Bye Bye 2010

I always feel very philosphical on the last day of the year and this one is no exception. I like to reflect on my life and it's happenings, and 2010 has definately been another year of change for little old me. One of my wee cats departed this world, I've moved into a home I can call my own (it's been a bit scary discovering the quirks and foibles of Mushroom Cottage but I still love it!) and in crafting I've opened a Folksy shop and designed my own little characters, which I hope to develop further in 2011!

All these changes have made me realise just how much I appreciate the good friends and family who have been there through good times and bad - thanks, folks, and I'm sorry if I've been grumpy and grouchy at various points!

Well that's all a bit deep, so on a lighter note, here's a selection of the pretty gifts I received for Crimble:

You'll notice I have been given a mini hot water bottle (Yay!)! Now I can have cosy feet wherever I go!

I'm not a great one for sales and usually avoid shops (apart from the one I work in!) like the plague after Christmas, but I've been needing some new boots for a while so I decided to treat myself to some new Skechers:

Really looking forward to wearing these! They were a bargain too!

Oh Gawd, whilst typing this I've eaten half a box of marzipan fruits! That can't be good, surely?

I'd like to wish you all a happy and safe New Year and all the best for 2011!!!

Christmas Has Been and Gone!

Well, that's Christmas over for another year. I hope you all had a good one! I got some nice wee pressies and spent a pleasant, happy day with my parents. The roast veg and brie puff pastry plait that my vegetarian Dad and I had in place of turkey was delish (thanks, Vanessa, for that recipe!) and, although I was without running water for a short time on Boxing Day, the slight thaw in the weather has been very welcome!

And now, before the year is even over, my card-making thoughts turn to the next big event - Valentine's Day! I have been mulling over some new paper-pieced designs and trying out a couple:

And the multi-purpose sheep have been made into a flock so that I can put together some mini Thank Ewe notecards (always useful to have around during the post-Christmas period!)

Look out for these in my Folksy shop soon!

Just Wanted To Say....

Thank You to all my lovely readers. I really appreciate you stopping by my humble, crafty little blog and hope to bring you lots, lots more after the festive season is over. Meantime, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Have a lovely, happy day, I hope Santa is good to you, and most of all....

Don't eat too much Christmas pud!!!!

See you soon!!!!!

Festive Cheer

Ah! There's nothing that says "Christmas" like a big ole' glass of mulled wine, doncha think?? That's what I've warmed my "cockles" with this evening, and, combined with resting my feet on a hot water bottle, I'm all nice and toasty whilst outside the Big Freeze continues. I really think the North Pole has moved and is now situated somewhere in the UK (probably about 2 miles down the road!). Far and away the best purchase I have made recently has been my wellies, which remind me of Mr Blobby:

I'm all done with my Christmas shopping now so can breathe a sigh of relief on that score. As I'm planning to conjure up a vegetarian masterpiece on the big day for my father and me, I'm desperately hoping not to have a repeat of the culinary disaster that befell me the other night when cooking for Himself. I was in the middle of creating a lovely cheese sauce for our gnocchi bake, when I decided to add some salt. I never usually add salt to food, and never will again; as a result of my firm tapping, the salt shaker fell apart, depositing around 20kg (near enough) of salt into my cheese sauce, thus rendering it unusable! Arg! Luckily I had a minscule amount of milk left so was able to make a new batch, but I was muttering unmentionables under my breath for quite a while afterwards!

I'll leave you with a pic of my Christmassy gift tags:

And a sneak preview of my "micro paper piecings" which should hopefully see the light of day soon:

Byee!

Felt like an Owl'd Bag!

Yesterday I enjoyed a very productive day off. My parents came bearing spade, so hopefully I stand more chance of digging myself out when the next bout of snow-hell comes. I put up my Christmas tree (with much swearing - my tree is only 3 feet tall and the lights, decorations and tinsel I have are designed for a tree twice the bloomin' size! So it all ends up looking a bit overcrowded):

Stumpy the Dwarf Pine!

In the evening I felt creative, so I undertook a project which allowed me to combine my two great crafting loves - felt and cardmaking.

I came across little owl toppers I made ages ago that I did nothing with, and decided it was high time I made little notecards with them:

They are my new favourite size - 4 inches square - and I made a set of 6. Just straightforward and blank for one's own message.

Then I jazzed up a cute little jute bag that Himself's mum gave me (it had a jar of chocolate sauce in it originally - smlurch!) and used felt to create a wee owl embellishment for the front. The bag makes the perfect holder for the set of cards and their envelopes, to give as a gift!

Sorry about all the different views - it was hard to photograph!

The bag still requires a matching owl label to be tied on with twine, but I'm quite pleased with this new concept! I'll need to get more of those jute bags!

Plush Pals

There hasn't been much card-making going on here of late, what with all the snow carnage (kitchen ceiling is intact and drying out - for the moment), but I have turned my "hand" to a bit more sewing and the result is a new playmate for Frank.

Spike still has to have his "emblem" applied and requires a bit of stitching-up in the, aherm, nether regions, but Frank was still pleased to make his acquaintance. The cheeky pair are certainly brightening up my craft room!

I've had a very pleasant weekend, I'm pleased to say. Himself and I ventured into Edinburgh to do some Christmas shopping on Saturday; we had delish cappucinos in a nice little Italian cafe on George Street and people-watched, then we ventured into the German Market, which was absolutely mobbed, with about 250 people per square inch of pavement. Not for the faint-hearted, and we didn't even get to have any gluhwein!

Yesterday was a "mock" Christmas dinner at Himself's parents, with such an enormous spread laid on that we were physically unable to move for hours afterwards. And the Very Cute Nephew kept us all deeply entertained with his toddler antics.

So, all in all, I'm feeling a tad more festive now!

Yay!

Sigh...

Just when I thought I was getting a handle on all things wintery and snowy, in came a fresh wave of stressage. My flat kitchen roof was piled high with snow and on Tuesday evening I was panicked to notice an ominous wet patch developing on the ceiling. A wet patch that has gradually spread and now looks like this:

A portent of doom if ever there was one, especially considering that several of my neighbours' flat kitchen roofs have already caved in. Sob! So this week everything, including all craftiness, has ground to a halt, depressingly, and I'm struggling to feel at all festive. I am trying to accept that things like this happen and I'm not alone in having problems as a result of the excessive snow (feel free to share your tales of wintery woe!). A kindly neighbour has offered to unblock the problem pipe, so fingers crossed there won't be a roof-collapse situation, but if there is, well, I will have to adhere to the old saying: KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!

Hopefully I'll be back with some craftation soon!

Snow is Pants!!

Hello, folks, welcome to what feels like Day 257 of my Enforced Hibernation as the weather takes it's toll once more on the nation's roads. I am Without Car (it's at work, I am home, long story!) and the buses are on an almost non-existant service today so ptthhhpttthhhh!!!!!

It wouldn't seem so bad if I could summon up my Mojo from it's place under the duvet, but so far, no luck. Last night it made a brief appearance, which allowed me to complete a custom order card:

The train is an old Sizzix diecut and I cut the letters out on the Cricut. I'm quite pleased with how it's come out!

OK, time to go and top up my hot water bottle and check the bus updates AGAIN. Fingers crossed I can get moving tomorrow no matter WHAT!!!!

Free At Last!!!

Well, I'm glad to report that I'm feeling decidedly more human again, after a couple more days of being home-bound because of the snow. On Friday I made it to the dentist (er, hurrah!?) but only because that was in walking distance; my car remained engulfed by a wall of snow until Friday afternoon, when my dear friend Angela, sensing that I was going slowly insane at being unable to get to work, loaned me her husband for a short while! No, nothing dodgy! He came bearing a shovel and some brute force to dig my little car, Rusty, out of his igloo, and so, FINALLY, I was mobile once more!!

This act of kindness meant that I was able to attend a demo day that my place of work was holding on Saturday (I was sooo nervous about being one of the demonstrators but I ended up really enjoying it). Let's just say, top priority on my next shopping list is a bloomin' shovel!

So I, or rather, Fergus the cat, would just like to say to Angela and Jon:

P.S. And I now have double-sided tape - hurrah!!

Getting Fed Up Now...

Monday ~ Travel into work despite snow. Bit scary driving on the slippery roads but manage to get there and back, and feel all brave and virtuous, etc.

Tuesday ~ Feel decidedly less brave and virtuous. Car starting to disappear under mounds of snow. No shovel available. Roads look scary. Decide not to leave house but manage to be very productive craftwise so that's kind of OK.

Completed: Small Notepads

Completed: Tall Notepads

Completed: Calenders

Completed: Christmas Cards

Result: Reasonably Happy

Wednesday ~ Car snow-bound after continuous flurries of the white stuff for 24 hours. No hope of moving it. No buses running. Another day at home. Cabin Fever setting in. No double-sided tape in house. No craft productivity whatsoever. Bed feels like the best place to be.

Argh!

Sob!

Waaahhh!

Ppphhhhttthhhhhh!!!!

Result - Miserable.

Thursday ~ Still ********** snowing!!! Manage to clear approx 1/2 square inch from round car wheels despite about an hour's work. Another day at home beckons. Phone calls to family and friends to discuss situation. Trying to overcome general feelings of uselessness, etc. Looking for alternative to d-sided tape so I can make stuff!

Result - Cross but Determined to Create!!!

Hope you're all safe and warm, wherever you are!

Feeling Festive - Or Not?

Well, I was feeling quite Christmassy yesterday but today, what with all the snow that's falling and the fact that it's soooo cold, I've wanted to do nothing but hibernate. It took a great deal of willpower to force me from my "pit" this morning and now that it's already getting dark again, with more snow forecast, all I want to do is crawl back in there!

It was quite a different matter yesterday. There had been some snowfall early on, but the rest of the day was sunny, crisp and frosty, and it was lovely to visit the Hopetoun House Christmas Craft fair, where Himself's mum had a stall. It's a lovely house and grounds and we very much enjoyed wandering around. My camera lens seemed to have some annoying specks on it but I didn't notice that when I took all my photos!

Even entering the building made me feel festive:

And inside, all the Christmas decorations and cinnamony-smelling candles added to the effect:

After perusing the stalls we took a walk round the grounds:

It's quite an impressive building:

My shadow makes me look as tall as he is! (I'm not)

The fountain was in full flow:

A snowy owl?

Doggy Graves:

Another festive entrance:

It was lovely to come in from the cold and enjoy steaming bowls of pumpkin soup in the tearoom afterwards, before having another wander round the stalls. Very enjoyable and definately worth a visit!

In the evening it was my workplace's Christmas night out. A good laugh and tasty meal was enjoyed by all and the Secret Santa presents were a success. I had been a little nervous about giving mine, as I'm still new to making felt critters:

But I think it was well-received.

And I certainly loved my gift, which was a fabby stationery set:

Thank you, Santa! ;o)


I'm still feeling a bit under the weather at the mo, but hopefully it's nothing a hot meal and even hotter bath won't sort out before braving the drive to work tomorrow!

Byeeee!

Cupcakey Winner!

Well, the time has come to announce the lucky winner of my CUPCAKE GIVEAWAY! Many thanks to all who entered and who left such lovely comments, I appreciate you taking the time to do that!

I've used the random number generator to pick my winner:

Comment number 8 was left by Kerry Fairy so many congratulations to you! I have emailed you for your address so your prize should be winging it's way to you forthwith!!

Thanks again to all the entrants! Look out for more giveaways on this blog!

Back To Work

Yes, after a very enjoyable and to-do-list-conquering week off, I am now back to working the day job. Can't complain really, because it did feel like I was off for aaaages! I am pleased with what I achieved - 80% of my Christmas cards made, Secret Santa gift almost complete, car serviced and MOT'd, friends caught up with, registration with the library (hooray!) and the dentist (boo!) in my new area, etc etc.

And to top it all, a very pleasant weekend. Went to see Himself's family (including Very Cute Nephew), followed by a Body Shop partaay at my friend Clare's on Saturday, and then a visitation from my family on Sunday, at which we ate my home-made Bounty Balls and Butterscotch Bars! It really has been all go!

There has been some creating, including these Little Tree gift tags, which will be going into my Folksy shop.

And an update on my giveaway - many thanks to all who have entered so far and have left such lovely comments. Tonight I am going to work on the MYSTERY part of the prize and results will be announced on Thursday. There's still time to enter, so don't be shy!

Folksy Friday - Vegetables!

My previous post on chutney, combined with the fact that for the last couple of years, I have been a vegetarian, has inspired my Folksy Friday this week to be about VEGETABLES!

It has to be said, there aren't many items on Folksy that come under that heading but here are my faves:

This crate of realistic-looking mixed veg from Grandma's Miniature Market:

This "Go Veggie" apron from total radness:

This 5-a-day Card from Liz Clayton Illustration:

This cute corn brooch by Sarah Von Kim:

And as this Peter Rabbit knitted bunny by The Hunny Bunny Company is holding a carrot, he counts too!

Hope you liked my selcetion of veggie-themed items! Now I'm off to make some carrot and coriander soup!

Nice Friend

I had a visit from my friend Michelle and her family yesterday. It was the first time she'd seen my new abode and she brought me the most adorable house-warming pressie. Look at these cuties:

The two end ones are eggcups and the middle ones hold salt and pepper. I love them!

Not only that, Michelle also brought me some home-made chutney which contains her own tomatoes and other veggie goodies:

I've had some with oatcakes and cheese for lunch today and it's absolutely delish. So thanks Michelle!

Cupcakey Giveaway! (AKA Free Stuff!)

Hello there, dear readers, hope you're having a good day! I've been thinking for a while of having a wee giveaway, and as I'm nearly at 200 followers on Twitter and 50 "likers" of my Folksy shop, now's as good a time as any!

So, for your delectation, here's a selection of cupcake-themed goodies which are up for grabs:

There's a calendar:

A bookmark:

A notepad:

And a wee surprise extra, but only the winner will find out what that is!

So, cupcake-lovers, to enter all you need to do is:

- Check out my Folksy Shop

- Leave a comment here, telling me your favourite item from my shop and why.

- Ensure I can contact you through your comment

I will pick a numbered comment at random on Thursday 25th November. If this giveaway is a success there will be more to come!

Hope to hear from you soon! :o)