Sunday 31 January 2010

Perfect Sunday

Breakfast, Sunday papers, tennis (no luck Andy), cooked and made a new baby card - fantastic! Can you believe January is nearly over already? Not only has it been a perfect Sunday but the old diet is not doing too badly either.

Diet Update
Weight: 11 st. 9 lbs (woo-hoo)
Weight Loss: 7lbs (14 blocks of butter)
Crisps: None (I'm a saint)
Exercise: None (v.bad)

Anyway back to the card. I've used Funky Hand DP, cuttlebug embossing, hand stitching, topper made from Cricut George Cartridge, a button, a ribbon and a little gem.



I'm entering it into the following challenges:

Hand Full of Stamps - Hearts
Fussy and Fancy - Hearts
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Hearts
Pink Elephant - Polka dots, a bow and pink

Thanks for looking!

Saturday 16 January 2010

Is There Any Good News?

The heating went on the blink on Wednesday, got it fixed on Friday and there we were sitting in our version of the Bahamas when we had a power cut. Thankfully it only lasted about an hour but it makes you realise how much you take things for granted. Today a shelf fell off the wall and broke a Doulton vase. So is there any good news I here you ask? Well jumped on the old scales this morning (5 days into diet) and I've lost 2.5 lbs - that's the equivalent of 5 blocks of butter I'm no longer carrying around with me.

Onto the card which is for the Friday Sketchers and Allsorts Challenge. The DP is from Summer Driggs Bubblegum and Licorice collection and the image is from MFT. I've added a little bit of the stripe DP underneath the sentiment on the insert which reads 'Good Friends Are Priceless'.



Thanks for looking!



Diet Update
Weight: 11 st. 13.5 lbs (woo-hoo)
Weight Loss: 5 blocks of butter
Crisps: None (I'm a saint)
Exercise: None (v.bad)

Tuesday 12 January 2010

OMG

12 stone 2 lbs

You are having a laugh! I think Antonio Carluccio has a lot to answer for. Thanks very much for the words of encouragement - I think I would like to lose around 2 stones (28 lbs yee Gods). I'm not one for these fat clubs or anything like that but I think I'll keep you updated regularly - so here goes.

Weight: 12 stone 2 lbs (v. bad)
Calorie Intake: 1200 (v. good)
Crisps: Absolutely none (hurrah)
White wine: Half a glass (good)
Water Intake: A Lake!

Sunday 10 January 2010

D-Day Tomorrow...

...diet day that is. We've just about used up all the 'junk' from Crimbo, had our 'last supper' at a local Italian and tomorrow it's time to pull in the reins.

Weigh in first...which I'll post and that should shame me into sticking to it.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Bubblegum and Licorice

This is my card for the Caardvarks challenge - I don't think I've entered this one before. The prize is a whopping $100 voucher from the sponsor JustRite stamps - how cool is that? The challenge was a lovely sketch and here is my interpretation.



The DP is from Summer Driggs Bubblegum and Licorice collection (it reminds be a bit of those Blackcurrant and Licorice sweeties) and the sentiment is from WordArt World. I've used a Fiskars border punch for the scallops, hand stitched the vertical lines and added a bow, a button and some gems to finish.

I quite pleased with the way this one has turned out - I really like the sentiment to be the star of the show.

Thanks for looking!

Tuesday 5 January 2010

Opposites Attract

What a perfect day! I've made a bracelet and two cards and of course done a bit of blog hopping.

I've made these New Year cards - one for friends in Italy and the other for a colleague from work who is going through cancer treatment. I've used Shabby Princess Seasonal Sampler Winter - I love the muted colours and the spots and stripes combo - each card has the opposite paper as the main attraction. The sentiment is computer generated with a little padded silver star and I've added a border punched element with some ribbon and a button. I'm entering both cards into Rosie Dee's Challenge which is a free theme and to the Papertake Weekly Challenge which is New Beginnings.






Off now to think about dinner. Last night we had fabulous Sticky Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Honey which is a Nigel Slater recipe. Tonight I think it will be Baked Ham with Antonio Carluccios Patate al Forno con Cipolle e Aglio (Baked Potatoes with Onion and Garlic). I might make a little Zabaglione and serve with Amaretti Di Saronno biscuits (haven't started the diet yet you'll have noticed).

Anyway, whatever you are doing I hope you have a great time and thanks for looking!

Saturday 2 January 2010

Funky Wine Bar

Last challenge of today and this time it is for Get Funky! the theme of which is Spots and Stripes - my favourite. I've used my new MFT digital image (so I can also enter the Stamp Something Challenge) which has been paper pieced with Funky Daze papers.



The downside of the digital versions of these MFT stamps is that you don't get the accessory images with them so I've had to draw the canopy freehand - I think it looks OK. The letters on the canopy were cut using the Sizzix Slobbery Kiss alphabet die.

I need to get ready now to go out - I'd rather stay in as it's baltic outside - that's if I can fit into anything. I made scones this morning and I've just had one with mascarpone and strawberry jam - honestly it had to be done!

Thanks for looking!

Clean and Simple

My motto! Over on Our Creative Corner the theme is clean and simple. My entry is a little girl's birthday card and is nothing more than the image, a ribbon, the sentiment and a few gems. This is my kind of card with plenty of white. The image is one of Pink Petticoat's Frilly Millie's - I think this is Bonbon.



I hope you like her and thanks for looking!

New Beginnings

Over on the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge the theme is New Beginnings. The challenge is to create anything with a "new theme" - home, baby, job etc. My entry is for a new baby and has been made using Pink Petticoat Big Dots, some ribbon in the shape of babies bottles (how cute is that!), some embossing, a punched border, a big bow, a button and a little star gem. The card also fits in with the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge, the My Time to Craft Challenge and the By The Cute and Girly Challenge.



Thanks for looking!

Friday 1 January 2010

If At First You Don't Succeed...

I thought I'd check back to see what resolutions I made last year and whether or not I kept them. They were:

1) to stop buying lotions and potions till I've finished everything that I currently own (gloomy profits forecast for Boots then)
2) to stop keeping things for 'good'. So starting as I mean to go on I'm sitting here, admittedly in my jammies, swathed in Chanel No.5 from top to toe and it feels good (cue James Brown)!

I failed on both counts - I think the keeping things for 'good' is an age thing - from when you didn't have that much so you had everyday things and things that were kept for special occasions.

So lets try again - my resolutions for this year (lets hope I have more success in keeping them) are:

1) to finish all cosmetic/toiletries before buying/opening new ones
2) to stop keeping things for 'good' - enjoy the things I'm fortunate enough to have
3) lose weight

I hope you had more success with your resolutions and once again I would like to wish you all a very happy New Year.

Happy New Year

All together now:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp !
and surely I'll be mine !
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pu'd the gowans fine ;
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot,
sin auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,
frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
sin auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere !
and gie's a hand o' thine !
And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne

You are now officially Scottish!

Happy 2010 and I wish everyone the very best in the coming year.