Kool Kitty Musings

Happy Galentine's Day!

If you're not familiar with Galentine's Day, well it all comes from that wonderful show, Parks & Recreation...

I'll let Leslie explain what it is:

So with any luck my Galentine's Day creation has reached a fellow Parks & Rec gal-friend in time. :D

I found a wonderful free Printable at Brit + Co. that was perfect for the occasion - Brit + Co. appear to love Parks & Rec as much as we do. :)

Printable: Brit + Co.
Paper: Pebbles, Crate Paper
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, Lawn Fawn
Other: pompom trim, heart button, 3D foam tape

This was the perfect project to use up some Valentine's Day stash - I usually love scrapbooking releases for Valentine's Day as they have a great mix of pinks and often a nice shot of aqua. So also the perfect stash for Galentine's Day!

I also made this card as my interpretation of the February Pantone card challenge prompt for "Flame".

Until next time - and in the words of Donna Meagle - Treat Yo' Self this Galentine's Day! :D

 

Pebbles - We Go Together - UR Sweet	Pebbles - We Go Together - Sending Love	Crate Paper - Kiss Kiss - Love Rocks Paper	Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It die set
Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched die set	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape

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Brrrrr....

I was hoping for an evening of crafting tonight, but it's just so cold even with the heating on that the only solution is going to be a very hot bath!

Which isn't such a bad thing as my original fangirl crush TV show has landed on Amazon Prime:

Oh yes, all 9 seasons ready for some binge re-watching and so much more convenient than getting out my DVD box set. So I can happily prop my iPad up on a chair by the bath and watch some classic eps from the past (gulp) 20 odd years....

It would be made even better were I to accompany my soak in the bath with a nice cocktail like last week:

Yes, that Nutri Ninja being used for more than its intended purpose...

But I don't have any more Pina Colada mix left and well, I would rather not be falling asleep before 10 as I've only just got out of the vicious cycle of tired in the early evening, wide awake from 4 a.m. which has plagued me since Christmas!

In between work projects I did manage to get my DCM card for this week made last night - my first little play with the MISTI tool I got for Christmas. And I took delivery of some Quilter's template grids today to hopefully aid me further in lining stamps up in the MISTI!

Fun!

Hopefully will get much better at using it with more practice. :)

Also today I managed to pop out to TK Maxx while getting a few bits and pieces and had a good mooch upstairs in homeware. No crafty bits to write home about, but they look to have had a good selection of Boleslawiec pottery come in:

Sadly not the pattern/design I am still on the lookout for. I love my cream on blue spot patterns, but also still hoping to one day see this pattern available:

I bought this cup and saucer for my mum in Krakow a few years ago - it was the only item in that design and we've not seen it anywhere since. Just love it!

Pawnee how I'll miss you

I finally came to the end of my mammoth binge fest of watching Seasons 5 to 7 of Parks and Recreation yesterday.

I cannot believe there are no new episodes left for me to binge on. I am just glad that I have 62 hours of this series to rewatch again and again.

What a show! It is one of the few comedies that has left me laughing out loud hysterically and sniffling emotionally in the space of the same 20 minutes more often than not. It is a show full of heart and amazing people.

How I wish we could all have people like the Parks team in our lives.

If you've never seen the show definitely check it out - you will not regret it!

It took me until somewhere in Season 2 to become a forever fan.

If you need more convincing and don't mind being spoiled, this is a great article about some of the best episodes (but seriously there are at least 20 odd amazing episodes followed by another hundred fantastic instalments that could go on that list!).

I will miss Leslie's eternal can-do attitude, her amazing skills at binder assemblage, her crazy gift-giving ESP, and her unique and sweet descriptions for best friend Ann:

They are quite something and usually go along the lines of...

Ann you...

Ron Swanson.

Ron...

Ron deserves a whole chapter to himself - that man made that show and often left a lump in my throat - may his Tammy-spidey-sense forever be in good working order!

And other moments such as:

I will miss Donna Meagle's fantastic wordless asides to camera - and her super secret life outside of work!

Her reactions though, especially to things Jerry says/does!

Her friendship with Tom, Tom Haverford...

One of my favourite lines from Parks is courtesy of them!

Click on the image below for the vid:

Ben and his lifetime love of Calzones... well almost lifetime except for the food poisoning...

Oh and loveable nerdish fanboy tendencies including the invention of the wildly popular Cones of Dunshire...

Sweet innocent Andy Dwyer and his heart of gold not to mention his flawless comedic timing.

Jerry, Garry... Gergich?

I think the cover of this mag summed up perfectly how Jerry is portrayed in the show:

Basically this sums it all up:

Pawnee teamwork forever! Click on the image below to go to the video... I will never be able to hear that Gloria Estefan song again without seeing this!

And now to enjoy re-re-watching it all for many years to come.

Sci-Fi inspiration

The inner geek has been unleashed on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week as Svenja has set us a dare inspired by not only her turning 42 today (Happy Birthday Svenja!) - a number of great significance in the Sci-Fi world, but also the upcoming event known as Towel Day.

Basically the challenge is to go with a science fiction theme for your card - aliens, sci-fi heroes, the whole she-bang.

I am somewhat of a Sci-Fi geek for certain shows - you already know my current addiction to Arrow, but the first big obsession right from the get go was The X-Files.

I've been rather awol of late due to work, and crafting time has been zilch, so my original idea for an X-Files card take on the I Want to Believe poster sadly came to nothing, but I did take inspiration from recent upcoming shows that will be added to my TV diary this autumn and in 2016 - namely Supergirl (who definitely has a Felicity Smoak wardrobe look and vibe to her when not flying around):

And the new Legends of Tomorrow spin-off from the Flarrow (Flash and Arrow) universe.

So yes, my viewing habits are going a bit comic-booky! :D

And so is my card for this week!

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: Mama Elephant
Dies: Mama Elephant, PTI
Enamel dots and stars: Basic Grey, Gossamer Blue
Other: 3D foam, Distress Inks, Copics

I have to admit, I am getting better at the fussy cutting! But I really wish I had coloured Superboy in using more subtle colours or pencils, to match the look of the background including the waterfront (courtesy of my Distress Inks and blending tool!). I can't seem to stop using the skyline die in conjunction with the heroes stamp set, they are just too perfect together! And it's no coincidence that I didn't hid those birds in the background paper - is it a bird, is it a plane....??? ;)

Anyway, be sure to check out the fantastic projects on the DCM blog - seriously, those geeky girls outdid themselves! ;)

Basic Grey - What's Up? - Friendly skies paper	Mama Elephant - Tiny Heroes stamp set	Mama Elephant - Cityscape Creative Cuts die set	Distress Ink pad - Tumbled Glass
Distress ink pad - Chipped Sapphire	Distress ink pad - Faded Jeans	Basic Grey - Candy Buttons - Yellow/pink enamel dots	Gossamer Blue - On My Desk - Enamel Stars

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Something green... and pointy... and arrow-y!

Hello folks!

Happy Friday!

This week over on the Daring Cardmaker's blog it was my turn to set the dare.

My challenge to you this week is inspired by my current TV obsession: Arrow.

 

Without spoiling the entire series for those that haven't seen it, I'll let Mr Queen provide the intro:

The name of the island they found me on is Lian Yu. It's Mandarin for "purgatory". I've been stranded here for five years. I've dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For five years I've had only one thought, one goal - survive.
Survive and one day return home.
The island held many dangers. To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked, but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city.
My name is Oliver Queen.

I could go on and on about my love of this show, the triumvirate that is Team Arrow, the comedic and MIT-Class-of-'09 genius of Felicity Smoak, and how this show has been playing on constant loop since I binge-watched Seasons 1 and 2 last summer, but I will spare you!*

Basically, it's a really good show - you should check it out.

* And full disclosure - I am an Olicity shipper! :D

So onto the details of this week's dare:

My challenge to you is to feature arrows on your card this week. They are a very current design trend in the crafting industry at the moment - lots of stamps, dies, papers are featuring arrows.

I would love to see whether you can interpret anything else from Arrow into your cards - like the colour green (as Oliver Queen knows, it's not easy being green), a nod to the Starling city skyline, comic book super heroes, Felicity Smoak's iconic glasses, somehow getting the word Sinceriously on your card...

Whatever you go with, there has to be at least one arrow on your card!

If you need further inspiration - get yourself on Pinterest (I even have a dedicated Pinterest board - oh yes, I am a proper fangirl!!) and YouTube for Arrow-related content - there's so much goodness out there!

If you're already a fan, I believe that the Metamorphosis of Oliver Queen video is one of the best Oliver Queen videos re character development:

And when it comes to Olicity-oriented videos combined with fantastic music choices, then VeritasProductions is where you need to be! Her latest one is a stellar visual piece - gets us Olicity fans right in the feels!

Anyway, moving onto my actual make for this week - it's not as Arrow-y with a capital A as I had hoped for, it's more Flarrow-y (The Flash + Arrow) since flying super powers are involved, but it has a few nods to the show all the same:

Paper: Pebbles Inc, Bella Bllvd, American Crafts
Dies: Mama Elephant, Lil' Inker Designs
Stamps: Mama Elephant
Stickers/ephemera: Simple Stories
Chipboard: MME
Enamel dots: MME
Other: 3D foam, Copics

So I have some arrows in there (naturally), a comic book-style super hero, green enamel dots, the city skyline, and as close as I am going to get using Sinceriously on a card if no manufacturer goes ahead and makes this die! :D

Definitely check out the fantastic creations from my fellow team mates - the did not fail this dare! Leo in particular did a lot of research on Google - for science - and has used a good selection of embellishment "six packs"... I wonder why...

And just to clarify... I watch Arrow for the story, characters and action - what the camera lingers on in certain scenes (Season 1 especially) is just an added bonus... that we can all appreciate, isn't that right Felicity? :D

Happy crafting - and binge watching if you're so inclined!

Pebbles - We Go Together - Hugs & Kisses	Bella Blvd - Love and Marriage - May Eighteenth paper	American Crafts - 12 x 12 Christmas glitter paper pad	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set
Lil' Inker Designs - Seriously word die	Mama Elephant - Cityscape Creative Cuts die set	Mama Elephant - Tiny Heroes stamp set	My Mind's Eye - Fancy That - Blush 12 x 12" Chipboard Elements
Simple Stories - I Am - Die Cut Bits & Pieces	Simple Stories - I Am - 12x12" Fundamentals Stickers	My Mind's Eye - Jubilee - Mint Julep 'Beautiful' Enamel Dots	My Mind's Eye - Just Sayin' - Enamel Dots

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Hello weekend!

Gosh, it's hard to believe that the Easter weekend has arrived - but yay! It's here!

A good few lie-ins this weekend would be much appreciated. I really need to do a spring clean of the house, but what I'm really looking forward to having a moment to do is hopefully play with my new stash of Altenew stamps:

3-step floral stamping HERE I COME!!

Mind you I must not get mentally side-tracked by other things, like trying to recover from the gloriousness that is the sizzle reel for the remaining 5 episodes of Season 3 of Arrow. My jaw is still somewhere near the floor after watching it 3 times, I am equal parts worried and excited oh and there is a lot of "OMG. WTH. WHAAAAT?" mixed in there too!

Sweet merciful heavens....

There may be a series re-watch commencing this weekend since Arrow's not back on in the US until the 15th.

In the meantime I am somewhere between....

And cycling through these...

Yeah, it is going to be one hell of a bumpy and emotional ride!

But hey, in the meantime there are some less stressful things to look forward to. :D Such as Easter and that includes tomorrow's card for the new Daring Cardmakers challenge. :)

Until then, I leave you with a little sneaky peek - it seems to be the theme today:

How things are looking in the parental household

Arrow Season 2 viewing has progressed to Episode 14 - one of my favourites for the Olicity feels....

But it is also when this gif reaction:

Is now going to be ramped up with this additional reaction:

Definitely a lot of flailing in front of the telly and shouts of "Whaaaaat???". hehe

Sadly I had to leave it there as it was close to midnight and I had a windscreen to de-ice before driving home.

I wonder if my dad was still tempted to keep going (I did say it was a good stopping point before a proper binge session.... we'll see!).

It won't be long now until the parentals will be in this mode:

...and thanking their lucky stars I set up a series link for Season 3 and the Flash on their Tivo in preparation. hehe

Time for a little photo recap

{Pinterest pin}

Off round the parentals tonight to join in with my dad's Arrow binge watching - the above photo is very apt because....

This time last week he had only started Season 1! Well we're now into Season 2! The best moment was 5 minutes into episode 1 of season 1 when he asked how many episodes we could get through that night - answer 6! We'll see where we end up tonight - I believe we're picking up from Episode 3 - The Dollmaker. Goody! :D

Tonight on Sky 1 though it's one of the much anticipated episodes of Season 3 - The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak! Goody goody!!

{Link to original image}

But aside from the Arrow stuff, I have some pics to share from the last few weeks. :)

I had a lovely night in with friends and my God Daughter a couple of Fridays ago - guess who was in charge of cooking dinner for Auntie Nat? :)

I had a fair amount of happy mail, including a few new items from Origins that came nicely gift-wrapped:

Ma and I attempted some Christmas shopping at the Metrocentre, naturally this included a pit stop at Gourmet Burger Kitchen for sustenance:

I went with the festive Blitzen Burger and it was most delicious!

Then it was back to the shopping! TK Maxx had nothing we absolutely were desperate for, but took a snap of this year's miniature village winter scene (last year it was in a beer keg if you remember) presented in a vintage TV:

Last Friday night it was our last crop of the year - I packed a lot of stuff, including my festive goodies:

...but didn't get a whole lot done, oddly enough! I did manage to sing along to my festive tunes though. :D

I'm still definitely not there with my Christmas shopping, but at least we have some new decorations for all our trees - my brother took my mum and I for a little outing to some local garden centre's and we managed to score some Polish and Ukrainian glass baubles. :D Oh and take a few comical pics:

We enjoyed a nice lunch before heading onwards and back for the Christmas Fayre at my brother's school.

Sunday night was dinner at my mum and dad's, and my mum tried out a recipe for Polish baked Nutella cheesecake:

Needless to say it was a huge success! :D

This week has passed rather quickly, but I've been playing catch-up on some craft projects - including my card for tomorrow's Daring Cardmakers challenge. :D

And on that note, it's time to head over to the parentals for Arrow night: the revenge!

What's new....

Well, not a lot this week.

Buuuut I have been doing some shopping - and not just boring old food shopping either!

My OPI Nordic minis are in the house! The colours are super lush and I managed to also get the top and base coat set at a bargain price. I have tried the glitter shade on my existing polish, but will definitely have to try it on one of the solid colours in the set too. It is super sparkly! :D

Also my happy mail quota for this week included these pretties:

Looking forward to playing with that Winter Wishes set by Neat & Tangled very soon! I have been very excited to get this set - it's so me! I do wish though I had a "From my home to yours" version of the greeting. ;) Also wouldn't it have been great to have some stand-alone dies to accompany this set as the little houses and trees would look great unstamped and cut from cardstock.

In other news, you can definitely tell winter is on the way... Dramatic evening skies are here for the next few months. The yuckier the weather, the more dramatic the sunset!

And with winter weather comes a desperate need for hot chocolate! Last Friday ma and I tried to recreate our many Wedel moments from our hot chocolate sessions in the Wedel cafes of Krakow, Wroclaw and Warsaw in the last 12 months... m-hm. Good job they sell their hot chocolate real chocolate pieces in their cafes to enjoy at home.

I went for trying to recreate the hazelnut praline hot chocolate I had.

Oh yes... most satisfying!

Also on the winter front, I managed to find and grab the very last bottle on the shelves of this winning Christmas punch that Zoe and I both enjoyed last Christmas - I'll be looking out for some more bottles of this as it's so full of festiveness whether you have it with or without wine. :)

And lastly it's Thursday night, so I am going to deploy my weekly Arrow reaction in advance! This is usually me while watching every new Arrow ep... five minutes from the end, there's always a TWIST!!

Hehe....

From here on out...

...Thursday nights for me will be known as Arrow night!

It's baaaaaaaack tonight on sky 1 at 8 p.m.:

The fangirl in me will be enjoying this...

{source}

Love this artist and hope there's more Arrow cartoons coming in season 3 - in the meantime best finish off my to-do list so I can make it to the sofa in time!

Fangirl alert!

Nerd alert! Nerd alert!

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! 

52 Christmas Crackers 2014 - Week 14

Well, time to pop back and share my Christmas card for this week's prompt.

Here's a reminder of our inspiration photo:

{Pinterest pin}

So for my Christmas card I've used a herringbone style pattern with a pop of red.

Paper: Studio Calico, Crate Paper
Dies: WPlus9, Spellbinders
Stamps: WPlus9
Other: Stickles, 3D foam

I die-cut a circle in the background paper so the contrasting zigzag pattern could peak through, and with the same circle I cut an aperture in the red Spellbinders circle to create the frame around Mr Snowman. Naturally some Stickles were the ideal finishing touch fora bit of frosty snow. It's definitely a simple one, but I like it. :)

In other news I am slowly but surly getting over my total frustration and glumness at the way Silk finished (apparently forever!) on Monday night. Ugh... I think I may need to forget Season 3 ever happened as that last cliff-hanger ending really twisted the knife! To recover a bit of my love for the show, I will have to live in Season 1 and 2 for a while. I just wish the writers had delivered the "natural conclusion" we'd been promised. Line of Duty finished rather anti-climatically and unsatisfyingly, while Silk finished over-dramatically, with too much suspense and mystery, and a less than satisfying ending.... Where did Martha go (was there a sudden 3 for 2 on at Boots for red lippy?), why did Clive have to revert to his selfish season 1 type and be such a dirty dawg with Harriet no less, let's not even touch that final case with Shaun... <sigh>

Neil Stuke really delivered a magnificent performance in that last episode, but I am so sad that Shoe Lane as we knew it has gone... oh well, I at least managed to reclaim some of the magic last night listening to the first instalment of Silk: The Clerks' Room radio plays set in the same universe. :) It felt nice and cosy to be in that world again, presumably set pre-Monday night's dramatics!

Meanwhile it's time to finally watch Saving Mr Banks and perhaps get some crafting done ready for this week's DCM challenge. :)

Almost Monday and back to the grind

It's been a busy couple of weeks and this one looks to be the same, work has been really busy and I've been working from home plus working extra hours to get everything done, so I have neglected to blog and share what I've been up to when not working.

So I've been out a good few times to Chiquitos - yum!

Had a fun games night with Zoe and the girls:

Finished a book I started and have to say it's been the best book I've read so far this year (and probably will be for a bit... )

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - big recommendation to try it!

Enjoyed a break from work last Thursday to go and celebrate Tlusty czwartek (Polish Mardi Gras) at the parentals:

Ma made the staple item of Tlusty czwarten enjoyment - Faworki, above is the before photo of plate one.

Here is ma with plate two.

Here is plate one ten minutes later....

And apart from that I've been watching some telly in the evenings - yay Silk is back!

Then there was the next gripping instalment of Line of Duty:

And I also enjoyed this week's episodes of The Taste, The Great British Sewing Bee, and Hair (on BBC3).

And at last it looks like Spring is coming around, the days are getting noticeably longer and the sun was actually shining and heating up the kitchen on Friday:

Today I've had a work-free day so it's meant I've been able to catch up with crafting for next week as well as my 2014 album, well I'd only had chance to get my January photos printed so have finished those now:

And now I'd best go and rescue my dinner in the oven!

Foxy birthday wishes

Just popping in to share one of the cards I made this weekend. It appears that foxes are back on trend, so I thought it would see what I had in my stash - luckily I had some chipboard from Cosmo Cricket that I bought a while ago and hoped would be ok for a more manly birthday card - I know, it's a stretch right!?

Paper: Crate Paper - Party Day 6x6 pad
Chipboard: Cosmo Cricket
Dies: QuicKutz, PTI
Stamp: WPlus9
Other: 3D foam

I really like how the colours turned out - a bit of pop was needed, so that yellow fox was perfect. :)

I must admit to being slightly distracted in the making of this card as I was watching Byzantium on Lovefilm - really enjoyed it.

Then I watched What's Your Number, which was a decent rom com. :)

and now I'm catching up on Hostages on 4od while I get some tasks done on my PC. :)

Best get my jacket potato in the ramoska for tea! Catch you tomorrow morning with the week 5 prompt for the 52 cards challenge! :D

Going to give it another go...

Sunday night was a bit of a TV fail for me.

I fell asleep whilst trying to watch the last episode of the recent run of Sherlock. And well, I must have been boogie-ing too much Sunday to keep my eyes open...

I don't think I've been paying enough attention when watching this series and the wedding episode was all a bit mish-mashy and jumped about a lot, we'll see if the final episode lives up to all the raving I've heard in TV land. I had to cover my ears and switch channels a few times yesterday as I didn't want any spoilers.

Anyway, I'm going to try and catch up now before the Great British Sports Relief Bake-Off instalment of the evening. :)

Ugh, why'd they have to go and cancel it??

While I had my creative catch-up at the weekend I started watching Emily Owens MD on Lovefilm Instant and really liked it. Alas the CW cancelled it mid-season and I've just watched the last ep they made this evening.

Oh man, that show had so much promise and was a nice change of pace from what I've been watching of late. Seems it was well-liked by viewers too but not enough to keep it going. {sad}

If you have Lovefilm Instant I totally recommend it!

Now I'll need to find a new show to watch on Lovefilm but nothing is calling to me just yet....

LoveFilm has kindly sent me disc 1 of...

Now, will I manage to get some crafting done while watching it this evening... or not?

I also have another movie to watch once I finish catching up with the last episode in my Spooks re-run marathon (Season 5 to be precise, watched Season 6 last week and Season 5 became available right after, typically). ;)

One bright spot in this gloomy world...

I'm setting the V+ as soon as I can...

 

because the Great British Bake Off is back next Tuesday on BBC 2 at 8 p.m.

I've had to stop watching the news because the more I see the more disgusted and sick I feel. So many innocent normal people losing everything they have worked so hard for. Being terrorised in their own homes and businesses. And for what?

Truly shameful.

My poor little blog...

 
I'm sure it has felt rather neglected this past week as I have totally failed to update it with anything interesting... in fact this post is likely to be rather boring as well...

But here goes - the best way to sum up how the past week has been spent would be as follows.

I got the shock of my life when an e-mail arrived from Next to say that my collage frame was ready to pick up... remember this brown collage frame?

 

The one that was going to take 3 weeks to get here. Well thankfully it was more like 2 and a bit weeks - and the frame is now waiting in it's wrapping for photos to be decided on, ordered and inserted!

Last weekend after a fruitless search for the "bbq of my dreams" in local stores including B&Q, I spent far too much time on google over the weekend trying to narrow down my options and reading every review under the sun, until my the weekend culminated in a dash to Argos on Sunday afternoon at 3.30 p.m. in order to pick up my new grill.

 

It's a 47 cm Weber Bar-B-Kettle and is a decent size without being totally impractical to store in my garden or shed. I went for the Argos deal because for £8 more I got Weber accessories with it including the vinyl cover, charcoal and utensils which would save me in the long run. My little grill has been built and is now waiting to be used - fingers crossed the weather holds this Sunday for the inaugural bbq-fest!

What else... oh yes... in amongst all the bbq review-reading-until-my-eyes-went-blurry I read a couple of books on my TBR pile... always nice.

Then Monday I got The Call from the library to say that the new Nora Roberts - Chasing Fire had finally come in!

So I rushed over straight after work to pick it up... and well there went my Monday and Tuesday evenings... but it was well worth it - a very good Nora book and rather memorable. :o)

Last night was photography class - I shall have to get practising with my exposure settings...

Oh and I did of course make time to watch the double-nighter return of...

 

The Apprentice and You're Fired...

And here we are at tonight, just added the finishing touches to my DCM card for tomorrow and now I am off to decide which new book to start on... ;o)

The joys of spring...

Long evenings and sunshine - can't get much better than that can it?

When I got in from work this evening it was lovely and light - so much so that I finished off my current book while my dinner was in the oven.

I'm now in a quandary as to what to start next. I popped into the library to pick up a book that had come in for me, but managed to leave with 6 more!

Ooops...

Not just hist-ro (yep, still quite addicted to that thank-you-very-much) but also a couple of new chick lit reads to try and get me back in the chick lit zone.

 

One is the latest Jane Green - which has had good reviews on amazon, as I was put off by the reviews I'd heard of some of her recent books... so will be glad to give her a go again, although it has the word "heartbreaking" on the cover, and as Zoe will attest that is usually not my reading enjoyment zone - hence the complete avoidance of The Picoult!

But hopefully the heartbreak in this book will not be on a similar scale. hehe

So I shall have to go consult my rather tall book pile to decide on my new read. But come 9 p.m. I shall be avidly tuning into my soon to be over Tuesday night must-see-TV fix.

 

Silk.

Yep, I don't know what it is about this show, but I rather like it and the characters all have their faults but it just makes them all the more interesting... Just one ep to go after tonight's so I hope it gets recommissioned by the Beeb.

Rain, rain go away...

At least for the rest of today!

I'm hopefully off up to the beach later with Zoe and the girls - armed with the camera. Or at least we will be if the sun stays out. From constant rain this morning I currently have a craft room flooded with sunlight. Ahhhh...

The sun has also meant that the crocus have come out:

 

And the hyacinths are really coming into their own:

 

And now, I'd best stop watching Emma:

 

And get myself sorted for this afternoon's outing. :o)

Counting Thickers is half the battle

Friday night is crop night.

Now, when it comes to packing efficiently for crops I have quite a sketchy background.

Efficiency and forward-planning are not my middle names!

So tonight, in hopes of changing my ways slightly, I have tried to plan my Journal Your Christmas album for 2010 - and as mentioned I am going to try to go the December Daily route where I have the basics of my album ready before the first of December and just need to add pics and embellishments so come January it is done.

Well, that is the plan!

 

I'll be using something old... papers from last year... Yummy Jolly By Golly, October Afternoon, and some My Mind's Eye... ;o) And something new - new Christmas bits from Crate and BG, and Echo Park... my lovely package has arrived, but I need to go pick it up tomorrow!

 

I've created some templates from old Artbin satchel dividers for getting the holes punched in the right places, and for working out photo placement in my little Paperchase A5 binder...

 

I've dug out what seems to be the last of any KI Christmas line that a certain a-million-kinds-of-lovely person sent me last year.

 

And there's always room for some Eskimo kisses...

 

And somewhere along the line, I want to use these...

And counting Thickers?

 

I worked out I need quite a lot of numbers - and thankfully I have enough to cover all of them in my Thickers collection, quite a relief I'm sure!

Anyway, I'm off to finish watching Mansfield Park since it is a bit of bleak night for TV tonight.

 

This version is soooo much better than the recent Billie Piper version. Really recommend it for the Austen fans!

Tuesday nights won't be the same...

 

Yep, it's over... the final was fantastic, and I am so glad one of my favourites of the entire series won. :o)

I am seriously going to miss this show, but not the mouthwatering moments as hunger pangs started for a scone or nice choux bun!

And best of all... the little catch-up with where the other bakers are now. It brought a big smile to my face to read especially Miranda and Ed's updates.

And now, must stop all thoughts of delicious cake!

So much for catching up with my TBR pile...

I've not read a single word of my current book since trying to start it Sunday.

Looks like the next couple of weeks are going to be rather busy with work and I may need to work this weekend too. :o\ More than likely after today's progress!

But this evening I have caught up with some stuff at my desk, watched the latest Great British Bake-Off....

Only thing is it makes me feel rather peckish!

And I've taken the opportunity of watching some free movies online with Lovefilm. This one wasn't too bad:

Have just found that Lost in Austen is free to watch online with my package so am catching up now, as I never saw it the first time round - a perfect excuse for some period adventures!

 

So far so good... :o) Best get back to it!

Lost in Austen... sorta.

I have been enjoying the Austen dramatisations that they've been showing as light relief to the football on ITV3 - well... enjoying more some than others... 

I just don't really "get" the film version of Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightly, much prefer the BBC one... maybe it is like Dr Who - everyone has their favourite from their formative years!

And I much preferred the recent version of Emma the BBC did, thought Johnny Lee Miller was a wonderful Mr Knightley...

But ITV's adaptation of Persuasion had a great Captain Wentworth in the form of Rupert Penry-Jones:

 
  
Anyway, this has all been a nice accompaniment to my current guilty pleasure.

Regency-set historical fiction... erm, including some good old romance!

Definitely a guilty pleasure yet soooo many books to try and to choose from. My library list has been well-stocked and I have been in there almost every other day picking up something new and returning a little stack of finished books.

This weekend I've read:

Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh - have never read any of her books, but enjoyed this one although I hate starting in the middle of a series rather than at the beginning. But I shall definitely be adding her to my author list and following the series.

And then last night I read (very quickly and skimming in the end...)

The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens, second book in the Black Cobra Quartet and it was very "meh" for me. Just a bit OTT and far-fetched in plot (well even far-fetched for this genre) and I just didn't warm to the characters at all. I hope the other books in the series are better as I have the first one on my reserve list at the library. Plus she seems to be a very popular author for this genre, but I much prefer what I have read of Lisa Kleypas and Mary Balogh so far. I've read another of Stephanie Laurens' books from the Cynster series and just hope the other books in that series are better too...

And now I am reading:

Amanda Quick's novel set in Victorian times and includes some paranormal talents... I find Jayne Anne Krentz a bit hit and miss in the books I've read. They are nice enough reads but never terribly exciting... So will see if her historical fiction style is any different. :o)

Sue Sylvester Rocks

That's all I've got for tonight!

Where I'm at...

Just finished Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica...

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!

So much for summer...

After yesterday's lovely unseasonal Bank Holiday weather, it's back to wintry weather today - sooo cold the heating has been on all evening!

However, it has meant that I've stayed indoors and got ahead on some projects as I'm out tomorrow night to see Sex and the City 2 (including the return of Aidan!).

But here are the cards I can share so far... time for some Fly a Kit action...

Paper: October Afternoon
Stickers: October Afternoon
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Brads and button: Basic Grey
Other: Stickles

Prompt: "Fresh Lemonade" - Inspiration: American Crafts, Woodgrain design, gingham ribbon, decorative pin, vintage label.

Paper: American Crafts
Rub-on: Basic Grey
Bling: Prima
Die: Nestabilities
Ribbon: Rusty Pickle
Other: Stickles

This dark and dreary weather has also meant that I've finally had time to check out Battlestar Galactica from the beginning... not the 70s version, but the more recent one from 2004-ish starring the yummy Jamie Bamber as Captain Apollo.

Think I'm around 9 episodes in... plenty more to go thankfully! :o)

Also once I log off it's back to my book...

In a flap....

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)

Triple Whammy!

Well, I am a bit late in posting today. I had a little lie in since I got in from last night's crop at quarter to 1 in the morning and then was too awake to sleep (it is amazing what random movies from the 80s they show on ITV in the early hours - bizarre is an understatement) so I didn't nod off until well past 2 a.m.

And I have been a doing a bit of non-stop pottering-about since I did get up - I am still in my PJs!

Caught up with Grey's Anatomy, received my lovely Elemis stuff (hope to try that out after my shower) and a copy of US April 2010 Scrapbook Trends, however now have to again chase my February and March issues. My sub is due to run out in November but I am so ticked off with the amount of chasing I am doing, plus it hasn't helped that they never sent out December's issue and it was sold out before they could resolve this oversight. What is the point of a subscription if they don't actually allocate the magazine to subscribers? I could have a real rant over this, as it has totally bleeped me off and really reduces any enjoyment I have in reading the mags that do make it this way.

But moving on...

Last night's crop was very nice and it was lovely to see everyone again and experience Gill's beautifully and artfully edible-glitter-decorated cupcakes in person! 

I didn't actually make anything substantial, I had a little spree, cashed in my loyalty card, tried to get to know my new Copic pens a bit better (Debbie I need a link to that colour chart thingy! Scratch that, I've found it and coloured in 72 little boxes) and started on a mini-album using the Paperchase stuff I bought a few weeks ago and some new Basic Grey. I still have a lot to do on that so might sit and do some today - we'll see.

But let's move on to stuff I have actually made and finished!

This was a card I originally made for this week's Daring Cardmakers' "How Egg-citing" dare, but I made a few boo-boos and the card just didn't photograph well and it looks a lot better in real life, but I wasn't happy enough with it to have it on the DCM blog, especially as it was my last card as a guest designer....

Papers: Papertrey Ink, Sassafras Lass, Bo Bunny
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Take a Bough/Out on a Limb sets, Mega Mixed Messages)
Pearls: Prima
Die: Stampin'-up

Yep, upside down Christmas bauble decorations as Easter Eggs....

So instead I made this card - much cuter and more fun! Little Red in Spring attire with some Easter Eggs in her basket:

Papers: Papertrey Ink, Bo Bunny
Stamps: My Cute Stamps, Papertrey Ink
Dies: Nestabilities
Other: Promarker pens

So many thanks to the girls over at DCM for asking me to join them in February and March - it was fun! :oD

And last but not least, today it's my turn to share a project of the day over on the Frog Blog - and here it is. For more info go on over to the blog post - and no I have no mini jelly beans left...

Papers: Papertrey Ink, Bo Bunny, My Mind's Eye
Stamps: Banana Frog - Paperchains
Dies: Nestabilities
Punch: Martha Stewart
Other: String, 3D glitter paint, mini jelly beans, clear bag

And they were very yummy...

So that's about it so far... I had best go and acquaint myself with my new little Elemis home treatment stuff, looking forward to trying out the Papaya Enzyme Peel, and I restocked on Aveda Shampure and Confixor in Fenwick's a few weeks ago so it will be like a mini spa session. Although I wouldn't mind a day in the Aqua Sana!

Then I suppose I shall get back to making something.

And I see that season 2 of The United States of Tara:

 

Has started in the US so that's great it got another season - really hope it gets shown over here. From what I saw it was a very good series, and lots of John Corbet screen time!

What a day, what a day...

I daren't touch any pretty stash tonight in case I totally ruin whatever I try to make. It seems luck wasn't on my side too much today and I am glad tomorrow will be here soon.

I won't bore you with the details but a run-down of what wasn't so great today follows:

• Ungritted hill + Ice + Oliver (my Suzuki Swift) = Awful smell of tyre burn and thought I had broken my steering wheel!
• M&S fail to stock shelves with Californian Roll selection of sushi, good news I tried their Vegetarian sushi instead, prefer a bit of fish though.
• Needed to be at gym 1 hour earlier than expected, typically left kit at home.
• Car crash (not serious or anyone hurt) in front of work just as I leave the office - glass and debris everywhere and of course held up in traffic.
• Woman at traffic lights gives me the 2 finger salute when I honk to alert her to the fact the lights changed a while ago (thus interrupting her important phone call).
• 2 finger salute still being thrown at me by said woman as she can't get over the fact I dared to honk at her.... still giving the 2 finger salute 5 minutes later... wish she would just drive and stop arsing about. I smile inanely back at her.
• Gym car park full. Spaces only at the far back. And it is raining. Ugh.
• Now after 8.30 - back from gym - no arm power left. Cannot even lift glass of juice to lips. Have to have something to eat for tea, cannot face long cooking time! Must not snack!

So that is where we are at... the good things about today? Well there is a new TV show starting tonight I fancy checking out, Married Single Other - supposed to be the new Cold Feet:

 
  
Then it's America's Next Top Model (not really got into this cycle of the show yet), but still necessary viewing.

Also I found a bit of inspiration (hopefully) for getting back on track at the gym (I have had such a bad lazy attitude to it so far this year), but I saw that Slimming World have a Body Magic challenge on their site where you can put your exercise activity into fun goals like this first one, where I am getting around Central Park:

You can only use it for cardio activity, where you know your distance and duration, and since today was a core/weights session I've only entered my 10 minute warm-up... that looks quite satisfying to have got round 1.71 km of Central Park! LOL Just 8K to go... Not sure if I will get back into the gym before Gibside this week, but at least I have a goal for when I'm back. :o)

Wonder if there are any other fun fit logs out there like this, ideally free ones, where you can keep track of what you manage in real terms.

Anyway, suppose I should go and eat something healthy and filling - looks like it's soup!