite a bit as he was getting ready so decided to stay home. He has also been creative today making chistmas log creations which have tea lights in them. They are hard to explain but they look pretty good and got a good review from mum and dad when he showed them. I will take pictures tomorrow and if I get time I will put them on here then.

It's oh so quiet...!!! Lillie is at mum and dads having a 'sleep over' Matthew is in the room asleep and Hollie is watching Ugly Betty, it won't be long until she nods off, we let her fall asleep downstairs with us when Lillie isn't here, she gets upset going to bed on her own.

I made a few cards today using sketches and ideas from site I just seem to come accross, but once in a while I find one and think 'ah yes I could have a go at that' and then use the style for various different occassions.

Quite plain, quite prettyA floral number, it's funny I've had these little buckles for months and never used them and now I've used 2 in 2 days!a different take on the same style, I really like this one!Can you believe I actually put a christmas bauble on this one, until I realized what I had done and quickly changed it to the balloon, LOL !!Yesterday I looked at the webstie that were covering the food festival we went to at the weekend and they had edited the whole filming down to 2mins 40secs and to my excitement Lillie appears in it twice, once at the beginning and at the end, bless her she's a star!!! Showed mum and dad this afternoon, mum didn't think James looked as nice as when we met him in the past, she says he is getting fat!!!

Someone please tie my hands together, that or take my pc away, I can't stop buying stuff off of ebay at the moment it's terrible!!!!

This morning Hollie and I stayed at school for a while as it is book week and we were invited to go in and have a look at the childrens work and read the 'big books' with them. I had made an excuse and told Lillie I couldn't stay but when I stood in the playground I had a guilt trip and thought I had better, it wasn't so bad!

I have managed to make a few cards today, so here they are :

Firstly I put a greeting on this and added an insert for a friend (momiji) from the CM&PC forum for her grandson.

This is using a template given on the Just Bex forum, you get a bonus point for putting something starting with a 'd' on it, therefore the dress!!This card is using the same elements apart from instead of the dress I have added the hohoho sticker.This card was a request from a friend, I'm not too keen on this image but it's all I had and I'm not sure when she wants it for, it doesn't look so bad!This was made from a sketch from a sketch site whose name I can't remember, using sketches, templates etc is so helpful.I have had these father christmas die cuts since before last christmas, I think this is a pretty funky card if I say so myself!
These are the christmas toppers I have made for a swap on the CM&PC forum hosted by my friend Angelswings_2 it was quite fun making these, I hope whoever receives them likes them.and finally, not made by me!!! This is Hollie's picture she did at playgroup yesterday, I must admit I'm terrible I can't leave her to get on with it I have to straighten everything up and make sure it looks ok!! I thought by adding the face it looked like someone looking out of the window!!! The HB on the point are of course Hollie's initials!I can't believe how much of a nightmare the build up to christmas is becoming. I have agreed and am looking forward to doing a christmas fair at a garden centre where a friend works, the same blooming day Lillie is performing in her school christmas play, lucky for us they are doing a performance the following day. Only to find out yesterday that the playgroup christmas party is that day aaarrrgghh....... it would normally be the following week but I think they thought that too close to christmas so there is no playgroup that week. Hopefully we can fit them both in time wise, Matthew is off to so we may have to split up and one go to one do and one the other but I so hope not I want to be able to do both.