Kool Kitty Musings

Just a quick post

Here's a card I made for the current CPS sketch (#131) using October Afternoon papers, BG chipboard, and a Papertrey Ink greeting:

I added a bit of 3D glitter paint to the flowers as well:

And here's a card using up some scraps... KI Pieces of Me, such a shame they never released more in this style:

Glossy accents on the flower, still drying...

Bank Holiday Weekends

I always feel you need to make the most of these - yet always end up relaxing away the time, rarely packing them with loads of manic activity!

So far I have managed to tick a few things off my more boring to-do list, had a Medium viewing marathon, read half my current re-read book, raced over to Homebase to purchase another cake stand in their 20% event (there were just 3 left), and posted my project of the day over on the Frog Blog:

If you fancy making these easy peasy notelets, check out this post.

I have some stuff to write up for a few projects, but think I will leave that until tomorrow. In the meantime I'm going to get back to my book, and at some point watch Bride Wars. I am also crossing my fingers that Next will still have the crockery I want at a reduced price - and that they will still actually have it in stock as it's not on the website! :oS

Nothing exciting... just yet

Well I know I have been quiet, but to be honest there's not been much to share. Nothing creative, nothing juicy, no real shopping purchases...

Maybe that will change in a week or so.

However I did have a very nice crop Friday night, and am still trying to give away pieces of the birthday cake tray Zoe brought along for the evening. It was most delish.

Then my ma decided to get some more cake in for my birthday on Sunday, including OMG M&S Keylime pie. I have a real soft spot for keylime pie so I didn't argue. Not at all considering it was absolutely delicious. As was the victoria sponge that just fell in the basket.

Speaking of cake, I finally have a lovely shabby chic cream cake stand - I know late to the party or what, but finally the local Homebase had these in and I had to get them - not sure what I'll be putting in it, perhaps instead of rubber stamps, it'll be make up - as my dressing table could do with something like this to sort it out! I was thinking of creating a felt disk to line the bottom of the basket bits so little things don't fall through. But I may just happen to buy another one for some crafty sorting... who knows.

Oh and my brother, star that he is, popped in after getting back from Edinburgh (laden down with nice gifts from the festivals) and came through on the BE Delicious limited edition EDT. Mmmmm I just love the green apple fragrance best of all!

Cropping time comes round again...

It's amazing how it usually feels like there has been ages since you were last at a crop, then the night before you suddenly feel like you need a good few days to prepare and pack in order to use the time constructively.

At this moment I have not prepared, I have not packed, I have in fact not one iota of a plan as to how I will be using tomorrow evening's time.

So will it be the kitchen sink approach or just chucking all my minibooks and suitable paper packs into a bag!

Once I've had my shower, painted my toenails (priorities!) and ticked a few more things off my to do list, I shall get my arse in gear... well.. in a different gear to it's current mode - slackass! ;oP

The nice... and the not so nice

I have had such a frustratingly bad day at work today. Ugh tomorrow looks to be just as bad and it has nothing to do with what I actually do day in day out. Nope. We have a new item of software we need to use for a client and it is not cooperating in its installation on a new PC - the apparent joyful union of MySQL 2005 and Windows XP3. I've not even started on installing the gazillion other things we require, such as loading all the e-mail from the old PC. {thud}

Breathe and exhale.

If there is any justice in the world of computers, tomorrow will be better...

So it was especially nice to come home to the rewards of the current sale on Hush Puppies shoes at Amazon.co.uk - they are by far my favourite brand, ever since that purchase of my Lovestruck shoes a couple of years ago:

Well today's haul for £11:

And these for £15:

And I am just waiting for these (£15 too) to arrive:

 

Ma has also been taking advantage of the sale, alas with some gorgeous red sandals that weren't available in a 6 - grrr!

Anyway, here's hoping to a better day tomorrow, and that should do it for the shoe shopping, unless amazon has added more!

Should I really be thinking...

about packing for Friday night's crop already?

Huh? Should I?

Because I am wondering, really what will I achieve in this 6-hour time slot... and what do I need to shove in the boot to achieve it?

Hm, I have a few options: take one of the many mini books and a pack of co-ordinating papers and just cover, cover, cover.

   + = ?

Or... get on with a slightly more festive project I need to get done. I have the photos printed out for it, I just need to decide on the stash and {gulp} embellishments.

Or there is that thing I keep putting off. Namely the painting of my big 8x8 Maya Road chipboard album I have had... oh a few years! 

Now why haven't I done it yet? Well, covering this little thing in paint (just the edges and stand) took the best part of two days and has left me emotionally scarred!

We shall see what wins come Thursday night!

And now for something nicer...

I got back into the card sketch swing today, well that was after going to visit the (stray) cat that my brother and his house mates have temporarily homed while they look for the owner/find a new kitty home... Milo, very nice young cat and aw.... if there is no home for him I am sure he'd be moving in with Kizia (not sure how she'd feel about it as she has been in a snit all day). But I digress... must stop thinking about that as it is likely Milo will be moving in somewhere else....

So yes, the card... from this week's sketch over at CPS (#129):

Going for a more manly birthday card...

Ugh...

I've just had a rather nasty surprise on my credit card... and now feel a complete ditz... so much for getting a good deal at Sephora in Krakow on my Smashbox photo finish primer... because the exchange rate on the day and their extremely inflated prices have meant that I have paid almost double what it costs on UK QVC. Ha, well see what happens when I get caught up in the delight of managing to get my hands on this much needed item... all sense must have left me. Cripes.

Oh well, I shall definitely be making that 30 ml of primer go a long way!

However, I must report that the prices at the L'Occitane shop were much nearer the mark, paid less than I would have in the UK with P&P. If I'd paid over the odds for my lovely rice face fluid as well I'd have been truly gutted!

Live and learn, that's today's lesson! And maybe it is a good thing there is no Sephora in the UK, heaven knows how they'd price stuff here!

KI Friendship line...

I had the sudden urge to get using some of the stash I had at my disposal and make something for this month's card challenge of at UK Scrappers, namely to make a simple card...

Well this is as simple as I left it:

Yay, I now have a set of rub-ons that rub on properly thanks to the folks at KI for sorting my issue with the faulty set I bought.

Then I had some off-cuts and well, one thing led to another:

I must confess that blue background paper is one of my favourites in the set...

 

And so are the trees on this one - warning it's a bit bright!

Love the goggly eyes on the birdie sticker:

 

All in all it's been a rather nice day, finished Black Hills, started rereading Face the Fire (about to return to that), watched a few episodes of The Closer I hadn't seen yet, and made a few cards... a nice lazy Saturday. :o)

Typical isn't it?

So the weekend starts in these parts with wind and rain and brrrrrrr cool temperatures descending at oh, quarter to 4 this afternoon...

Let us hope that tomorrow is much nicer - I would dearly love to sit out in the garden with one of my current reads and soak up some rays!

Also in this week's window shopping mooching, I was pleasantly surprised to see the new window in Debenhams sporting a very yummy temptation.

A big pop art apple tree - it could only be one fragrance... oh yes:

It had to be a Be Delicious - it's just a new limited edition bottle for the eau de toilette, but since I am relatively well stocked with the eau de parfum version of this fragrance I may have to resist... but I have a birthday coming up - so maybe my brother will be in need of a hint or two.

Best get back to the book

So much for my plans last night to get back to reading Black Hills... I managed to accidentally blind myself with my toddler Lumix camera... my that flash is strong... do not laugh it was quite serious and I wasn't even trying to take a photo. But for a couple of hours after blinding myself I still couldn't see properly (it was like those dots you get after catching the sun on a bright day and then ripply vision around the spots - skeery) then had a massive headache which has stayed with me ever since - at least it's a dull throb now.

So pages read last night? 0

Advil taken? 2 or maybe 3 - I think I got desperate around 2 a.m.

Hours of sleep lost? Too many to count

But I am finally off to see Harry Potter tomorrow night (despite aborted attempts to see it in Poland) so yay, that should make up for the lack of cultural entertainment enjoyed so far this week.

Now I intend to try and get back into my book!

Dangerous impulses brought on by works in progress

So I spent the best part of Saturday night at Zoe's covering this little BG album in BG Blush - I am both happy (it looks lovely so far) and sad (I have no full sheets of Blush patterns left). I am really trying to resist googling the availability of Blush collection packs as I am starting to feel nervous at the thought of no longer having any of these papers. Gulp. I spent the best part of an hour online looking for a 6x6 pad of this paper on the off chance it is languishing in the corner of some retailer's shop... But no... not much luck there... then oh half an hour ago I noticed that one of the retailers had a number of Blush sheets reduced so I went and snapped up what was left that I liked, including a few sheets of the above red on pink pattern!

I spent less than £10 so think that was warranted, but if anyone spots the 6x6 pad anywhere give me a shout! I could still do with it. :oP

But I have also been good... I made a little card for a recent new arrival, just need to get it sent off! :o)

Woohoo - the weekend at last...

I have a mini-stack of new books from the library to start reading:

   

 

But which one to start first? I still have the German version of Dance Upon the Air on the go, but need to get these read and back to the library first. :o)

Then I have a couple of DVDs from Lovefilm to watch:

 

I know rather different choices, but that's the luck of the draw with Lovefilm.

Also at some point I need to finally transfer all my photos over from the cameras. Best carve out a few hours for that on Sunday!

And in scrapping news, tomorrow night I'm off up to Zoe's for our monthly scrap night - although she tends to scrap 4 or so pages while I veg in front of the telly and don't bother getting my stash out the boot for lack of mojo. But this time I have something in mind... I had the whim to make some mini-books - well that led me on a little hunt for some suitable albums, always late to the party I am, but Basic Grey and Cosmo Cricket were the albums I was after, but which one to decorate tomorrow night, I need to get shot of some Basic Grey collection packs too - and I've not even picked the photos yet!

Or one of these Cosmo albums (hopefully the last 2 will arrive in the post tomorrow aiding the decision!)

There was a fab project on the Write.Click.Scrapbook blog recently using the above Cosmo Ethan album together with the Girl Friday pack, so I am going to save that one to try my hand at that project. 

Or maybe tomorrow is the day to use this sheer binder from Maya Road?

Decisions, decisions eh?

Back to life... Back to reality!

Whew, well that holiday certainly passed by quickly - almost feels like we were never away. And I shudder at the thought of going through all the photos I took and deleting the naff ones... but plenty of fodder for future pages (should I actually decide to scrapbook again!) and maybe the odd mini-book. hehe

But in the meantime, here are some card projects I made before going on holiday but couldn't yet post. First up some cards for Crafty Templates, who kindly invited me to guest for their July kit:

 

 

 

 

When it came to the ice cream template, well I just had to use those Pieces of Me papers from KI!

 

 

And last but not least....

 

 

And another project posted while I was away, was my project of the day for the frog blog - tips and instructions are here:

 

 

And that's it for now... have made a little order for some mini chipboard books but really need some more - especially BG and Cosmo ones, I have plans to actually get a holiday in a mini-book rather than gradually get pages in a normal album - and since I have only managed 1 page from my Chicago holiday last year, that might be a wise decision!