Just a little test

It doesn't seem easy to insert an audio clip in to Blogger without having your own webspace to upload the clip too. So am trying a "still life" video to see if it works.

Cards

Digi Paper & Digi Image by Pink Petticoat, Buttons from the Fabric shop, Thimble Embellishment from Dunhelm Mill, Magnolia DooHickey Tilda Doily Die Cut purchased at The Glitterpot.

Animal Crackers!

Blimey! It's been a fortnight since I last posted. Our whole house is in an uproar as DH has decided to decorate the stairs & hallway while I have been very busy in my own modest way running two farms and a cafe (On Facebook!) We have been to the cinema twice (The Blind Side - Very good, Happy Ever afters _ Meh!* ) And the theatre once to see Dave Gorman doing "SIT DOWN, PEDAL, PEDAL, STOP AND STAND UP (ONLY WITHOUT THE PEDAL, PEDAL BIT)" I laughed my socks off, husband somewhat more restrained. Other than that it's been the usual domestic trivia of going to work, coming back from work, making bunting, doing the bare minimum of housework to keep the house beyond the interest of Kim & Aggie. So to the Animal Crackers of the title - which will have to wait for another day or I'll never publish this post and visit anyone else's blog - I have spent a bit too much time on Farmville and too little on other stuff.

Crufts, and trivets and other stuff

I notice that Crufts is sponsored this year by DFS sofas. Also a little while ago I read that DFS are the most frequent and highest spending TV advertiser. Who the heck is buying all these sofas to warrant all this expenditure? We bought our sofas more than 10 years ago (From M&S) and they are still in pretty good nick even though the covers are a bit tatty(Nothing that a new set from Plumbs wouldn't fix) Are we a nation of sofa buying maniacs? On the topic of sponsorship I noticed that "The Vampire Diaries" on TV is sponsored by Mentos which raised a smile :)

In the category of "Shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted" today I bought some pink silicon trivets from Dunhelm Mills - two for 50p, I was well pleased although I would have been more pleased if I'd bought them BEFORE burning the kitchen counter by putting a hot pan down on it. Still, pink eh?

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant hapus

It's funny how two completely different things seem to gel in your mind. Recently I mentioned to Nikki how much I was enjoying the trend for mashing two names together like Jedward. I told her that two of my daughter's housemates, a couple called James and Anne-Marie are known to one and all as Jam-Marie, which cracks me up every time I hear it. Me and my DH would be Derrkie which I'm not sure about :) Back in the day (the early sixties) when my cousin Angela got married, she and her husband Trevor followed the trend at the time and ran their names together to make their house name "Trevange" At this time my father was stationed in Chepstow (this being St.David's Day put me in mind of this) and we lived in Married Quarters in Wyvern Road which was stuck out on a piece of land within a whisker of the Severn Bridge, between where the Wye river enters the Severn estuary and the Severn estuary itself. My parents always maintained that Wyvern was a mash-up (although I doubt they used this term) of Wye and Severn to take into account its unique position. I have subsequently discovered however that Wyvern is the Welsh word for Dragon but I am still fond of the mashing theory.

Of course there is also the mashing of Christian and Surnames such as Subo. I wonder how Amanda Holden would feel about being dubbed A Man Hole (or God forbid, A Hole!)

Toothbrushes and Brides

DD came home for a fleeting visit on Thursday to attend an interview for a Summer job and forgot to bring a toothbrush with her. In her normal insouciant way she didn't announce this until gone ten o'clock at night resulting in a madcap jaunt around the local late night shops searching for one. Before we left I looked on the internet to check what time Sainsburys shut and discovered that there was a Sainsburys Local that I didn't know about marginally closer so we set off to visit that. When we got there all the lights were ablaze and staff in uniforms were scurrying about within but the door wouldn't open. A lady Sainsburian mouthed at me through the glass "We're not open, come back at 7 O'clock tomorrow morning" "Not likely" I thought, my dander well and truly up "We're here NOW, what could possibly prevent us from purchasing a toothbrush" I pointed at the sign that declared "Open 7 a.m. t0 11 p.m." "It's only half past ten" I mouthed sternly through the glass. "Yes tomorrow is our first day" she mouthed back "It's a brand new shop" I felt a bit of a fool then and started to giggle. Luckily our little part of the world, despite not being renown for its 24 hour retail experience does have a few places open so we were able to find a toothbrush for the girl!
On Friday we went out to eat at the Cock Inn, our favourite place to go for a spur of the moment meal out. Although the restaurant is a modern addition and quite spacious the actual bar in the original old building although quite charming is very small and it was full to the gunwales with people dressed to the nines. Men in tailcoats, ladies in smart dresses and as we went in I took my place at the bar next to a young lady in a full length white satin gown, her hair adorned with flowers. As I looked around there were wrapped presents and bunches of white balloons tied with satin ribbons. We placed our drinks orders and after we'd been served DH observed "I think this must be a wedding" Well, he has had a lot on his mind lately :) We all enjoyed the meal and DH went to the bar to settle up - DD and I went straight out to stand beside the car and watched as a photographer seemed to be taking candid shots of the smokers stood around outside. He then stood at the pub door and snapped a few of the inside. The wind was bitingly cold in the car park and I said to DD "I hope Dad won't be long" "You don't think he's posing for photographs do you?" She said :)

What a difference a day makes!

Things sure have changed here on Walton's Mountain. There's going to be some belt tightening on the horizon.

New Chairs for Old

We've had our dining room table and chairs for ever and they were 2nd hand when we got them, cast-offs from the in-laws. Over the years the regency striped fabric on the seat pads became grubby and threadbare and we talked of recovering them but never seemed to get round to it. About a year ago I bought some nice Cath Kitson fabric that went with the slub green walls in the dining room, but in my usual apathetic way, just left it to one side with the thought that I'd do it "one day" - Well "one day" last week my husband came into the computer room waving a seat pad covered in the aforementioned fabric and said "What do you think?" Well I thought "Hurrah!" and over the course of the weekend he covered them all. They look fabulous, I'm so pleased with them. In fact he was so enthusiastic I barely got a chance to take a before photo, he had whipped off all the grotty fabric but there is the mock up of before at the top and here is after.

Delia Smith

I was watching "Delia Through the Decades" the other day and various celebrities got out their Delia Cookery Books and proudly showed how shabby and covered in gravy and chocolate they were from constant use. I thought I was the only one! As my other cookbooks sit on the shelf gathering dust only dear Delia is coverless and dog-eared and loved to death.And before you ask, I am NOT constantly making Pheasant with cream and apples, but the recipe above that starts on the previous page "Pork Chops baked with mushrooms, in a cream and lemon sauce" it's rich but it's the easiest recipe in the world and the one that most impresses. I have made it so many times (No wonder I'm so chubby!)Delia is my hero, you can keep your Nigellas and F*cking Gordon Ramseys! Delia will always have a place in my heart.

Paper Bunting

My daughter came home after being in America all summer (3 whole months) and I quickly ran up this welcome home banner on my craft robo. I don't know why I have done this before - it was soooo easy peasy lemon squeezy. I am now plotting my Christmas Dekkies in a similar vein.(Excuse the scruffiness of our hallway - it is next on the list for decoration)The blue paper is Cosmo Cricket girl Friday - Sunday and the pink paper is My Mind's Eye - Garden party - Lush blooms Daisy chain

Thanks

Rubber Stamp by Pink Gem, Paper by Doodlebug from the Glitterpot. I wish I'd embossed the blue band across now - I did think about it before and spent so much time faffing about with it that I forgot!

Easter Stuff

I haven't been crafting lately for various reasons but had to make some little containers for the Bath fizzy bombs I bought for ladies for Easter (I decided against chocolate) and chose this Splitcoast tutorial. I made mine simpler than the tut as I had seven to make but I'm still quite pleased with the way it turned out and they were quick and easy.
My love affair with bunting continues - I bought this one from Paperchase although I think given a bit more time I could have made it myself. Happy Easter!

Pyramid Boxes

My cousin Angela sent me a fabulous Pyramid Box made using the free template from Pink Petticoat filled with some yummy chocolates and I was inspired to do the same and give them to my husband for a Valentine's Day gift. Here are my versions made with Pretty Doodles and Little Big dots papers from PP and filled with heart shaped chocolates from M&S. Speaking of M&S, did you hear that they are taking over Poundstretcher?
They're going to be called StretchMarks !!! Boom, Boom!

No harm, no fowl.......

Last time I went to the craft Fair at the Brighton centre I bought the template for a Chicken basket and this yearI just bought a plain chicken. It has absolutely no purpose at all but I love it and have made five so far. I love the Cathie Shuttleworth templates, as they are so cute but well within the range of my limited abilities. Mind you just as I was standing at the Cathie Shuttleworth stall to buy this and another template (for a running rabbit - only £1 each - what a bargain!)some dozy tart stabbed me in the side with a walking stick folded up and sticking out horizontially from her bag. It wasn't one with a rubber stopper on the end but a sharp pint like on a shooting stick. She wasn't that concerned, commenting mildly that "Perhaps I should keep my hand over the end" Perhaps? It was an offensive weapon and it bloody well hurt. I was in shock at the time but I now wished I'd kicked off about it. People are so arrogant! The title of my post in no way indicates my well being or state of mind about this incident!

A few more Christmas Cards

This one is doing my head in - it's not this way up on my computer but blogger wants it to be sideways!

I just want to record all my cards so I can remember what I've made.

Next raft of cards

Bah Humbug

Every year in January I make the sensible decision to make about 8 to 10 Christmas cards each month and then have a stress-free Christmas. And do I? Do I humbug-gery! So consequently I am running round like a blue-bottomed elf trying to get it all done. I bought the Christmas puds and robin cutouts from The Glitterpot and was quite pleased with how they turned out. I pinched the idea of "colouring" the Christmas pud with glitter from the example on display in the shop. I did plan to do the same with the robin but didn't like the way the red glitter I bought turned out. It was called burgundy and had a black undertone that didn't look very jolly.I then tried embossing the robin with Cranberry embossing powder but that looked a bit ropey too so in the end I just coloured him in with a sakura pen.

The sentiment is from Elzybells

'No One Puts Baby in a Corner'

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Remember, Remember

the fifth of November. Gunpowder, Treason and plot!

Miss Shoe

I have made loads of cards recently but they have all been rather last gasp so have gone straight into the envelope and straight into the pillar box. Although I wanted to get this one off quickly too I did find time to take a snap or two in the afternoon sun. It's for my daughter who started at University last week and the Pink Petticoat papers match the decorating scheme she has chosen for her room, black, white and fuschia pink.The main image (Also PP) was coloured with a gelly roll sakura pen for lots of gloss.