Kool Kitty Musings

Feeling the loss...

Well without Grey's anatomy I turned my attention to further spookiness with the mini X-Files marathon on FX (I am feeling the need to get the DVDs out again!)... and also turned my attention to the Week 18 challenge on Self-Addressed. So here's a card for my Polish Uncle's 50th birthday - note perfect way to use up those tricky consonants - Z and J... hehe

A mix of the October SA kit and some papers from the LRS KI kit from the summer.

Also am having a hell of a time trying to get onto MSN at the moment, it keeps chucking me off, naughty thing... grrr..

The other card is from the crop on Saturday, but didn't manage to scan and upload until now... germs are at bay after lots more Baxter's. :oD

And the other layout from the crop - finished on my return with the title :oD

So pic of me and ma when I was 16 months old, in my grandma's back garden - lots n lots of snow for Christmas for a change... I can't remember a white Christmas! lol

KI Christmas 2004 papers, KI ribbon, KI icicles, KI cardstock, KI tags, KI rub-ons, are we sensing a pattern here yet..

Other bits, QK studio, MSE stamps, Fabulous 50s font for the hand-cut title and DW dingbat star thingy.

Right I'm off to see what's what... a certain little someone has just told me Grey's Anatomy looks to be returning with Season 2 on Living next Monday... Praise the lord! Dr McDreamy is baaaaaack!!!

For crying out loud...

No wonder Tree and I couldn't find any sign of the next episode of Grey's Anatomy in the TV Listings... last week's was the LAST yes LAST in the first season. They only made 9 episodes that season. Nine! Count them, NINE!! :sob:

:resting head on desk:

:Deep sigh:

So season 2 is in full swing in the US on episode 6 (tonight) so I hope Living gets season 2 very soon as I do NOT think I can hold out long to see what Dr McDreamy's decision is. I think I also heard that The Closer was a short-run series too... Well this just is not right, I am used to US shows with 20 1 hr-ep runs - gaaah!!!

Anyway, am off to enjoy the tail end of the mini X-Files marathon they have going on FX for Halloween - gotta get my fix when I can hehe... It's quite nice to watch some of the more horror type episodes for a change as they weren't the ones I would always watch over and over again... Yep, X-Files geek for life... :oD

Thanks bro...

Well I had a lovely time at the crop yesterday - many thanks again to Jean for the lift - we were a small crowd, but we were all super productive - shocking I know with my track record. But I got 2 LOs and a card done - LOs needed to be finished off at home...

But by the time I got back I had a chronically splitting headache, and then ugh, other flu symptoms. So I have my brother to thank as the culprit after his recent visit. Have had a lot of soup and medicaments today to try and nip it all in the bud before it gets any worse... let's hope so as I can do without this now. Must say though, Baxter's Scotch broth has really been a tonic, yummy stuff and total comfort food.

Here's the first one:

Quite a departure for me in one way as I seem to only ever use cardstock for matting and printing/stamping on, never really as a background feature (I know it's nothing hugely amazing but not something I usually do!). I have so much PP that I am overly conscious I need to use it, so patterned paper goes everywhere! Oh and I think the middle bit of the b is the wrong way round now too... :sigh:

Finished it off last night with the stamped quote, still not sure about the quote... all I was looking for was something about the wonder of learning in the context of kid's literature, or even some quote from the Brothers Grimm about fairy tales, etc. since the book is Sleeping Beauty - awww - but this was the best I could find. So annoying as you come across perfect quotes when you're not looking for them! But never when you are.

Before getting into the scrapping and hefting the nav back upstairs last night, watched X-Factor - really loved Angel of Harlem - sent shivers down my spine, Andy and Carl did a fantastic job and whatever Louis says I thought it was just up their street... I'd buy their CD like a shot - loved Andy's comeback "we'd be glad to make any album" when Louis said he didn't see them doing a rock album. Nice one!

However I didn't watch all the other acts on X-Factor, just a few at the start and Journey South as Strictly Come Dancing has also had me gripped this week as I have seen the daily bits on BBC2. And I absolutely love the Tango, in my dream fantasy world I would be one of those Vampish seductresses who slinked about in those Buenos Aires cool clubs in the 40s and early 50s and danced the pants of the local gauchos... or whatever they call them... I forget... Ahhh the tango is such a marvellous dance and story... Anyway Patsy and Anton were marvellous at it. Wish when I had those 3 tango lessons in Germany the end result had been as good... There ends the dream fantasy :lol:

Later it was the last episode of Afterlife, I got tearful, I usually do in such programs - I hate going to the cinema for films with a bit of an emotional plot as I blub like there's no tomorrow! Oh the shame. But great ending... I wonder was it a one-off series judging by the ending?

Then I was up until the small hours finishing up a KI Christmas LO from the crop...

Oh it's a new creature comforts tonight, had hoped to do more scrapping today, but don't want to accidentally harm some poor defenceless patterned paper while my mind isn't all there and I am floating on cough syrup! hehe

Instead I had a go at the Times sudokus from yesterday as there is a bumper selection plus the samurai...

All packed and ready to roll....

Well after 2 hours putting things in and out of the artbins and selecting some photos I am finally packed for the crop tomorrow.

Have printed a few photos, and it looks like I may actually use some KI Christmas 2004 on a LO tomorrow rather than on cards immediately... hm... we shall see! Oh and the October SA kit is packed too...

For the life of me I don't know what I'll get up to and what I'll make if anything, but with any luck I'll come back with a LO and a birthday card tomorrow. hehe

I got the shock of my life this morning with a PM from Melinda on UK Scrappers congratulating me for being scrapper of the month - I read it at 6 something and I was like "you say whaaat?" Took me a while to twig what she was on about then I tootled over to the homepage on UKS and sure enough there I was - Scrapper of the month for October. I am truly amazed. Thanks so much and for the lovely comments with the announcement! Eek! :grin:

I suppose this should urge me onto getting some more LOs done then eh? hehe

Well off to heft the nav downstairs and then it's time for the next instalment of Bleak House - really enjoyed it last night - my my!

However I am slightly miffed that my viewing pleasure will be disrupted this Monday... Was looking forward to the next session with Dr Derek Shepherd on Gery's Anatomy, wanted to see how he dug himself out of that hole, but what we are getting is Derek... Derek Akora, not the delectable and delicious (divorced??) Dr Derek Shepherd... hm... ticked off, I tell you, seriously ticked off!

Crop countdown

Oooh it's nearly Saturday... Thanks to Jean's kind offer and a bit of shuffling of "things to do" (basically the sod it approach!) I am off to the Whitley Bay crop this Saturday! Yey!!

But this means that I need to get prepared - will I manage to make up some kits and print some photos on the HiTi as would be the dream scenario... or will it end up being 10 p.m. on a Friday night by the time I start packing the nav...

Hm, let me think...

Taking the bull by the horns..

Or the scissors to the credit card...

It says a lot when you look balance on your credit card and immediately suspect it has been tampered with. 'Cause there's no way in hell you spent THAT much since the last statement... Surely someone has cloned your card and has been spending madly and wildly with your credit...

On close examination you see that that small fortune is down to one person.

YOU

That was today's realisation, and I'm still trying to get to grips with it. I physically felt ill when I realised what I had personally spent without realising the total! So, I've really got to get out of this rut. The spending is ridiculous and when I look at where it went, there's hardly anything to show for it... Don't worry, it's not all scrapping related, but that's where a lot is going.

So this weekend I'll get to grips with Microsoft Money and will start keeping a better track of things and actually say no to those spontaneous purchases as in the grand scheme of things, they're not worth it if they only end up sitting in the wardrobe or on a shelf...

The plan is limit myself to my two kits, and only £25 maximum a month on anything else and gradually decrease that target. It used to be so much easier at Uni, when my link card wasn't accepted anywhere except the odd cash machine so I had to buy everything in cash - this could be the extreme measure to take. :o\

Also the only thing I am letting myself order, will be KI Christmas and Winter 2005... so it's not all doom and gloom but after that... moderation and only stuff I know I need within the budget.

Right well at least I have some good telly tonight - The Closer and Medium, so I can look forward to that. Still in shock with Dr Rik  from last night. God Grey's Anatomy is good... and hilarious at times too!

Something smells...

Cinnamony...

I am not the world's biggest fan of cinnamon, it has to be said - some memorable yet traumatic experience with Big Red chewing gum in France, and a taste of extra hot cinnamon jelly belly beans scarred me for life... so when I saw that my QVC box of Yankee Candles had arrived I was quite pleased... until I got closer and could smell the unmistakable aroma of CINNAMON... shudder...

Yes, in small doses in sultanna toast and in Danish pastries and the like, I am quite partial... but it's when it has that smell of HOT cinnamon that I'm just not a fan. Alas with the candles not wrapped in their individual wrappers they all now smell a bit cinnamony, including Lemon Zest, and poor Cookies and Cream has been the worst affected as it only had a gentle fragrance to begin with...

It's rather disappointing, as this is the second time a candle order from QVC has been overpowered by Carrot cake (with a recipe heavy on the cinnamon, low on carrots). The last was an order of 6 food aromatic candles made by Amber moon (a couple of yers ago) - 2 candles still left, chocolate fudge and French Vanilla ice cream, there was a Carrot cake in that too, as well as a spiced apple crumble one... and yep, they all smelt the same after being in the box with good old carrot cake.

Anyway mustn't grumble, it's put a stop on any more candle buying for a bit now as I just do not have surfaces and time to burn them all - stocked up for a few good months with carrot cake banished to the bathroom hehe!

Anyway, my Scrapworks luscious ribbons and alpha tabs arrived as well as the candles, although not quite as fragrant they are mighty fine, mighty fine... hope to actually use some this weekend, I know I am baaad and that I only recently used a small, small amount of ribbon from my American Crafts spool purchase of April for the first time... but such purchases need to be savoured.

Also thanks to the Miseducation of Miss Tree... I spent £15 on paper at the Scrapadoodledo sale... KI Fire, and as much KI Christmas 2004 as I could lose sleep over, oh and a few sheets of rob n bob and stuff.. if you need your Hippie chick SEI papers, hurry over there while the sale is still on as they are all reduced plus you get the 25% off! Excellent!

Also Hoopla was in stock - and the sheets I'd previously wanted, but when faced overcome with the sight of Christmas KI I put paid to those aspirations and loaded my cart with the blessed-yet-hard-to-find Christmas KI papers... mmmmmmmmm.... Hope they were all in stock as I bought 3 sheets of both petite pop and the striped one! double mmmmm... That means that come Christmas 2006 (scary thought) I should have some scraps from the KI Christmas/Winter 2005 lines to feel no guilt over using them on cards. What a plan...

Anyway, have a date with Dr. Rik in 1.5 hrs, so I'd best go sort stuff out before getting comfy... :oD

Love & Happiness

Well I have had the most thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon... Went to the Kino in hopes of seeing Nanny McPhee only on arrival to find it had just sold out, so we just got into Wallace & Grommit - totally packed - and had to sit in second row from the front - neck ache ahhh plus child in front had been given a mini plastic trumpet to play with by his mother, strangely enough he felt compelled to blow it every few minutes when he got bored. Several glares from neighbouring kids and parents, but it was the other kids that were the most annoyed actually! lol

Fantastic film, I have always found the extremely clever in gags of W&G pieces the most entertaining. Dogwarts university, and Anti-Pesto, oh and the box covering Wallace's family jewels declaring "May contain nuts" - fantastic!

After that we decided to have another attempt at Nanny McPhee and caught the next showing, this time running commentary provided by boy and mother behind us, like seriously loud running commentary... usually it's whispered right? But this was drowning out the dialogue, never mind the toffee wrappers! Gaahh... great film, but a shame we missed a lot of the good bits due to the commentary behind. Look forward to seeing the new Narnia film, but also the new Harry Potter - hopefully when the cinemas aren't as crowded!

So after that we swung by the takeaway - same as last night's! :oO For some potato wedges and other stuff for tea... to end it all I spent a thoroughly relaxing hour in the bath surrounded by candles, music and Molton Brown fragrances... magic... And what better way to complete the evening but by putting on some feel good music - track number one ended up being the favourite on the CD - Al Green's Love & Happiness... I just love that song...

Hope it sets me up with the right mood to start a new weeks. :o)

16 hours later...

Well finally the Diamond glaze has dried - only took, what 16 hours since applying it yesterday evening... grrr..

So here at last is the LO of my great grandma (paternal side) with my grandma (big baby) and baby 2 - Freddie. Both born the same year I had wanted to stamp on "Irish Twins" as a subtitle. But after searching on Google I found that the term is usually meant in a derogatory way - but is often used endearingly by the families of Irish Twins... so... after quizzing a few Brits about this term, as well as my dad and uncle, no one had ever heard of the term... so I must have picked it up from reading/watching US stuff somewhere along the line, as I've known of this phrase for years... And after all that I decided to nix the idea of the subtitle... but the crux of the matter is - they were born in the same year! LOL

This all started out with me wanting to use the October LRS kit - which I did - MM stamps, Daisy D's papers + tab, plus lovely ribbon.... mmm love that ribbon, wish I had more! But I added in K&Co. frames, big and small, and their epoxy number stickers, Jest charming gold charms, Prima flowers, SEI brads, MSE Cezanne stamps (still not quite got the hang of those) and PSX Pixie stamps for the journaling. Am somewhat annoyed that I stuffed up the stamping of the journaling so badly - it should have curved round the tab more, but also I hate the wording now.

The photo is a rare find, such a natural pose, and something my great grandparents would have had trouble affording. Also we presume this photo must have been sent as a Christmas card - all it says on the back (in original handwriting of my GGrandfather is "Baby boy 6 weeks old, 1918". There is a smudge in front of the 6 - so could have been interpreted as 16 weeks, 10 weeks or 6 weeks. But general consensus in the household from the first look is that it is definitely 6 weeks. This means my grand ma would have just been over 9 months old when Freddie was born, blimey... so he was probably a little early... hm.. but anyway, it's times like this when I need my grandma to try and explain it all to us again. :o( Such a sad story though, the family was too poor to afford a burial for Freddie (and Ronnie later on) that they were both buried in pauper's graves... Will have to document all that we know of The Rift between the Woods and the young Fred and Cissie Wood. Hopefully my uncle will get on the case when he gets chance.

Right well, I suppose after all that, it's about time I got dressed! Ah Sunday mornings...

Eerie

Jeeze it's freakingly scary... Afterlife had aspects tonight that mirrored Medium 2 weeks ago... the whole "psychic moment hasn't happened yet - BUT IT WILL" twist -- ooooooooooh

But alas it's the last episode next week.... gaaaaaah.... shame

Desperado....

Well I am now humming away still to the tune. Andy and Carl were fab tonight on X-Factor - go Journey South!! Excellent comments from the judges - not sure Andy was won over by the compliment of being the new Everly bros. though! hehe Weird to hear Andy's voice on recorded message when I voted (3 times) for them though! Shame about other aspects of the show tonight like the totally unjust decision at the end - Philip stays by the skin of his teeth, 4Tune go because Sharon goes on a guilt trip... deary me...

Anyway, I have been trying to work on a layout using this month's Little Red Scrapbook kit. It was all going very well until I fluffed the journaling... anyway am still waiting (4 hours later) for the diamond glaze to dry in the little frames, before it's 100% complete, so looks like that'll be tomorrow... sigh...

Had hoped to get lots of scrapping done today, at least a couple of LOs, but procrastination hm, procrastination is such an annoyance.

Well Afterlife is very gripping tonight, so now that the breaks over I'm back to watching it!

Guilty pleasures

Well now that the Historian is completed and sitting on ma's shelf ready for her to read (the woman who read War & Peace in a weekend, in Russian) it was time for me to check out the shelves this morning for the snuggly comfort of a chick-lit book... oh I nearly had the shakes... it was so nice to come back to the familiar reading of happy ever afters... not that I've got there yet, no... chapter 5 already... (this is like twice as fast as The Historian chapter reading)... So what did I choose?

Well a more leaning towards romance pick today, Rachel Gibson's "Daisy's Back in Town" - I really loved The Trouble With Valentine's Day and sought out some more of her stuff on Bookcrossing, and thankfully have this and another of hers on the To be Read pile.

On the music front, I'm out of the funk a bit... went and switched back to Bloom - new favourite track of the week is Train Wreck (love that intro) and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Junior Boys mix... It has no dodgy double entendres as Tree feared... hehe... I did warn some weeks ago that I would be blatantly posting my favourite lyrics on an evening...

Creative plans lined up for the weekend - will see if they come to fruition or not!

Oh and if anyone knows where I stashed my Rhona Ferrar Winter papers could they please let me know as I can't for the life of me find them! :sigh:

Cause I'm a train wreck waiting to happen
waiting for someone to come pick me up off the tracks
a wild fire born of frustration
born of the one love that gets me so high
I've no fear at all

~ Train Wreck - Sarah McLachlan

Retro time..

Whatever the reason tonight I raided my CD collection for a bit of a trip back in time. Maybe it was a funk descending or just the more contemplative mind reengaging... but I sought out my well worn copy of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy... it's been a while, but I love this album. I just has some of my all time favourite Sarah songs on it and will be in my player through the week by the looks of it.

Have finally finished The Historian. It was very interesting and a good read (hardly any skim-reading to more plot-driving passages!), although it took me a while to get there I wasn't tempted to stop or give in, 600+ pages later it's left me mulling over a number of plot twists and has definitely proven to be thought-provoking.

My lovely LRS kit has arrived, and I am really looking forward to getting the heritage photos out for the first play with it! And to lift the spirits, the first part of the Yankee Candle spree has arrived - Christmas Cookie votives and Clean Cotton votive... mmm... :g:

This is heaven to no one else but me
And I'll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand it

I would like to linger here in silence
If I choose to
Would you understand it
Would you try to understand...

~ Elsewhere: Sarah McLachlan

Creative spurt

Well after swooning to the viewing pleasure of Dr Rik on Grey's Anatomy last night I got very little done for a Monday evening... hehe... so today I put my Sarah McLachlan Afterglow DVD in the player, cranked up the speakers and got to work on a birthday card for a certain someone... 

Lots of pinkness from the December 2004 SA kit, oh and a bit of distressing hehe... Font is Pupcat, good old dymo and a smidgen of QK Studio.

Wonder what'll be on the agenda tomorrow night.

Well now just waiting for all my Yankee candles to arrive, sure hope I like the Baby Powder ones as I got a deal of 20 for the price of 15 on ebay... didn't have them individually.. oh and 2 Christmas cookie ones, plus a clean linen one, then some of the candy floss ones off QVC... hm, do you think that's a bit excessive? Oh well I do love them so, and am on my last one, rose - and only a french vanilla one left...

The cat lady...

Right I think this may be the last of the cat LOs for a while now, as it's getting a little crowded in the album with cutie kitties on almost every page! So at the risk of alienating the rest of the family, it's time to switch back to the human side of things for a while. :o)

I had a nice play with the Hi-Ti printer earlier today and printing an 8x6 print of a photo of Kizia I took Friday night - sans flash so a bit soft, and it's hard to see her eyes in the scan of the photo, but they are very clear in real life. Worked like a dream so got to work on a simple LO for the photo, combining Karen Foster cat paper, SEI Hippy Chick paper, QK studio, and Impact.ttf. That's it. Told ya it was simple!

Oh yes, and the title was supposed to be a play on the Dr Seuss classic, however I couldn't neatly fit in the box addiction issues as it just covered up too much of the lovely background papers... so if this leaves people confused fair enough! LOL

Have a few creative projects lined up that I need to do this week - time is just slipping away from me though! :o\ Tomorrow night with any luck.

Woah where's the day going?

I can't believe it's after 4 p.m.! I have so much to get out of the way today, but the time is slipping by...

I have done my bit of vote campaigning in UK Scrappers for X-Factor :votejourneysouth: :votejourneysouth: and scanned in the latest press cuttings and sent them off to my boss abroad so she can get all the expats voting for them too!

Alas I shall be out while the live show is on at a baby shower - yey more baby stuff! :oD - but several instructions left with different people to cast extra votes on my behalf!

Anyway I hope to catch the repeat tonight on ITV2 otherwise will be tuning in tomorrow.

So here's the card for the baby shower - now that the Baby Pink Project is complete, it looks like all efforts will be moving to the Baby Blue Project.

Inspired by the May Self-Addressed kit everything here card blank, ricrac and paper wise is from that kit, got the chance to use more of the doodlebug buttons - boy this time - and the David Walker Oh Baby! dingbats, inside and out.

Right, I am now off to immerse myself in a Christmas grotto, don't worry, all will become clear at some point! Hopefully some scrapping tomorrow. I took a few pics of Kizia in a rather small box last night - yes mad cat lady photos - but she is so cute. However I must stop all these cat LOs, there are actually people in our family too - however you wouldn't think it looking at the albums recently!

Highlights of the day...

1. The Hi-Ti arrived
2. Cuddled Kayah in person
3. Toad in the hole for tea
4. Cuddled Kayah some more
5. Managed to make it back from Inga and Mikes (after Kayah cuddling session) on a much shorter route, no arguments, no reversing back out of wrong turns or 3 point turns! :cool:

Bring on Friday when I should have more time to tidy the blog and respond to comments - you are not being ignored! :grin: But that depends on how it goes with the Hi-Ti - must get a usb hub and a longer usb cable as i still haven't worked out where the Hi-Ti will live!

Pink - the final frontier

After taking a half day off work (well lets not even go there as to how plans got totally scuppered but thankfully resolved! But it did involve coffee cake for Angela and a pannini for me in The House) I have completed the final oeuvre du jour in pink... another for Kayah, but this time the gift card to accompany the er miniature wardrobe of attire we've bought for her since we are off round to see her tomorrow. Lots of lovely pink outfits and a fab little denim number with shocking pink velvet ribbons round the hem, goodness me the stuff they sell for little girls these days is gorgeous... Anyway, I have got to go and wrap all these lovely items next in white tissue paper and organza ribbon... I always love wrapping gifts like this in tissue paper and ribbon as it's just the way I'd love to receive gifts, they look so pretty and expensive and oooh decadent!

So the gift card - rusty pickle paper background, doodlebug buttons, 2Peas Think Small font, ribbon, prima flowers and a scrap of sanded cosmo!

Let the wrapping begin!

Catching up...

Right well I thought it was time to upload the old evidence of creativity from the cyber crop weekend! About time too...

So lets start with the Pre-Crop challenge - on the theme of The Apprentice (ah I mourn it's ending). The last of the little bro graduation photos sprang to mind, and as decided the Arctic Frog LRS keep sprang into action.

Lots of Arctic Frog, but also Heidi Swapp ghost letters painted brown, lashings of dotty ribbon mmmm and 2 asterisks from my sheet of American crafts stickers... ask not why I chose that, but there ya go...

Oh and Kaiser is definitely a nickname - those Military History students are such a creative bunch!

Next one is the first LO of the weekend, since I was out partying the Friday night, and a little worse for wear when I got in! hehe That and I spent about an hour on MSN to Tree trying to work out what I'd missed and hence preventing her from finishing her LO! Ha - Sorry your maj. ;o) But anyway, this was the Eewok class, based on favourite childhood toys. Well there is a whole 'nother can of worms opened here. Childhood toys - hm well some immediately sprang to mind and those were some of daddy dearest in his shiny red Meteor car (pride and joy and all that) as a tot. So I went through the stack of photos and discovered there were some duplicates, but the one I really wanted to use was an original and would have been great blown up in a larger size... Tried that scanning and printing, and alas the print quality just wasn't working... so ensued a long discussion about photo printers, and the upshot of it was that the 730PS Hi-Ti dye sub printer has been ordered and is awaiting delivery... How amazing is that... I am so chuffed, grateful and impatient all rolled into one, just waiting for it now! Can't wait to play with it, but will need to find a home for it to squeeze in, you see we don't know the dimensions yet! :oS

So anyway, I decided since the printer was ordered, and I'd done a great big scan of the pic (it was lovely onscreen) that I could actually use The Original... shock horror! And here is my effort for the class - lots of GinX Anyone Anyone, I love that range and daddy dearest would love it on the walls of his study as it so reminds him of his childhood... so a winner all round. Deferred to the Fontdiner.com fonts for the authentic retro look with "Spaceman" for Meteor and I think it was stiletto for the journaling. Great class, really enjoyed that one.

Then a break...

And onto the next LO - the Xacto Wing glass by KEW - known for her skill with a scalpel - it's a compliment honestly! She gave us some nice big daisies to cut out freehand! Wheee nice class, but note to self, stickles takes just as long as Diamond Glaze to dry - actually by the time I wont to bed on Saturday evening it was well into Sunday 2.45 a.m. to be exact, and the stickles were still drying after 6 hours... But worth it. Anyway KI Pieces of Me love whatever line cardstock and DCWV cardstock for the flowers plus lots of glitter accents with about 5 shades of stickles and QK Studio - love that font... Ah yes, its the photos of the poor kitties sporting the party hat from my dad's 50th do... Oh and I forgot to mention the lush hot tropics Prima hydrangea flowers... I'm afraid these are actually my fave colours from the Prima new releases... I mean I wasn't that keen and ordered them as I thought they'd come in useful but they are actually the lushest!!!

So onto the Saturday night LO, created to pass the time as the stickles dried and I accidentally stuck my thumb in a glitter blob - great move. It was the Attack of the Clones challenge to scrap-lift one of the LOs from The Block contest, and I scrap-lifted one of Kew's fab LOs but as is always the case when I attempt to scrap-lift something it hardly resembles the original. I think I am just unable to do a straight lift... no l matter how hard I try, it still organically develops all on its own... So here I am using up more leftover Monty pics with more KI Playful... Oh and some more recent {Prima} flowers... and the MSE stamps yum, and some ribbon from the arctic frog kit - just right with the colours!

And that took us into Sunday morning, when I thought it was time to do an 8x8 to use up leftover photos again - are we seeing a pattern? So the challenge was "Return of the..." old scrapping stash/technique you're not longer in love with - and for me it's eyelets - so here's the result, new SA kit papers combined with some from the Dec 2004 kit.

And I only have what - 60 other styles of eyelets to use up!

And last but not least, Jane's class - lovely one that, I used the class as a guide, but as the photo was bigger than in the example changed it slightly and to fit my stash - really liked the fact the Aunt Gertie's tab fit perfectly on the matchbook flap - sheer chance! But alas only a small strip of Aunt G's left in the florals... so that means I will just have to buy some of the new Memory Trend sidekick line won't I? Looks amazingly nice, and it'll match the rest of the tabs and stickers I have for Aunt G's! A must then... also seen the new Heidi Swapp big blooms, holy moly - need - need - need!

So anyway no wonder I am pooped following all that creativity. Went for a spree today in town buying baby girl clothes for Kayah - gorgeous things, so easy to go mad on all that pink! hehe

Time for The Closer now then Medium - so I am completely zonked with sleep patterns after the weekend and a late night last night! LOL

Oh and I am still in the thick of it in The Historian - don't think I'll ever finish it - how ever good it is, but I only read it on the bus to/from work - and am over half way through now, but not by much!

And that's ya lot!

Oops lagging behind

Well I had hoped to update with my items from the cybercrop weekend - total tally 4 12x12s and an 8x8 - so I am chuffed with those, not a fast scrapper by any means, but what I did I am really pleased with and glad to have in the old albums.

The evening has run away from me, so hopefully an update to the poor neglected blog tomorrow night... Need to get some cards made too, but will gloss over that! LOL

Hope everyone had a nice (productive?) weekend!

In the words of the Barenaked Ladies

Who needs sleep?
(well you’re never gonna get it)
Who needs sleep?
(tell me what’s that for)
Who needs sleep?
(be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake
Since the second world war)

Following a rather successful day which involved the completion of 3 LOs and general retail therapy I am now in search of my bed... last I saw it was buried under 4 artbins and a stack of cardstock taller than my desk.. so on that note, I'd best go searching before I collapse!

P.S. Journey South are through to the final 4 on X-Factor! Fantastic!!! :oD

Dashing all the waaay...

Well it's official... Christmas is on the way... The first Christmas lights have gone up in the town - skeeery or what? And it must have been a sign, as now that I have seen the lush, lush, lush with a capital L Christmas line from KI I want one of everything, and by golly I will have one of everything! Except the albums... no, must not buy any more albums just yet! :o\

But Nov. 15th ship data according to 2Peas... blimey if that's the case for everyone else, then these papers will definitely be used for Christmas 2006 as planned! LOL I can now officially cut up the remains of KI Winter and Christmas 2004 without any guilt whatsoever... in theory!

So the cybercrop is underway on UKScrappers, and since I have missed the start having been out all evening cruising the river on a party boat then I am feeling a little out of the loop! I have 1000 words to translate tomorrow before I can get on with anything mildly creative - it was absolutely manic at work today so half the stuff I needed to do didn't get done... :sigh: Typical that everything would happen this weekend!

AND my new self-addressed kit has arrived in time for the crop but my desk is still hidden under a ton of pink! So not only do I have to work tomorrow, I have to tidy too... but I will definitely be cropping at some point, I may even rob n bob it as I rather enjoyed the gay abandon involved in cutting up that 1 precious sheet... couldn't do it everyday though - must be reserved for special occasions..

Anyway, am now not going to miss X-Factor tomorrow night - yippee - but have missed QI tonight. :o( Why do they not repeat it grrr!!

Right, off to check out the Apprentice LOs as my first step!

Could it be?

Cinderella will have an early night after all - no turning into a pumpkin or Zombie come midnight tonight, no-no! I am soon to go lounge in bed and watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition (Thanks for the heads up Bev).

But first I must just get this out of my system... I am on the hunt, yet again... although heaven knows I shouldn't be... for some new Christmas papers for this year's card offering. I have most of KI Winter collection 2004 left and a sheet from their Christmas line, but I am a bit hm... too emotionally attached shall we say to be giving the stuff away! So my alternative is some of the GinX snowmobile line and otherwise anything Christmasy looking in my stash that is not garish.

However I have heard tell that KI might be releasing a new holiday line for 2005.. .could this be? Please, please say it is! I was semi tempted by the new SEI line, very Fontdiner but it's too memorable and I dare say only a few people would appreciate the retro look to it how ever nice it is. So that leaves me with stash going back to 2002 - shudder - Paper Adventures papers that I just cannot use! Not because they are too nice, but because they just are NOT my style any more...

Anyway, will forget about Christmas for the time-being and look to the fun and frolics of the cyber crop this weekend. I basically have a soundtrack sorted out for the creativity... it is yes, Bloom, the new CD. I have had it playing since I got in from work at 6 - this must be the 3rd play at least by now. Am loving it, especially - Just Like Me - it's still the one I am singing along to at full belt - sorry neighbours but I have finally learnt the words to the chorus of Cat's in the Cradle so as this song is basically a mix of that number then it's rather fitting. Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man in the moon... la-la-la

Night off from Creative Pinkness - however the Baby Pink Project did lead me to once again question why there are no pink jelly tots anymore... they were my favourite, especially when combined with the lime green ones... on their own they were lush - but where are they?? Huh?

Right, well I shall go and set the TV up for actually watching it now... After all this I bet i will still be wide awake come midnight!

So much for an early night

Well good intentions... After 2 late nights (erm TV related and chatting, chatting on msn) I vowed that tonight I'd be in bed by 9.30 watching telly and closing my eyes around 10, yes I have been like a Zombie two days straight and need the sleep!

Well, that all went to pot as I needed to make the next creation in the Baby Pink Project... oh yes... started around what was it, 7.20 ish - have just finished... Anyway, here it is, lots of pinkness of course. Am really happy with how it turned out, as often the most special projects that you have so many ideas for and just want to make them perfect can be the hardest as you are just trying too hard. Well I decided to go big so I could fit all those cute duckies on, I even used a sheet of my new rob n bob pink circle paper. Raided the Self-Addressed September kit for the mini tags, brads and ric rac - just perfect... oh and my last sheet of pink DCWV cardstock - it is gorgeous stuff!

It's not too clear but the greeting is "Welcome Little One" with MM rub-ons. Lots of details inside with KI Expecting quotes, more of the Jolee's and a Prima flower and button for good measure, but it's so lumpy that the scan is rubbish - hence me having to get the tripod out to try and get a true image of the front of the card - as I want to remember this one! ;o)

So if the Baby Pink Project doesn't finish me off, it will probably be the cyber crop this weekend that will! LOL

It's a good job I had so many jelly tots early today... All that sugar must have helped promote creativity! Oh yes, this is the one thing I like about everything Christmas-related already being in the shops, it means you can buy a big tube of Jelly Tots, not those puny little packets... a great big tube!! Mmmm... Must watch out though, as the huge tube of Milky bar buttons might be added to the list next! :oO

Just finished watching the last of The Apprentice, great show and will miss it... wonder when we will get Season 3 and when Alan Sugar will return with the Brit version.

My Bloom CD finally arrived today, and managed to get 2 plays of it before switching on The Apprentice, love it, especially Just like me with will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas... it's great... will look forward to playing this more (i.e., over and over and over again) tomorrow night as it is a TV-free night. Look out though I expect I will be quoting my favourite lyrics of each song over the next few posts! Just spreading the word, just spreading the word... Will look forward to that accompanying my next foray into the Baby Pink Project as I need to make some gift tags. :o)

Right, I'd best attempt to clear up so that I can find my bed again!

In celebration of the colour pink

It just has to be fate... Not only is this week a pink challenge week over on Self-Addressed, but my friend Inga gave birth to a baby girl last night so herewith shall ensue a tribute to the colour pink... I've only managed to make 1 card tonight, I mean it's not a complex creation or anything... no... I was just completely overwhelmed by the amount of nice baby pink stash I have that I really really wanted to use, but strangely enough you can't really cram 3 pizza boxes of stash onto one 5 x 5 in. card hm... well not without it looking a little cluttered... so rather than have an embarrassing emotional breakdown amongst the stash, I deferred to the higher power that is "The Joy of Cardmaking" for answers to my problem... and lo and behold there was just the right number for the doting grandma which I have followed and tweaked a little. I am rather pleased with it, so gracias to Wendy Johnson for being there in my hour of need! You saved me a lot of Kleenex and possibly years of therapy... :grin:

The rest of my time has been spent keeping an eye on craft day over on QVC. Have so far resisted the rather tempting TSV - K&Co. cardmaking box - with its gorgeous retro papers and accents, but there are a number of items in it that I don't really really need, plus the cards have a glossy coating, not matt, I like my matt finish... However I may give in as the kit includes some pink/black/white striped vellum pockets that would go fantastically with my rob n bob purchases... but how sad would that be? To spend £40 odd quid on something just for a couple of gorgeous vellum pockets... sad... but not unheard of! Hm... only another hour to go for me to decide, as I am switching over to The Closer then Medium.

Nevertheless I will not be going away empty handed. I spotted a box of DCWV card blanks in numerous colours and I just had to have them. You know how I love the DCWV scallop cards in the Self-Addressed kits? Well this is the next best thing at the moment! Love the cardstock (I even have a slab of it, it's excellent!) the shades are always just right for every card project and the white core is great for sanding... think I will be using these card blanks for some Christmas cards!

Speaking of Self-Addressed, I am still gobsmacked that I won the Week 14 challenge... never a winner of such things so the crafting gods must be looking down on me eh? I'm so excited! I wonder what I might have won.. LOL

Well, stay tuned this week for more tributes to pink - expect I'll be making a card or two, or three, for the new parents tomorrow night!

This post has been brought to you in association with Making Memories pink gingham and dotty paper, Paper Salon pink flowery paper, Prima pink daisies, Doodlebug pink buttons... are you sensing a common theme here... THINK PINK!

Dreamy sigh...

Just finished watching the latest Grey's Anatomy... lordy that Dr Shepherd... Fwaaaaaaah doesn't begin to cover it... sigh

Sigh..... Hm...

:blink: So, it's just 6 days and 23 hours until the next episode now, not that we're counting or anything... wouldn't want to exude any signs of desperation... no, no, no...

But what a shame his first name is "Derek" - Thanks Tree for that - I am so disillusioned now! Could never go out (even virtually in TV fantasy world) with a Derek - we shall have to rename him "Rik" for short... ;o)

That'll work.

Anyway, in other news, I have finally received confirmation that my Bloom CD has been dispatched but bloomin' amazon have charged me postage on it grrrr... so have e-mailed them but they have this stupid web-only contact system now... grrr, grrrrr!

So hopefully the new Sarah M. CD can be added to my list of tunes tomorrow! Fingers crossed! I have been waiting an age for it!

It's super viewing night tomorrow night mind, so will have to fit it in before 8 p.m. lol after that it's wall to wall telly - how sad, but oh so entertaining!

Had another surreal moment on the bus home again today, we somehow manage to attract some sort of mania at least once a week... tonight at least the guy that mutters "house music - it's a spiritual thing" over and over under his breath behind me on the bus wasn't on it... no that'll probably be Wednesday... instead we had some bloke who'd got out the pub and missed his bus (which was "late" - oh so untrue he was still stumbling from the pub when it drove past) and proceeded to unload his woes of late buses to us whilst not catching on to the fact that the bus driver and passengers he was regaling with such tales were actually sat on the bus that was going in the opposite direction to his intended destination... which just happened to make us 15 minutes late... so thank you drunk man from the pub - you made my Monday night! For all the wrong reasons... :o\

OK, will go check out the new poll on the UKS homepage...

Hope to exercise some creativity tomorrow night as I have just heard that someone else is now expecting a baby in March, so can send her a nice card (I hope!)... the tally for the last 12 months is looking something like 11 babies... busy, busy time in the cabbage patch eh!

Scrapper's Block...

Oh it's diabolical... I'm in a creative funk again, this is just so annoying. Have spent most of today trying to force inspiration... and it's come to nothing. Managed a few Christmas cards and the Week 14 challenge over on Self-Addressed, but that's it. No wonder it took me most of yesterday to do the Apprentice LO! Blimey... is there some vitamin supplement I can take to cure this problem! LOL

I've discovered that I really don't have any Christmas papers for cards, so think rather than give into Tree's subliminal advertising of BG and AMM papers last night, this year I'll just have to use my usual stash as the papers I do have are all really, REALLY, old Paper Adventures papers that I am so unlikely to ever use it's unreal... so what to do, I wonder... I need some inspiration and quick by the looks of it! Any ideas because even sketches aren't kicking this rut! :o\

Hope I get my mojo back (as Tree calls it) by next weekend as I was really looking forward to scrapping and getting some nice projects done. Please send inspirational vibes, I'm not below begging!

Well on a happier note, today, I have discovered that my addiction doesn't stop at new TV shows at the moment... it's spilt over into non-scrapping-related blogs, or should I say one blog in particular... hilariously funny and better than chick lit - did I actually say those words! :oO  But yes La Coquette has gone into my favourites and will be a regular haunt...

And on that uplifting note, I'll post today's evidence of rather limited productivity -- my card:

Right well I am off to enjoy a thoroughly traditional dish for an autumnal Sunday evening. Good old home made apple crumble and extra thick cream... this is the only thing I can really look forward to in October (I passionately dislike the dark nights, cold weather, grey skies, need I go on...). But October offers something unique - and that is the delight of homegrown apples in crumble, applesauce and of course that old childhood favourite apple, carrot, and celery salad! Ahhhh... wouldn't be the same without them, that's for sure... But it doesn't mean October is a niiiice month, no no...

Must remember that I was wanting to watch Miss Congeniality at 9 so will go have a Molton Brown soak first... Must decide on choice of listening pleasure for that... Last time it was Adiemus Live, wonder if tonight it should be a chillout CD or some Sarah McLachlan... Tough call!

Grey's Anatomy tomorrow night - Yeesssssss! At last that episode we've all been dying to see as the trailer has looked so good. Fingers crossed a new week brings a new lease of life and creativity!

Ups and downs

Well today has been a bit of a roller coaster. The bombings in Bali hit close to home today as my friend and former work colleague Helen is out there enjoying the next leg of her backpacking adventure. Thankfully she e-mailed us all to say she is fine... The bomb in Kuta happened 2 streets away from them... just doesn't bear thinking about. She hasn't got access to any information other than what is on the BBC website as Indonesian news is showing horrific images but there are no English channels to understand what's happened and happening... :sigh: I hope all will be well these coming days as she was due to stay in the area until near the middle of October... Thank god though that she has managed to get word to her family and everyone that she is OK. I hope that's also the case for all her friends on the trip too. It really makes you wonder what is going on in this world today... :o(

In the midst of everything I have been trying to work on my precrop challenge LO, and have just finished scanning it... took blooming ages to create this one, not sure why... but it did, and there are some things on it that are annoying me to no end as they've not turned out as I'd hoped... anyway, will get it off to Fi... :oD

Watched X-Factor and can happily report that Journey South (Andy and Carl - yeeeaaah!) have made it through to the final 7 - they were really excellent, but I have to wonder about Andy's cap... lol

Fingers crossed they get through to the final four next week...

Afterlife was good too... I may have another show to watch when it arrives to our screens... Jericho... looked good in the ad, but anyway, Afterlife... is it me or do all TV mediums have to be called Alison? LOL Medium and Afterlife both have Alisons in the main role. Nice to see Andrew Lincoln... and that guy who did it was super creepy... won't be watching this show with the lights off that's for sure! hehe

Anyway, best do some tidying and retrieve some toblerone ice cream from the freezer...