Happy New Year ?

So here we are with another year behind us and a new decade about to begin. Somewhere along the line we stopped celebrating New Year's Eve - but I usually feel at least a sense of anticipation & of new beginnings. But somehow this turning year feels flat and uninspiring !

So maybe time to set out some ambitions - as well as the usual "try to loose weight, get fitter, eat more healthily" !!

So some crafting ambitions - I really do want to try to learn to draw this year - and to use more crafting goodies than I buy !! And to be more creative in my scrapping - surely I can use all my lovely stamps more effectively ?

And to get an art journal going - just somewhere to play & be creative - nothing for public viewing !! I just need to START - and not think & fuss & dither- just get stuck in & get messy !!

So lets take a deep breath & head into the new decade - hoping for the best !

Oh no it's not... oh yes it is !

So Boxing Day - and the traditional family walk - for those of us in the mood it was off down to the Millenium Walk in Llanelli to blow away the cobwebs by the sea !
Then after the equally traditional Boxing Day meal of cold meats & pickles - plus a smattering of party foods ! - we set off to the Panto - Sleeping Beauty at the Swansea Grand. Rich had decided we would go in style and booked a limo !! So we had a swishy trip there and back - and lots of booing & cheering in the right places at the panto too !

Merry Christmas !

Well here we are with another Christmas Day drawing to a close ! The presents opened, the cava quaffed, the turkey dinner munched - the Christmas telly programmes watched & all in all we had a very pleasurable day together !! The Christmas meal went very smoothly and I was complimented on the table settings ! We have had every weather imaginable - from an icy start & clear blue skies to such a massive storm tonight that - with a thunder clap that was like a bomb exploding - the whole street was temporarily plunged into total darkness as the power went off everywhere for a minute before kicking back in ! I had some fun gifts all of which were appreciated & apart from that it would have been lovely to see my family, it has been a good Christmas so far !

Christmas Eve ...and all round the house - all sorts was stirring !

The family made their respective treks through yesterday's snowy weather - and made it safely ! We now have guests in every bedroom & even camped in the study - lots of life & fun in the house. Rich & I got let out of work at 1pm, so can spend the afternoon relaxing & watching Christmas films on the telly !
Just a photo of the bird cage all it up - a bit of Christmas whimsy !
Merry Christmas to any bloggers who stop past !

Christmas Crafting !

The list of things to do this weekend was extensive - lots of bed making for impending guests & a pile of ironing still lying in wait for me ! But I did get time to craft a last couple of bits - I wanted to make my own place cards for the Chritmas Table - and have struggled to think what to do - in the end some wired ribbon came to the rescue ! A few gold pegs from an unused "hang up your Christmas cards kit" and a bit of stamping & they are ready to go !

I also finished my little birds & popped them into their Christmas bird cage !

First snow fall of this Christmas season fell unexpectedly overnight .. all very pretty but a pain to drive & walk in !!

I am pleased that I'm keeping up with my JYC pages - yesterday's & todays just completed.

So now off to rescue my adorable husband who is cleaning the oven !! And blow up guest beds !!

Christmas Countdown

So we are well into the Christmas countdown now with quite a few things safely under our belt - cards & presents done, even a huge casserole slow cooked & in the freezer !! This weekend as well as last minute food shopping - and maybe a new top to wear Christmas Day !! - plus a frenzy of bed making for all the guests I really want to get the place cards made. I've had the templates of these on my desk for weeks trying to get inspired to do them - perhaps a deadline will focus my mind !! I also have my little Christmas birds cut out & stitched but not turned through or stuffed & finished - so that's another job !!

So no crafting pictures yet - but I am very pleased with how this recent picture turned out - taken whilst crossing the Severn Bridge as the sun was rising last week !

Journal Your Christmas 2009

I've been so busy trying to keep on track with this year's Journal Your Christmas with Shimelle Laine, I've sorely neglected my new blog ! The class starts each day with a "prompt" - an e-mail with ideas & suggestions for that day's page - it runs from 1st December to Twelfth Night. So far I am at least managing to do something for it each day - if not actually get the whole page done !

I'm really pleased with how my tree is looking this year, and am feeling virtuous as all my presents are bought & wrapped, all the cards sent - and yet still there is that nagging feeling of stress at the bottom of my tummy that I might not be quite on top of things & no-one will enjoy coming here for their Christmas. I need to get a bit more food planning done & the conservatory decorated to lower those adrenalin levels - let's hope I can pack a lot into next Sunday !!

We're in the Money !

Last week M&S invited us to a Christmas evening at the local store in Carmarthen. As part of the visit we got to pick 5 items from their penny bazaar in which everything was a penny to commemorate their 125 year anniversary.

One of the items I choose was a little tin money box - a great base to alter ! So I have gone for a "country" look with fabric, a little sign I bought at a show ages ago, a couple of twiggy hearts & a tiny rusty Angel. I'm quite pleased with the effect & it is now on my bedside table collecting money for my next Artsy Crafty weekend !!

I'm also well on my way getting ready for this year's Journal Your Christmas class with Shimelle Laine. She has recommended getting all the pages cut & ready so when things get hectic in December as they inevitably do, you are well placed to get a page done quickly !

More next time !

Tag Team !

I have had a happy crafty weekend - I found a cute little Maya Road tags set and had fun reacquainting myself with embossing which I hadn't done for ages. I rarely work with blues but I wanted a wintery effect without being Christmas-y - and blue and silver seemed to fit the bill. It was a re-learning exercise to find out that the stamps you use shouldn't have too much detail as this doesn't come out well with the embossing powder. So a bit of silver paint had to be slapped on to cover up a mess-up but it all added to the effect !

I spent today happily working with metal & ink to get some more examples ready for my metal work demo on Wednesday - this time to create something suitable for scrapbooking.

And to get some illustrated notes written up with some metal work basics.

Happily they are now all ready to be checked over tomorrow & printed !

On my metal !

I'm not really sure what to show the girls at our Scrapbooking Club when I demo metal working - so I decided to root out the Christmas Canvasses I started back in Sept 2008 on the first Artsy Crafty course. The day was very hectic & I didn't get time to finish it before I left for the long trek back to Wales. All the elements had sat in my project box for over a year - so I added in some new images from the Nut & Meg stamps & finally got it finished !!

I really should do more metal work as I do find it very rewarding & relaxing !!

Everyday Doings !

What would be everyday to me might be something unusual to someone elsewhere in the world ? Today was spent battling with a 25 metre long travelling oven trying to cook burgers in a safe & delicious way ! And being presented new smoked seasoning ingredients. All in a days work but not what everyone does I suppose !! DH & I had an enjoyable night out seeing Alistair McGowen last night - what courage it must take to walk out on a stage & just tell amusing stories & give his great vocal impressions to entertain people for 2 hours ! You really satnd or fall by your own skills with no-where to hide (he did it very well !) - that must be a lesson for life. I'm hoping to get some metal-work crafty bits done over the weekend as samples for a demo to my little scrapbooking club in Gorseinon in a couple of weeks - lets hope housework etc can be kept at bay long enough to get nicely covered in glimmer mist & alcohol ink !!

Surrounded by crafty talent !!

Hi I just felt I had to share this accidently great fun photo ! Last month I went on my third brilliant ArtsyCrafty weekend - run by Leandra of Paperartsy & Linda of LB Crafts. They always bring some of the brilliant artwork crafts they have done & display them for us to be inspired.
I take photos & print them off to keep in my "crafter's block" folder - when I get stuck for an idea or a colour combo I flick throught them & am always inspired !!
I took this photo of a lovely mirror frame the girls had brought to show us & managed to catch myself squarely in the mirror - just where I love to be - surrounded by arty crafts !!

Why do I want to have a Blog then ?

Shimelle asked us to consider why we have joined the course & why we are wanting to have a blog in the first place ?

It took me a while to think it over but I have come up with a few thoughts ... !

I think one key reason is that I get a great deal of pleasure out of preserving my memories - both the process of doing this and later. I like to take out my memories like treasures from a box & re-examine them & I find this reminising a positive thing for me.

I enjoyed keeping a daily diary when I did the Learn Something New Everyday course in September & although I doubt I shall blog everyday I thought a blog might be a good way to keep a diary,

Having no technical nouse whatsoever I thought the course would be a great way to learn HOW to do this with the great notes from Shimelle & the support of all the other people on the course too !!

On choosing to include my Crafting as a key part of my blog - well I love dabbling in all sorts of crafts and having moved on from quilting & embroidery I am now a keen scrapbooker and am dabbling in altering things & stamping. But although I love all the paint & ink & creating something from nothing I do struggle once it is done with - well what to do with it now !! I have been encouraged to find all these other girls out there who are happily crafting away too !! I am hoping that my blog will be a place to get comfortable in my crafty skin !!

Scrapping Our Hallowe'en

At last after a hectic October, we had a quite weekend with nothing planned - so the opportunity for a serious scrapping session was too good to miss. So my scrap-tally for the weekend was 6 double page spreads with our photos from our break in Mallorca in September and 2 12x12's of our hallowe'en party.
Last month I had spotted a Maya Road Pumpkin shaped chip-board mini book when I made a detour via The Stamp Attic (great shop in Wantage) and thought it would be ideal for a mini book of the party. So having managed to turn my fingers bright orange with Spiced Marmalade distress ink plus some covered pages and a bevy of stickers (bargin from Poundland !) I am really pleased with how it turned out !
What a luxury to have time to dedicate to scrapping without real life getting in the way !!

First Spoonful into the Cauldron !

So here I am taking my first step into blogging - I have been prompted to set up my blog through joining Shimelle Laine's "Blogging for Scrapbookers" course which kicks off on Monday.

I have everything to learn - just managed to attach a photo - here are the family getting in the Hallowe'en spirit !!

So I'm hoping a few Hallowe'en Spells will work their magic & I'll be up & running by the time the course is over this time next month !