What a difference a week makes !

We have at last seen the melting of the snow & on Friday my garden finally reemerged from 15 days of snow cover. Not much in comparison to those parts of the world that freeze for months on end - but the longest I have ever experienced !!Never thought I would be so glad to see heavy rain - but after 3 years complaining about the rain in Wales it was fabulous to see it defeat the snow & the roads & pavements become safe again ! Now we just have to wait to see which of our plants have survived the freezing temperatures & the snow .. that won't become clear for a few weeks I think.

We finally got to swim - yippee! And a walk in the Botanic Gardens where I saw my first snowdrops of the year - and even a few daffodils about to break bud. How miraculous that all that was waiting under the snow !

No time for crafting this week - but have prepared a project kit to make a mini book of our trip to Pembrokeshire last September - for when I get a creative slot come up !

Snow = time for crafting !

It's an ill snow storm that blows no crafter any good !! With Wales in the grip of the longest freezing spell in 30 years, we are just venturing out to do what is essential - and then coming back to our nice warm nest to huddle ! With the garden out of bounds - and the ironing done ! - there is time to get crafty !

So I have worked on the first 2 pages in my Art Journal. After a month Journalling my Christmas (and I was delighted to have kept up & finished this project & tucked it up for the year with a nice silver ribbon !!) I was ready to dismantle that project box (that worked so well - having all the likely stuff I would need in one box meant being so much speedier & less time wasted hunting about for things - note to self - do this again !!). I needed an antidote to red green & blue - so inspired by an article in Feb's Craft Stamper magazine - I wheeled out my new Invoke Art Heart Stamps & heart punch and went for a full on dose of sugar pink - layering onto mulberry paper & glimmer misting before adding the hearts. A nice bit of sugar-y sentiment to start off my Journal !

On my new page per day calender at work there is a little motto each day - and I loved the one for Thursday. "Great ideas need landing gear as well wings". How true - an idea just floats about as a fluffy cloud unless you actually DO something to get it into action. Hence the ideas floating about as clouds, then shaping up into more box shaped and then some grounding gear, some wheels & a steering wheel to drive the idea when I've got it landed. It was fun to take the phrase & work up the idea into something pictorial !

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 !!