I only use and share products that I genuinely love. The product supply lists that accompany my projects are simply intended to provide a visual overview of what I've used in case you have the same items at home or would like to add them to your own shopping list.
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The new additions to my playlist which may seem a little random, but that's what happens when you are watching Later with Jools Holland late at night while already making music purchases... I mean most of my playlist is apparently "Alternative" according to Apple Music.. but whatever!
I'd already had a couple of songs from LP in my basket including Lost on You and Tokyo Sunrise...
Then on comes Beth Ditto with this rather catchy number:
And then well, I seem to have fallen down the Faroese rabbit hole listening to Eivør after her acoustic performance on the show of Trøllabundin, so I purchased her latest album Slør which has some wonderful tracks on it.
An English version of the album is due out shortly, I might get it once I hear more of the tracks, but there's something magical and more lyrical about it being in her native tongue.
Oh and for the country fans... Maren Morris' My Church:
And on that none I'll leave you to it while I rock out of the room...
I am gradually getting over my cold - had a bit of a lie in this morning and caught up with a few shows over "brunch" before getting some work done this afternoon.
And how nice it was to get said work done while listening to my new music purchases - October has definitely been the release month for many of my favourite artists and I'm also glad to say my festive music playlist has also had a nice top up!
But first here's what I've been listening to:
I saw Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children at the cinema a few weeks ago and this was a stand-out track. I love Florence and the Machine so it was a no brainer to add this to my basket!
Tom Odell... I've really liked his music since "Can't Pretend" - I think that's still my favourite track of his. But I'd had the new album in my basket a little while and when the price for the Deluxe version was good I finally hit buy. It's very good indeed! I am sure I'll have this one on a lot while working. I usually work in quiet as too much talking/lyrics can be really distracting when translating. So usually Classic FM is my go to source for background music, especially leading up to Christmas. But this was a great album for background listening as well as proper listening.
Je dis oui! by Pink Martini - I've been a Pink Martini fan for aaaages, very much enjoyed seeing them at the Sage the first time they played there. I think this album will grow on me. I really am not a fan of the cover art... just not as pretty as their other artwork. Plus no digital booklet means you don't get the lyrics and translations with your mp3 purchase (unlike some other albums I've bought the same way). Hey ho... I think more plays will be required to determine what my stand-out favourites will be on this album. I had some immediate favourites on Get Happy, but nothing here yet. Al Bint al Shalabiya reminds me of another Pink Martini track (Anna - El Negro Zumbon) that's been borrowed from in a minor key and I rather like it...
And onto the seasonal purchases...
Katie Melua - In Winter (featuring Gori Women's Choir) - Well what a gorgeous album this is. It's not just Christmas, it is a wonderful album for winter with some gorgeous choral arrangements. Lovely stuff. I absolutely love the arrangements of two of my favourite Christmas pieces of music - O Holy Night and what's entitled "Little Swallow" on this album, aka the carol of the bells. Going to really enjoy playing this as the days grow colder. Shame that the CD version wasn't available when purchasing today, just happy to have it.
Sarah McLachlan - Wonderland. If you've been a prolific visitor to this blog you will know that I've been a huuuge Sarah McLachlan fan since well... Fumbling Towards Ecstasy hit the record shops back in the good old 1990s! I absolutely loved the first festive release, Wintersong, and that included some lovely original material too. This one features traditional carols and Christmas favourites with the Sarah twist. My favourite tracks so far are the Huron carol (gorgeous), Silver Bells, and O Holy Night. Definitely going to be nice to have a Sarah playlist of just festive tunes. :)
I also have One Republic's new album (deluxe version) on the way by CD as it was cheaper to get it that way, plus I need something new for the car. I still have First Aid Kit's Stay Gold in the CD player, but that CD gives me summer vibes and it's time for a change before it returns to the car CD player next spring. :)
I took delivery of some lovely new CHA goodies from Hey Little Magpie the other day. Sadly I am currently without free time for a good crafty session - but wow, seriously nice products from Simple Stories and the Fancy That line fro MME is just that - FANCY! :D
Really looking forward to using the 6x6 Fancy That pad with the 12x12 papers as it's a really nice complement to the larger patterns. Also those I Am papers and elements will be a nice way to bring us out of winter and into spring!
Speaking of Hey Little Magpie - I had my most recent projects up on the blog on Monday:
Lots of Crate Paper bits and pieces in there plus some cards featuring the Pebbles We Go Together valentine's release. :)
It seems to have been the week for goodies - I also had my pre-ordered digital copy of the new Imagine Dragons album come through my amazon music app:
I'll be enjoying that on shuffle while I have my evening soak tonight, plus added to the mix was Hozier's album... And my current favourite tracks are between this one:
And this one:
And on that note, I'd best get back to my to-do list so I can start running my bath!
Well it's been a bit of a funny weekend... I kept thinking it was Sunday yesterday and that wouldn't be such a bad thing thinking you have an extra weekend day to enjoy.
But on my way out last night I discovered that my front tyre was flat as a pancake and the wheel trim was missing. End result = trip to the garage tomorrow, but during work hours - a very tightly scheduled work Monday. So this morning and into the afternoon I have been working to try and offset the time it will take me tomorrow to go sort my car out. Joy!
But back to yesterday... I did spend a lot of the day enjoying some of my new 2015 musical downloads and I might as well share them here too. :D
Numero uno - I have a new album purchase, it's been on my wish list a while but it was on offer so into the basket it went. It's Creation by The Pierces - I have their previous album on CD, in fact it was on constant shuffle in the car for about 4 months when it came out.
My favourite tracks at the moment are:
I Can Feel:
Monsters:
Elements:
And well all the songs on the album are fab, including the ones already released as singles, the above are just a few that really stood out on the first listen. :D
Next up some thing a bit different, I am building up my collection of Civil Wars tracks song at a time... here's the most recent addition:
This purchase was swiftly followed by Jesse Ware's Wildest Moments:
And I would love to get this song - but it's exclusive to the EP - will have to give the EP a few listens in preview and see if I'll be bighting the bullet!
I seem to be on a mellow path with these songs...
But there was one with a bit more oomf - not seen the movie, but I love a bit of Imagine Dragons on movie soundtracks!
I am also still very much enjoying all the songs on the Of Monsters and Men album - King and Lionheart is still my favourite, but great sing-along moments abound in the following:
And...
Love it! :D Well on that note (pun intended) I am off to cook my tea while enjoying some of these tracks via my amazon music app on the iPad - love that app! I don't use iTunes as my default music player on the PC and use Windows Media Player as it holds my 20 odd intricately-crafted playlists created over the past 15 years. But I love that I can stream my latest music purchases (which are usually via amazon digital these days) via the app and on my iPad without having to download them to said iPad. Great for listening to music in the kitchen, bath and wherever. :D
So off I went checking out my amazon wish lists carefully compiled over the last week or so.
These included the OPI Nordic mini set:
Niiiice - I also added a top coat and base coat set while I was at in.
And then it was time to checkout my mp3 basket. :)
Here are some of the highlights:
This next one is totally due to it being used on Suits :oD
Time for a little culture - this song got a lot of play time when we were in Poland this summer. :)
A classical take on a great OneRepublic melody mashed up with a bit of Beethoven - what's not to like?
Something edgy:
From that extreme to one of the best ever lyrics and melodies in a musical... love this version:
Can't tell you how much I love this song... man...
I already owned a few tracks on the My Head is an Animal album by Of Monsters and Men - but I couldn't resist any longer and bought the rest of the album. King and Lionheart has been my favourite track for the past couple of months! LoveItLoveItLoveIt!!
Time for a classic, all down to the last few lines of melody in this song that are featuring heavily in a car ad... man, I may not be in the market for a car but they sold me on the tune! lol
Hm, after that perhaps I should end it on a lighter note and share another favourite (although not a new purchase) song that I've had on constant loop this week - crank up the volume and enjoy!
I'm definitely enjoying OneRepublic's album Native on constant loop at the moment... it really aids my multi-tasking needs, but today's new addition to the playlist is the Arty remix of "I Lived".
Ugh, well so much for today being a productive day. I have been sneezing night and day since last night and looks like I'm coming down with a bad head cold if not the flu! Bleeeurgh!
But since I've not managed to do much more than put the washing on, have a hot bath soaking up the vapours of my Molton Brown eucalyptus bath and shower gel and go through half a box of tissues the day has been a bit of a dud. Mind you I have managed to download a load of new tunes so I've got them on now as I type - loving Ella Henderson's new single Glow and Emma Louise's track Jungle which is used on the new black opium advert. :)
Anyway, enough of the babbling, here are my March pocket pages that I shared over on the Hey Little Magpie blog as part of the September projects.
Left page:
Right page:
So March was the month of Mother's Day and our little shopping outing complete with the prerequisite trip to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen:
I also finally broke into my L'Occitaine almond gift set from Christmas - talk about enjoying the little things. Couldn't do without the almond shower oil - it's great for a soak in the bath!
We also had our very first here-comes-spring sunshine! The kind that heats the house and path so that Kizia cat can just lie there warming herself.
I really went to town with the enamel dots and also the accents from the Teresa Collins Nine & Co. collection. Loved the arrows and chipboard.
March was also the month of becoming addicted to banana loaf again - best enjoyed reheated with custard. Nom nom nom.
March was also the month of the no-make-up selfie campaign on facebook to promote donations to Cancer research and other charities.
And finally for the calendar entry from my desktop calendar that I am using for each month in this album I blinged it up a bit by using the packaging from the Notes & Things layered stickers - a handy clipboard background. :D
I've not yet printed out photos from April and beyond, it was going to be one of my tasks today to get them prepped but my head is so sore and everything is starting to ache that I just cannot face it right now... boohoo... oh well it's not like they're going anywhere after all! ;)
Here are some of the products used in these pocket pages:
September is definitely shaping up to be a busy and tiring month - a lot of work has meant little real downtime, but to switch off most evenings I have been re-watching Arrow and also still trying to get some crafting done. Mind you working at the same desk all day has made crafting a bit less attractive. ;o)
However I have some pics I've only just managed to copy over from my phone since the iOS8 update (boy am I missing my camera roll and photostream being two separate things! going to need a day to compare what's on my PC and what's on my phone and iPad before I go ahead and delete a lot of stuff from both).
This month I finally got back to scrapping - but that meant actually doing my February pocket pages first...
I'll share the full spread in another blog post soon. :)
I have still been listening to this on loop when not working...
I've been trying out some of these lovely goodies from Origins, 3 x 30 ml samples and a lovely little pouch that I got with my restock of Ginzing moisturiser. I have a good selection of cleansers to put to the test. :)
Thursday night was time for a break and cinema outing... I was waiting for my partner in crime to hot-tail it down to the cinema - I'd had nothing to eat except a banana and yoghurt all day and we were both starving for food... I seriously contemplated eating the remaining contents of this box of tictacs during the 3 minutes I was waiting. LOL
Thankfully we did manage to get some food before the film - we only had 20 minutes or so and it was very much a fail on the real food front, slow service, underwhelming "fast food" offering, and then 10 minutes to eat it all and get back to our screen so we could watch this:
All I'm saying is that it's a good job we didn't see this on an empty stomach! Would have been torture. What a fantastic film, just perfect for a September evening. :D
So this week I have been spending many an hour in the evenings (whilst trying to accomplish other task through the power of multi-tasking) watching Season 2 of Arrow... I'm saving the last 4 eps to binge watch back to back when I have the time - hopefully soon!
Eeeek! Cannot wait for Season 3 this October! And will definitely be checking out The Flash and the cross-over eps!
However in the meantime I suspect I will be very much sympathising with this to get me through the achingly tense wait:
hehe... I have been slightly spoiled re the Season 2 ending - blame some funny youtube vids, but I am really enjoying the show! So glad I started watching it on Amazon. :) I can also say it doesn't hurt that Stephen Amell really is a great advert for the gym! The Salmon Ladder - need I say more!?
And yep, I'm totally on team Olicity!
But in other less fangirly news, I have also been topping up my music playlist this week. :D
Now as you may remember I am still totally playing First Aid Kit's Stay Gold album on constant loop in the car ever since buying it in June when it was released. BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!
But after doing some snooping for remixes of other tunes on youtube (I seem to be in a real remix zone at the moment) I found a track from the previous album that totally sold Lion's Roar for me - I was hoping to buy the CD ages ago but couldn't find it in the UK for a decent price and I thought I'd wait before downloading just the mp3 version... This video chipped away at my resolve:
So now I have Lion's Roar downloaded and also on constant loop. :) The MP3 version is a bargain at just £4.49 on amazon at the moment, just a shame the CD version wasn't available at a regular non-import price so no easy loop playing in the car.
Never mind... also on the remix front, I am enjoying the following:
So that's about it really... now to go rescue my dinner from the oven and see about whether an Arrow binge watch is in order!
It's the first of November and I have been seeing lots of Christmas countdown mentions and status updates on Facebook.
Crikey, not only have I got lots of Christmas cards still to make (it could be a trip to Paperchase on the cards - no pun intended - this year by the looks of things!), but I have lots of exciting things to plan and think about for my little scrappy jaunt to Florida at the end of the month. It'll be soooo nice to see everyone again, loiter by the paper aisles of many a craft establishment, and could it be that the highlight we are all talking about is eating at Sweet Tomatoes again God knows how many times! LOL
But before any of that can happen, there's still stuff to do here in the UK.
At least this is one more card made...
Paper: Crate Paper Stamp: Rusty Pickle Dies: Memory Box, MFT Other: 3D foam
Nice and simple, but I think that needs to be the overall plan! LOL
To aid in the lifting of winter blues I have been enjoying my new Vivaldi Four Seasons Recomposed CD by Max Richter.
Great music, whether loud or low in the background.
I just love the Spring 0 intro and Spring 1 - enjoy:
Well it has taken me the best part of the week to get used to being back home... not that I have managed to get all my washing done yet or indeed unpack everything... but thank heavens a Bank Holiday is approaching.
We saw a lot of sights on our epic family road trip this summer en route to my cousin's most awesome wedding... Any wedding that finishes at 6 a.m. with guests still dancing to this...
...and other Modern Talking hits after copious amounts of vodka (without a hint of drunkenness) and course after course of food deserves the title of Awesome. In fact the day after the wedding, well about 4 hrs after going to bed and getting up again, my brother and I were still unable to get Cheri Cheri Lady out of our heads... and kept bursting into song at the most bizarre moments... mostly while waiting for our kebab pizza to arrive at our table (the ideal afternoon-after-the-early-morning-before pick-me-up).
So I only feel it right to share the joy with you all. It was definitely the hit of summer 2012 for us! ;o)
Ah Modern Talking, really big in Poland in the 80s and it was nice to enjoy such a big blast from the past!
Oh go on... enjoy this one too:
And this one...
Oh and I think this remix only got played after 4 a.m. with the prerequisite rap section:
Anyway... here are a few of the sights we saw on our 3-week adventure (in addition to quite a few cemeteries as part of the family history research bit - shame the two big ones in Lwow were on steep hills and absolutely massive!):
Have to say this was the home of one of our favourite eating establishments of the trip - Karczma Lwowska which we later found out after visiting Lwow was the best place to eat traditional Lwow cuisine!
Then it was off to Rzeszow nearer the Ukraine border:
Boy was it hot when we arrived - it had been close to 50 degrees on the road surfaces, and 39 degrees outside - an ice cream was definitely in order!
The next day we headed off for our long weekend in Lwow, but that involved a 6 hour wait on the Ukraine border (blatant corruption despite all the notices declaring the threat of prosecution and hefty fines for even attempting to bribe an official as people bribed officers to queue jump and paid other people to carry cigarettes and booze in for them) - have never seen anything like it before. Even back in the 80s at the height of border tension between countries behind the iron curtain we never had to queue as long as this for seemingly no reason. So my advice to any travellers... don't even bother trying to drive from Poland to the Ukraine - it is not worth the hassle for the unpredictability of what you will experience on the border, but have to say driving in the Ukraine was a lot better than expected and once we were past the border we made good time to Lwow. :)
It was absolutely sweltering the entire weekend, and this was one place where we really could have done with air con in the hotel, but the hotel was a historic gem in its own right - we stayed at the Hotel George and in the room used by Honoré de Balzac no less:
You can understand why this city was the Paris of the east before the war - it is just one amazing building after another, alas not all looking like they did in their former glory, but so much has survived in its original state compared to cities like Warsaw and Krakow.
The journey back into Poland only involved a 3-hour wait on the border, where again for €50 a bloke could get you through the border quicker... whatever... we were quite happy to just wait our turn and hope for the best while keeping very close the bumper of the car in front so no one could push in from the organised border crossing system!
So once back in Poland we headed for Krakow, my birthplace:
Thankfully the weather had cooled down a bit to the mid/high-twenties in Krakow for our two-day break so we managed a lot of sight-seeing, plus a trip to the Hungarian restaurant my parents used to go to as students... one of the few places you could eat well back in the 70s.
After Krakow it was wedding-central and we hit the road for Plock for family time and gearing up to the big day:
And what a day it was. The wedding was at 6 p.m. in the church and since my brother and I were staying just round the corner we headed out for lunch in the afternoon and saw about 3 weddings take place before we had to get back and get ready for the big one! There was even a gypsy wedding that afternoon which looked lovely, but a lot more low-key than you see on Big Fat Gypsy Weddings!
So after almost a week catching up with family, etc. we headed for Gdansk - alas the weather only perked up when we were leaving, but last time we were there it was sweltering - have to recommend the Novotel Gdansk for price and location (especially if you have a car) it was a really good choice:
Gdansk too had an excellent restaurant that serves Eastern Polish cuisine plus Lwow favourites including Kvass (which has become my dad's non-alcoholic cool drink of choice and my mum used to drink it as a child - it is actually very tasty and refreshing). It was funny as we ate at this restaurant the first night and our table was across from a Swiss couple who seemed to be enjoying the various treats the restaurant offered. The next evening we ended up sat next to them again in a totally different restaurant - who knows which eating establishment we might have bumped into them at had we stayed another night. They were very good sports about it and said we should all just decide on the next restaurant and eat together. LOL
Anyway, I thought I would post this mini-trip report now (even though technically I should be celebrating my birthday this evening, but it's a "school night" and you can't celebrate properly on a "school night") because who knows what the weekend will bring. ;) Tomorrow night birthday celebrations will be in full swing, a nice Chinese take away (ooer living it large) and no doubt full-on depletion of the vodka supplies that came back with us from the wedding:
This is what every guest was drinking and managed to stay awake and dancing on until dawn.
And the other new vodka to try which I got as a present from my cousin and his very lovely wife:
We will see what the verdict is and how much sleep I get after them - I've never had a hangover from vodka, just cannot sleep. In fact after the wedding I slept until about 9.30 a.m. (so just 3 hrs) then read a book cover to cover until my brother was finally in the land of the living and ready to get up and have his "kebab".
Lets hope Saturday morning I have a bit more of a lie in, but I'll have my Kindle with me just in case!
Well I have had quite a country-fied weekend on the music front. Caught up with Hart of Dixie and spent the rest of the time listening to new tunes and falling even more in love with The Lumineers self-titled album.
Today's favourite song:
Love it!
And all that music in the air made me feel quite creative this afternoon. I made a card for the current Mojo Monday sketch challenge (#241).
Paper, chipboard and sticker: Crate Paper Die: Cheery Lynn Bling: Prima Other: Resin flower, toothpick, sewing machine, 3D foam, distressing tool, Distress Stickles
Alas the Distress Stickles are still drying despite being applied 4+ hours ago! With any luck they will be dry in the morning. ;)
And now, back to my new country playlist while I have a nice long soak in the bath and get started on a new book.
Hard to believe this time last week I was down on the (adventure) farm with two very adventurous little girls:
There was even sunshine. Amazing isn't it? Sunshine in May...
So with this yucky cold and dark weather I'm thinking I need some therapeutic crafting time. I will be searching up some challenge blogs this afternoon I think as it's been a while since I made anything other than my cards for the 52 Cards challenge and DCM dares. :)
And to help me get into the spirit my lovely little prize from A Passion for Papertrey arrived yesterday:
So what better excuse to use it on some new projects. :)
I also managed to finally finish The Witness this morning before getting up for the day:
It was good, but now time for a return to some historical romance due back at the library next. ;)
Also lazy Saturdays are perfect for getting stuck into new music. I am especially loving The Lumineers album I downloaded after repeated listening in preview mode. I hadn't heard of them until hearing the song Ho Hey used on Hart of Dixie then I discovered the rest of the album, and yep. I'm sold. :) Think this is my summer album this year, and Ho Hey is still my favourite song so far:
Yesterday after some rain in the morning things turned decidedly brighter:
They also involved a good few steps - and a certain two little girls and one very excited Jack Russell who made it to the top in very short order!
But the climb was well worth it - I even wished I'd brought my shades it was so sunny.
We had a lovely afternoon stroll round the park and then home for tea and an evening in with:
In complete contrast I have been having a rather lazy day today since the weather has been really yucky - snow after rain and it has been pretty cold. So I managed to get one of the books due back at the library read from cover to cover and also finally got my defrosted Quorn mince into a lasagne for tea. :)
Anyway, I think a soak in the bath is imminent and then I look forward to enjoying Homeland tonight. I also see that Ingolrious Basterds is on right after so not a bad TV night. :)
Think I shall put my new Emeli Sandé album on while I enjoy my soak:
Then it's back to the grind tomorrow - ah Monday's don't you love 'em?
I haven't really managed to be productive today - despite good intentions. Instead I got lost in a book and trying to pin down my washing in the gusty winds we are currently encountering - how different the weather is compared to yesterday.
So nothing papercrafty to share just yet, but here are a few random snaps...
The best French film I have had the pleasure of seeing this year is now back with Lovefilm and I cannot wait for the next edition in the trilogy, the first film is Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec:
Here's the Hollywood-ised trailer:
Really enjoyed it witty, charming... and entertaining!
I also cannot get enough of my current fave album:
My current favourite track is this one:
Come next week, I'm sure I'll have another favourite track... so many good tracks to choose from!
I also got my first Christmas stash delivery this week - I know seems like it's too soon to even think about Christmas cards, but well... if the weather keeps cold and as the nights draw in I may have to fire up the Christmas CDs and get started making something with these lovely additions:
MME 12 days of Christmas collection pack, plus the chipboard and some assorted papers from Crate Peppermint.
I will try to resist using them on my next card... but who knows? ;o)
Soon I am going to have to start applying my new concealer purchase (for the pasty winter pallor):
Industrial strength apparently, I have Erase Paste in shade 2 (for summer) but needed a lighter shade for winter so here's hoping industrial strength is right!
Also a new lipstick for the limited Benefit collection - which until this purchase only contained all 3 of the Color Plump lip pencils - alas retired - big mistake Benefit! Big mistake! Huge! {sigh}
But this new one is a lovely shade. :)
And finally, the baking bug hit again yesterday.
As soon as I got in I got down to baking a couple of recipes. First up a way to use up some of the delicious apples from the tree in my mum and dad's garden - wish we knew the variety as they are completely unlike any apples you can buy in the shops, lovely and tart and so fresh.
It's apple streusel cake from Hummingbird's cake days - slightly flatter than it should be as I had to bake it in a 9" spring-form tin as I didn't have an 8" one.
We'll be enjoying it for dessert after the Sunday roast this evening.
I also tried out Leon's Scones in the Bake-a-boo cookbook.
At least I could try one of these before the temptation was too much! Naturally combined with my favourite raspberry jam and some clotted cream.
And now I think I shall put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea and get down to making something - or maybe starting my next book? Hm...
I must admit my birthday has definitely crept up on me this year... I blame it all on the past few manic weeks with work.
But I had an impromptu visit from the family today whilst working from home and there are a couple of things I can't wait to try!
I got some lovely silver jewelry from my mum including some owl earrings... very apt.
Also the long awaited box of Mally items to try:
Hm, what could be in there?
Well it looks like a lot of nice little items to try. I already have a Mally Mascara which is indeed bullet-proof - but there's a bit of everything in here including a really good brush by the looks of it.
I also finally have a proper pinny for my baking adventures. I have been on the hunt for the right apron for a while - all the ones I'd seen and tried weren't so good up top. This 50's style pattern must have been designed with homely housewives in mind as it fits perfectly.
And it now resides in its new spot ready for some baking action - whenever that might be!
After everyone had left and I got back to work but also put on my new Pierces CD - have had it in the car for a few little runs out, but wow, totally blown away and so glad I got the CD version rather than just downloading it as I can have it on loop in the car for the next how ever many months! hehe
Right, I'd best have a look inside that little box of Mally-goodness and try a few things out. ;o)
Well, I can't believe it's already after 3 in the afternoon... I think my delayed time clock has a lot to do with staying up until 2 in the morning after getting in from the late night crop and being too awake for bed.
Had a crop - I didn't exactly make progress with my current mini album. But I am now armed with a new trimmer:
Over the years my Making Memories trimmer has been cutting wonkier and wonkier, I can never get a true straight cut out of it any more and the numbers and grid are starting to rub off rather badly in the area I use the most for cardmaking. It's a real shame as it was a really expensive trimmer at the time, and it has always cut beautifully (just not necessarily perfectly straight!). These trimmers are supposed to last a lifetime if I remember correctly so it's more than a bit disappointing.
But I had a go of the Cutterpede last night on Gill's recommendation - if anyone knows their trimmers it'll be Gill, and the one I tried cut perfectly straight and I liked the mini foldable swing out arm, and well, it's more portable for crops that's for sure. It doesn't have the same whoosh cut that I loved about my MM trimmer, but I was desperate for a trimmer that cuts true.
So here's hoping my latest trimmer investment is The One.
I also treated myself to the usual cardstock restock - the shades I seem to be running out of between crops:
I can't seem to get enough of Bazzill OP Wheat cardstock at the moment, I know it's sad... but I just love it with lots of things, plus I always worry that I'll run out of that Bazzill Turquoise Mist cardstock. Next time I'm at the shop I am probably going to have a good stock up on my favourite OP colours. Thankfully I have a little stash of Real Teal and Splash to keep me going, not to mention my 25 pcs. pack of Tanner!
One of the highlights of last night was trying to convince Lynda of the superior power of Paula Cole's music and lyrics through the medium of her best ever song - Feelin' Love...
I originally "discovered" this track when I bought the City of Angels soundtrack when the movie came out, not that I saw it at the cinema... but it's a fine soundtrack indeed. And the album, This Fire, that the track originates from is my favourite Paula Cole album, however I have been rediscovering her most recent studio album again today:
It's been on loop a few hours now. ;o)
And speaking of rediscoveries... I finally, finally started using this set of Acrylic blocks from Fiskars that I bought in Florida a few years back.
They seemed like such a bargain at the time and for one reason or another I never actually used them.
Well this past week I finally permanently unpacked them from their box and they live in my ink drawer and I have been using them a lot, especially with my Papertrey stamps. The three square blocks are a really handy size for me and they do have a bevelled edge after all on the grid size, so are easier to hold than I remembered for positioning. And the foam packaging is very handy as a pricking mat/stamping cushion.
And new bizzaro discovery... well I have always been curious just what it is that people who shop at a 24 hr Tesco buy in the late/early hours... Instead of driving right past on the way home last night, we stopped off (I was in search of the Ben and Jerry's Coconutterly Fair new flavour and Tesco still has their £2 offer on B&J's - it seemed like a good time/petrol-saving idea at the time!) and discovered that people buy weird stuff after midnight - ice cream not withstanding...
One woman left with a pair of flip-flops, a bottle of hair dye and a bag of veg. Another bloke bought some pillows... and there was another lady going in as we were coming out who looked like she meant business and was off to do her weekly shop - who knew right?
I left with a small pot of Coconutterly Fair for £1.50 grrr! They didn't have it in the full size (even at the largest Tesco in my area), and Cookie Dough in the full size for future enjoyment.
So yes, it all sounds rather barking doesn't it - but hey-ho even the small tub of Coconutterly Fair was worth the little stop-off.
I suppose I'd best get testing out my trimmer eh? ;o)
I just saw on the e-mail newsletter that Pink Martini will be touring the UK again this year and October 11th they'll be playing The Sage again!
That's one show I'd definitely want to go see - they were great in 2007, shame there was a no photography policy inside the hall, especially now I have that zoom lens for my SLR...
It was that kind of day yesterday where I needed to clear head space between various tasks... so of course, what better reason than to get the stepladder out the shed and get stringing lights up and pulling baubles from boxes...
The fireplace is a red/white affair... and looks much better now that I added those gorgeous pine cone baubles. You can't go over the top with this sort of thing at least.
I found a new home for my wintry Matryoshkas, the one above was from Accessorize a few years ago - I didn't like the one they were selling this year for the price they wanted.
And this one has been appropriated from my mum... I just love the winter scene....
In other news I have finally got this on iTunes:
Oh and tonight, I shall definitely be trying my new fuzzy PJs - minus 6 it was last night!
The box I use to "temporarily" store the cards I've made overfloweth... This is where my cards are supposed to go before they get allocated a lovely little envelop and popped into a bag...
Hm, there is obviously some problem with this system - in that it is totally not working.
But tonight, I have nothing else pressing to do, so will put the telly on and get this little pile sorted and get a basket ready to try and sell some of these for Children in Need at the reception desk at work.
Fingers crossed!
Also I have finally properly fall in love with Laws of Illusion.
Initially I wasn't all that taken, but now Lissie is going to be swapped out from my CD player in the car and replaced with Sarah. No doubt the Pink Martini Christmas album will be my December looped CD of choice... :o)
Mind you, I cannot stop playing this at the moment either! Talk about contrasts...
And on that note, I am off to start sorting... well, maybe in a bit... It'll give me something to do while Spooks is on (blimey looks like it might be gripping tonight eh?)
I just got an e-mail through letting me know that Pink Martini are releasing their first Holiday album! Yaaaaay! I have been dying for them to do a festive collection since before their wonderful version of "Do you hear what I hear?" appeared on this Starbuck's CD:
It will fit perfectly in my yuletide playlist alongside favourite CDs:
And...
I wonder what other new Christmas offerings will be available on iTunes this year?
Thank heavens Season 2 disc 1 is on the way from Lovefilm!
Woah, talk about a bit of a cliffhanger, I'm just glad I can delve right into season 2 tomorrow!
Am now off to wind down and watch Monday's ep of Glee and perhaps delve into my new book.
Also I am currently counting down the days until this track is available for download:
She definitely has the voice of Stevie Nicks... rather uncanny, but I am loving this track and of course I managed to download In Sleep when it was the free track on iTunes... oh and speaking of, I have pre-ordered the new Sarah McLachlan album which I can't wait for either!
Well not just because that's the theme of this week's dare over at the Daring Cardmakers blog...
Speaking of, here's my card:
It's a trifold card - that's the flap element! ;o)
Papers: October Afternoon Stickers: October Afternoon Pocket: Martha Stewart Bling: Prima Die: Nestabilities
Rather cute stuff that Fly a Kite line...
And I rather like the spotty stickers!
Anyway, it's been a rather stressful day and I am probably going to have to do some work this weekend as next week is going to be very hectic. :o(
When I will be moving house is a mystery I had hoped to be moving stuff over next weekend since the TV and Internet is getting installed but have a big project in at work and may have to work next weekend to meet the deadline as it hasn't got off to a smooth start and is already delayed. Grrr...
But in cheerier news, here are some nice things - my summer Yankee Candles arrived (and I have two newly cleaned out jars from old candles to add to the ribbon jar collection):
And...
Also Glee fans - I saw that Sue Sylvester's version of Vogue has been uploaded to the official site and here at digital spy - can't get it to embed properly, so check out the link.
Anyway, I'm off to take a couple of Ibuprofen and wait for Ashes to Ashes to come on. :o)
So I totted up my little jar list the other night... I need to burn another Six large Yankee Candles before I can finally sort all my ribbons by colour. Cripes.
It will take me a while! Maybe I should just buy some in IKEA... but no! Where is the fun and nice scents in that!?
In the meantime I am wondering which colour should get the first sorting treatment... hm... decisions, decisions....
Anyway I have some pottering to do tonight, plus I need to catch up with the latest ep of Glee - mid-season break coming up :o(
Oh and I am quite liking this song at the moment - it's very Fleetwood Mac, but new... but must stay away from iTunes for a bit - if it's even available that is!
And a big thank you to everyone who has hopped stopped by on their way round the Banana Frog blog hop!
Who knew I could actually make a card with no paper on it? LOL I am so addicted to patterned paper that I never think NOT to use it...
So here's today's card for the no-paper prompt...
Prompt: "Get Well Oranges" - Inspiration: Vibrant/tropical colours, two different fonts, sticker border, no patterned paper.
Stickers: KI Memories, Doodlebug, American Crafts Punch: Martha Stewart
Thank heavens for that pack of Tropical cardstock from American Crafts too. :o)
But I think it will be back to the patterned paper for the next card. LOL
This Sunday I'm off to Newcastle shopping/browsing with ma (it was her Mother's Day request - and who am I to refuse...).
John Lewis will be our first port of call, we usually spend a good few hours in there anyway. But I am hoping to check out their mini sewing machine - if they actually have one in store as it is out of stock online, plus The Cushion Department. Yes, you know why...
If there is nothing more appropriate for my bedroom colour scheme, I may just get this cushion at last for... the study?
Also a special port of call will be made to the new Marble Slab Creamery store in Eldon Square. I had no idea they had made it over the Atlantic, but yes there are just two stores in the UK, one in Newcastle and the other in Dundee...
I shall schlep the camera along with me, just to document any ice cream yumminess. I am sure the one I had in Florida last year (as pictured) was birthday cake flavour - whatever it was it was most delicious and resulted in Marble Slab Creamery being added to the "must visit again" list.
And I really hope we have time to visit the new Apple store as I want to try out some portable speakers for my nano so I can see what works for it. If anyone has any recommendations I am all ears. I want one with good sound so it can be played anywhere in the house, mains and battery operation, remote control (handy for my playlists as they are quite ecclectic...) under £100 and with a hookup to the laptop so you can use it as laptop speakers when playing DVDs...
I'm not sure this one fits the bill entirely, but so far it has been the highest rated for under £100.
I would definitely go cheaper, as long as the sound quality is good for everyday playback.
So hit me with your recs. :)
What else, what else....
Oh, currently there are two songs constantly playing on the radio that I can't get enough of.
Goldfrap's Rocket - will be off to check out the album in iTunes... Love a lot of Goldfrap's stuff... But I love the 80s feel to this one. :D
And one that I find very similar (not in a bad way) but this really compliment's Rocket.
Ooer there seems to be quite a bit of bum cheek showing in the still of this youtube vid...
Gabriella Cilmi's On a Mission... looks like there could be some good remixes, so I'm off to iTunes now!
Hah, you may have had to do a double take - what have Papercrafts' Card a Day book and Madonna got in common?
Me!
My recent little amazon order arrived today, the Card a Day book (which by the way is really good - any cardmakers out there I would really recommend it for the eye candy and ideas - the layout is really good too) and the double CD/DVD compilation of Confessions Live - I needed it just for the exclusive Paradise (Not for Me) clip, love that version, and really I don't think I will ever tire of the original album.
Anyway, these two items will join forces tonight as I am going to get down to some creative time once I've had my shower. :o)
It was a little cheesy and slow in places, but my God, it had some of the most hilarious scenes I've seen for a while in it. Seriously I thought I was going to cry with laughter at one moment...
Also on the drive home, I heard this track (that's the nice thing driving home this late, they have great remixes on the radio that you can crank up high). It's a remix of the new Massive Attack single Paradise Circus:
Will definitely be getting this on iTunes once it's released!
Over Christmas I had rather a few sprees on iTunes - gulp!
Of the various albums and tracks I bought, I have really been loving one track in particular from Paloma Faith's album:
The track is Play On:
I've also been adding to my tango music collection (not that it was huge!) with some tracks from The Gotan Project and Bailango! - including one that has been used in a few films like Take the Lead.
I definitely have wide and varied music taste. :o)
The only time I don't have the tv on or music playing is at work and when I'm totally asleep! I cannot function without background noise and I'd never be able to live without music. I reloaded my iPod shuffle for the gym the other day so it now has all of Shakira's She Wolf remixes, and 3 Words remixes (I just love the beat of that song).
When I'm creating stuff I usually have the TV on in the background, pop in a DVD or more often than not, lose track of time with my playlist! I'm not sure how much it influences my creative output, but music definitely gets me in the creative mood.
So are there any tunes you just don't get bored of hearing right now?
I must confess one of the albums I never get bored of is Confessions on the Dancefloor, I should really get a copy of the live CD as one of my favourite arrangements of a Madonna song from Music is on the DVD of this tour. Much prefer it to the version of Paradise on the original album:
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