love it...

I wake up each morning to this view... makes living here extra special. Last night was Linda's birthday party so I did the gypsy-look! It was a great party and she absolutely loved her scrapbook.

there ain't no secrets...

6 plumbers later and my drainage problems are all solved. Flirty plumber arrived at 7:30am, followed by his 'merry band'. They delved and guess what they found? A can of expanding foam, no less, inside my pipework! That has to be the height of embarassement!

26th September... A Very Special Date

54 years ago today mum and dad got married! How fabulous is that?! Fancy spending over 50 years with the same partner... there must be some special glue out there that bonds the two of them together or maybe it's just that thing called L.O.V.E. Makes a change for the camera to be in your hand mum... !
True to form, trying to get the two of you to look the same way, smile and not look asleep in the same photograph is always a challenge. It's funny though... I love you two very much xx thank you for all the happy times and for making me the very special person that I am xx
I'm looking forward to the next 54 years! I'll still be 39 and you two will have had beautifully signed telegraphs from HRH or Wills even. I know you will both still be smiling and in love xx these pics were taken at Dan & Jo's wedding last year. My mum could have been the queen with a pose like that and a great job she would have done too! Must be the full moon passing.. tonight I feel the need to search out some old family wedding photographs, just because I can.. that would raise a smile I'm sure... xx Until then...

It's takes 3...

Not TWO, as I've been led to believe! As my new friend TopMan told me, plumbers always go round in 3's and here they are pondering over the drain today. They prodded it from their end, they prodded it from mine and nothing. TM said he was sending me 3 fit young men... mmm.. exactly! The bald patches are a bit of a give-away! Not quite the coke ad, more a flat tango moment! And it gets better...I have drainsRus coming round to do more prodding on Friday morning! And, I do believe TM may just be getting his own back for the number of phone calls I've made to keep tabs on what's going on. DrainsRus will be here at 7:20am! That's almost the middle of the night.... hey ho... aren't I the lucky girl!

It must be Ground Hog Day... !

What did I say about beware of drains...?! Life is full of surprises hey?! I'm waiting for the guys to come and excavate the drains here. How spooky is that?! Love the place, adore the location and view, just hoping that 'the powers that be' will sort out the plumbing, get my carpets cleaned, get all the snagging done.. then I can get on with just enjoying living here. In the past 14 days I've moved house and travelled over 10,000 miles to Vegas and back. I've met some old friends, made some new ones, met some interesting characters and been on the '8 hour time difference' roller coaster! I'm so glad to be home and I can't wait to add lots of my photos x

Vegas by night

It's over 30 degrees and with a view like this, no wonder I enjoy Vegas! The days might be long and whatever anyone says, working with an 8 hour time difference is hard. But the rewards are pretty special in such a bustling place.

Top 3 Must-haves from Memory Trends

I love this company, HamblyScreenPrint. Their transparencies are stunning and they have such yummy patterns, I can't wait to get hold of this stuff to create some mini books and clear cards.

This 'Clip-On' rotating storage unit has to be the most amazing and useful product of the show. Prefect for holding all those sticker sheets, rub-ons and transparencies, it's a definate on my must-have list!

Making Memories had more than their fair share of storage products this show. This fantastic cupboard looks like it would hold all those trinketty things that fit into jars. It's got shelves for paint pots and a fabulous ribbon rod to hold all those irritatingly unravelling ribbon spools! I've no doubt it won't be coming to the UK so I'll just have to look elsewhere for something similar.. boo hoo!

Creative soulmates...

This tray of colourful glass mosaics awakened my magpie tendencies!

The most colourful job in Vegas!

Here's the guy laying the mosaic patterns in the foyer of the Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas. In such a noisy, fast-moving city I was moved to find this guy on his hands and knees with his colourful tray of beautiful mosaics. He was calmly cutting each piece and positioning it to create what is a massive floral pattern weaving around this tropical garden. I asked if he minded if I took his photograph and he just looked up and smiled. It's rare to find someone so quiet in such a mad place!

FMB & LB

Favourites Moments Babe! Not what you're thinking... 2 days in my new apartment and it's off to Gatwick and flying off to the US.

This is one of my favourite moments and photographs of the entire trip. This is a very sunny day at the Wynn, me & Nix just having a fruit cocktail, non-alcoholic too as it was daytime! The location is stunning, we were just sitting on the deck admiring the most amazing waterfall after our CHA meeting and were amused by the guys wading through the water with their hose (woo hoo!) to water the plants. I'd love to go back there when I wasn't working!

When it comes to lunch then it's hard to beat the Lobster Bisque with Eric! Homemade on the premises, it was fantastic! Gave us an appetite for shopping too! x

Steer clear of drains!

A happy heart can be at home anywhere! It's true that 'Home is where the heart is'. Moving from my beautiful barn (well, not mine exactly!) to my new apartment was always going to be an adventure. Some people say they know a place is right for them as soon as they walk through the door. I knew my apartment was right for me when I read the particulars! The secret is to have a happy heart and that comes from within. Being happy is easy when you surround yourself with people who radiate happiness. Steer clear of the drains, that's my motto! x

No more sleeps...

Today is BIG MOVE DAY! I reckon it has to be the BEST move I've ever made. Greg hired the van and with the help of Jake, Rich and a couple of their mates (plus David of course!) I'm on my way to my new apartment.

Looks kinda empty doesn't it. Even more than usual... x
I don't know... whilst some of us were working, others, namely likkle bruv, were putting their feet up drinking tea!

These shoes are made for... ?

Walking, talking and crafting... ! Me & Ging are 'doing our thing', I'm making funky new home tags and she's onto here second project, making a calendar with stuff she got in the US. Went to Nailsworth for lunch, my fav place at the moment, Hobbs Bakery... then back to the apartment. Dropped off more clothes and shoooooooooooooooes! I thought I'd got rid of most of my clothes. It's only when I have to carry them upstairs on their hangers that I realise that I still have quite a few! I have two rails set up, one in each bedroom and they look fab. I'm so excited, only 3 sleeps to go! I'm packing at the same time as crafting, it's great that us girls are so good at multi-tasking... x

Wine & chocolates evening...

I said goodbye to the fridge and the IKEA unit tonight. I've had that unit since Lansdowne Avenue, it used to be in my office. But hey, it's time for it to go and I know it's gone to a good home. Marie's lovely sister Lisa and her husband came for my fridge and bought 2 bottles of wine and some chocolates as a thank you. And the guy I offered the unit to has also bought chocolates! How special do I feel?! Especially as Ging has arrived with 2 bottles of wine too... I feel a wild, drunken moment coming on... !

So excited...

Picked the lovely Tash up tonight and we went to the apartment. She was so excited and it was lovely for us both to share such a special place. We went and had a great meal in one of my favourite Indian restaurants in Nailsworth. The guy even said we must have something special in common, perhaps mother and daughter, because he could see how well we got on. That's quite funny considering Tash is the daughter of my very ex-boyfriend. We do share a lot of similar thoughts and interests and I had a fab time. Guess what... we're going to do it all over again very soon... x