First scrapping layout for.... ages!

It's great to get back into the creative groove. Here's Jen, who I went to Edinburgh to meet in October. Ginger took this photo and wanted a layout done for her class. Voila!

My altered art

What could be more angelic than the two of us with wings?! Although Ginger seemed not to notice the wings, she was more concerned that she doesn't have a dog. I love experimenting with photographs, tear sheets from magazines and ink. I just tear, ink and stick then sand down and ink all over again. These two pieces were great fun to make and will have pride of place on my walls ;)

4GET 5 a day...

Me & Ginger are already on 6 before lunchtime! Plums, strawberries, blueberries, white fleshed nectarine, raspberries and grapes.. phew!

3 tasty memories...

I remember my older sister buying a similar looking biscuit wrapped in foil for just a penny ;) she used to tell me how delicious they were! This M&S chocolate digestive looks very similar and mmm... tastes delicious! Can you also remember Bassets Sweet Tobacco? A strange name that you'd never get away with today. Strands of sugared candy in a chunky little pack.. mmm.
Last but so not least... do you remember Kunzle Showboats? A little 60's cake which was a chocolate shell filled with a layer of Genoese sponge in the bottom, topped with butter cream and decorated with jelly gems. Very labour intensive but absolutely one of the best little cake experiences ever. Doing a bit of research I've discovered that forty thousand dozen Showboat cakes left the factory in Birmingham every week at the height of production. It was Lyon's biggest-selling line. Every cake was individually wrapped and sold singly for 7d or in a pack of 6 for 3/3d. The name Kunzle comes from the originator of the brand, Christian Kunzle, a Swiss chef who worked for a time at the House of Commons, Westminster. These photographs, taken of the production line, show how many hands were needed to create these tasty little gems. They were taken in November 1969 at the Garret's Green Factory, Birmingham. RIP Showboats

From chaos and confusion comes order and a smidgen of smugness

If I had to name one of my weaknesses (and possibly quite annoying habits!) it's never putting my cds back in their cases. It's not that I don't want to. It's not even the fact that I like them in disarray. It's just that when I put cds in my car I change them when I'm driving. One in the machine, one in my hand. My car certainly doesn't have a cd rack on the dashboard - though an invention of some kind would be pretty darned cool - so they rattle around in the door pocket. Anyway, you see where I'm coming from? Everyone can be tidy in some areas of their life and not others at the same time ;) Today, I'm waiting for Ginger, so I have tidied up my cds. I'm feeling very smug now because they're all back in their cases, sorted into groups, male artist and female artist. Mmm... smugness - an excessive feeling of self-satisfaction, yep, that's me!

Voila, I'm a tidying genius!

I'm joining the AB appreciation society!

Wooooo, 'It's Complicated' has to be the best feel-good movie to be released for a long time. It's funny, makes you laugh out loud, easy on the eye and Meryl Streep is brilliant, yet again. There's comedy, romance, wit, emotion, boundaries, tension, attraction in a story about life after divorce. Steve Martin plays the suitor, Alec Baldwin the ex husband and Meryl Streep, the divorcee who, after 10 years, is moving on with her life. Whilst her ex has remarried to yes, you guessed it, a much younger woman - doh - who already has a 5 year old, he is suddenly attracted to his old life again. As he says 'All the reasons why it didn't work before, 10 years on, are no longer an issue'. The chemistry is obvious and Alec Baldwin (phwooooo!) plays one of those gorgeous, charismatic, larger than life, confident, decision-making, intelligent men who likes to win. He's the Mr Big character who decides that perhaps what he once had is better than what he has now. Classic! Not the first man to realise that the grass isn't always greener and he's thrown away something special. He makes it quite clear that he wants the 'old one' back! Meryl plays the 'moved-on' ex wife who suddenly finds herself having an affair with her ex husband! She secretly likes the justice of getting one over on her much younger replacement. Although there are a lot of reasons for her to give in to his shmoozing... Meryl also finds herself attracted to Steve Martin who plays Adam, an architect hired to remodel Jane's home and becomes caught in a wonderfully tasty love triangle. There are some wonderfully funny scenes in this movie as Alec jealously stalks his ex wife! Of course, Confucius says "The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither!" - an old saying that also rings true for women... Consequently, Steve Martin decides his heart is too fragile to risk being with Jane when he discovers, hilariously what's been going on and by this time, she's said no to her ex. But of course, this movie will have a happy ending... I'm just not going to tell you what it is ;)

My watercolour buddies...

On Saturday I went to see my watercolour buddies. We had a yummy lunch at the pub and it was great to catch up with what Marie and Sarah have been doing this past year. We promised that we wouldn't leave it so long next time... x why does my face look so chubby.. answer that one?!

FAB-U-LUS Darling!

As spoken by the infamous Mr Nasty of the Strictly Dancing world, Craig Revel Horwood. That's after a good performance and we had a few of those this evening. Where was I? At the LG arena, NEC with Lisa to watch the live performance.
We'd spent the day in B'rum, well strictly speaking in Selfridges, where we had lunch and a wander. They have the most amazing food hall so we chose to have a bit to eat perched on a stool in the noodle bar. I have to admit, they do a mean crispy duck salad, yum! Then there was just time to have a bit of a gander around the store before we picked up a couple of crispy cremes for the interval and headed off to Knowle. Loch Fyne is one of my all time favourite restaurants and I was certainly not disappointed. It's one of the nicest I've been to. The sea bass and king prawns on a bed of celeriac remolade were delicious washed down with a glass of prosecco.
Tummy happy, we drove the short journey to the NEC, parked and headed for the LG arena. The set was breathtaking, the dancing spectacular and all in all, it was a great fun nite. Kate Thornton did a brilliant job of presenting the show and it was great to see Arlene back as one of the judges. Bruno Tonioli joined Arlene and Craig to dish out compliments, witty lines and cutting knock backs to the celebrity dancers.
Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna were fabulous to watch and Zoe Lucker proved that she went out far too early in the tv show. Winner of the current series, Chris Hollins was as entertaining as ever, though quite clearly not the best dancer. That honor went to Austin Healy who definitely has all the moves and buckets full of charm and carisma to go with it! Austin & Lilia had a brilliant 2nd dance which was for me, the best of the evening.
The judges disagreed, as did the audience, putting Mark RampraKash top of the leader board for this evening. It was a fantastic night though it makes me realise just how much closer you can get to the dancers by watching it on my tv.
Live is great for atmosphere and experience but you can't beat tv for seeing the expressions on their faces and the amazing detail that comes with great footwork! I'll just say that there were some world class performances tonight and roll on the next series!

Holmes and homes...

Tonight I'm back home and the snow and ice has gone - yippee! I've been away for almost two weeks and had a ball! This weekend has been the best. It started on Friday evening when me and my new bf walked into town and had a meal in the Royal Wells, then went to see Sherlock Holmes. Not as explosive and powerful as Avatar and not scary like Daybreakers, it was just ok. Some of the action scenes were good but it lacked a strong storyline. Thank goodness for the brilliant chemistry between Jude Law as Watson and Downey Jr as Holmes. Saturday was a lazy, catch up day with a bit of food shopping and cooking for the girls. Today me and Lisa went off to the White Hart pub in Winchcombe for Sunday lunch. It's a great place to have a drink as long as you're not driving. The back room is stocked with wine with luscious labels that say fun things like 'A luscious white with hunks of honey' and 'A typical sauvignon.. lively, limey notes with lashings of mouth filling, cheek tickling gooseberry ripple'.. ;-)))) The food was delicious and it was the perfect end to a lovely weekend.
Coming home, I've had an epiphany!± It's a bit chilly here at the flat because the heating's been on low whilst I've been away. I remember Liz telling me I should have the heater I bought her when she lived in her flat in Tettenhall. So, I went in search and low and behold, I found it! I'm now getting toasty.. ;)

Release the animal in you... !

Love them or hate them, animal prints are back on the agenda as a high fashion item this season. I'm following the call of the wild with some new animal prints for 2010! I can't tell which animal print they're inspired by, but they're animal-friendly and more fun than those unfriendly stripes!
I saw these limited edition Coca Cola light bottle designs by Robert Cavelli which were released in Italy end of 2009. How cool are they! I guess Italian girls who drink coca cola must be a great deal more sophisticated than their UK counterparts because these never appeared on Tescos shelves!

The expression...

"I think my head is going to explode!" will never sound the same again. It's not one of my stock phrases but just occasionally when I'm on free fall and my fingers are typing and multi-tasking faster than my brain can keep up, I think... "ITMHIGT...EXPLODE!'
Here's a question... do you ever get vhmoozed and swayed by others? In my willingness to be more accommodating, less selfish and try new things that other people might like, I was persuaded to go and see a new film last night. Oh blimey, it was so not for me! I try to do my homework before I go to watch a movie. I always do my homework before I do anything, if I have the time. Whether I'm choosing a hotel, a restaurant or a holiday, I do my research. Saves the disappointment of being in the wrong place and feeling uncomfortable. And of course realising that I could have avoided that feeling if I'd bothered.

Given that I'd watched the trailer to this film, I just thought it was an action, thriller and would be worth seeing. The action bit of it was! But I was tricked, conned and doh.. Lisa read out the times and titles yesterday afternoon. The movie needed to be at the end of the day and timed to fit in between work and a meal. There was a list of four and we both decided on 'Daybreakers' because the trailer had been interesting and exciting. I balanced the thought that it was going to include vampires with what I'd seen. Oh how wrong could I be?!
I'm so not into horror, never have been, never will be. I don't do that big action, killing machine thing either because I do have a tendency to recall and remember images that I've seen. I'm sure everyone does and it might explain why some people just can't sleep at night.
I don't subject my brain to horror, gore, violent or spooky images. What I don't see can't hurt me is my theory. I sat with my fingers over my face and squirmed at the squelching noises. All I could see at one point was Lisa tittering away as she jumped at yet another heart-stopping moment. The story line was without doubt, interesting and the lead, Ethan Hawke, was excellent in his role as the researcher, turned human. It was edgy, exciting at times but it just wasn't my kind of film. Very futuristic until the funny part at the end where they drive off into the sunset... it should have been sponsored by Blood Donors! Lesson learnt.. trailers only reflect the good bits, doh!
On a good note, me & Lisa went onto the Chinese, had a fab meal and ended up in the Wine Bar. I'm thankfully not scared by my experience but laughed it off and slept like a baby so no ill effects there either.. ;)

I need some order in my life..

Well, in my handbag anyway... ! I used to renowned for having the smallest handbag of all my friends and family. What has happened? My mission for 2010 is to reduce the size of my ever-expanding handbag. You know when it's getting out of hand when you can't find anything so I tipped everything out and... ;-) What girl needs a total of 3 lipsticks, 2 different perfumes, 2 sets of keys, 2 gloves, a bag of coconut and cranberries and an orange in their handbag? Shamefully, not me! I will have to buy a smaller, sweeter, cuter, tinier but useful and most gorgeous handbag and then prune my contents - ouch!

What are you learning that's new this week...?

This week I am learning to share nicely! This sharing lark has made me think. Sometimes I am like a child. I think I know best, but I don’t. I can hear that little voice in my head saying ‘Just go with the flow’ when the other voice is saying ‘But I don’t want to!’ Spending as much time as I have done this past week with someone else means I have to curb my single, selfish tendencies. Yes, I’m not denying it, they are selfish, though not intentially so. Of course, making decisions for one is always easier than for one plus one. I wonder... is this a test for what's to come in 2010?!

I am used to coming and going whenever I please. Watching tv whenever I choose and making a whole load of other decisions with only me in mind. This week, I am learning to be more considerate and calmer because other people do sometimes know better than I do! Not all the time… just some of the time.

Lisa is an organized person. She plans things, which is something I don’t usually do. I love having nothing planned in my diary. It’s like having lots of fresh air to breathe rather than feeling like I’m stuck in a lift! I think it’s because I don’t need to have things going on in my life all the time. I enjoy making my own decisions and absolutely love changing my mind! If I have nothing planned, it means I can be impulsive. That is something you definitely can’t do if your diary is packed out with events.

Apricots and anti-freeze...!

I love driving but I could happily live without all the fiddly jobs that come with being a car owner. Like filling it up with petrol... Who on earth came up with the idea of unmanned pumps, doh?! No doubt a man, humph! How much nicer and simpler would it be to drive in, smile sweetly and have some young hunk fill my car up with petrol. I wouldn't even mind if pumps were manned by pretty girls just for the men. At least I wouldn't have to stand out in the cold wrestling with a blooming rubber pipe and watching some silly meter clocking up a small fortune! Then there's the windscreen washer water thingummy that just drinks anti-freeze at this time of the year. The roads are so dirty and salty that my windscreen needs cleaning every two minutes. I'm sure they put in that flashing light just to annoy me. I know it does it to remind me that I need more water but it seems to flash more than it's off at the moment. As for the anti-freeze, I get through gallons of the stuff in this weather. Of course, so does everyone else which is why I couldn't find any tonight. Thankfully, Lisa had some stashed away in her cupboard; it's like Aladdin's cave in there! So I mixed my own in an empty coke bottle! I'll be taking my apricots to work tomorrow in my happy car ;-)

A few little essentials...

What's your idea of a few little pressies? A book perhaps? A bottle of wine and chocolates? I got back tonight and Lisa said "I've bought you a few pressies. They're on the side in the kitchen". How exciting... 1) a packet of apricots - for iron ;) 2) an ice scraper - I'll be able to put the one in my car back in her shower ;-) and 3) a bottle of magic spray to banish the limescale off my shower! Fantastic, thoughtful gifts ;-)))

These boots were made for....

Walking of course! I drove home today but couldn't get home because of the snow. I parked outside the pub and my boots walked home. Jo was okay, as happy as a birdie can be, so I grabbed some clothes, some dvds and some paper and glue ;-) I just had time for a quick coffee, a piece of mom's Christmas cake before I got back on the road with my emergency supplies.

I succumbed.. and the scary 'H-word'

Truth be known.. I've been resisting the pressure (I don't have urges about anything sensible ;) to buy some 'suitable' footwear for bad weather conditions for as long as I can remember. But hey, as you can see I've succumbed... finally and triumphantly... ! These are my new walking boots and they are fantastic, I love them! They are toasty and warm to wear and most importantly, don't slip or slide on the ice. And they were half price in Jones's sale so my £125 boots are also the bargain of the year!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm definitely not a mountain goat. I wasn't built for speed unless it's in a vehicle of some kind and I don't own a pair of walking boots,. Okay... I don't even have a pair of wellies ;) I enjoy the outdoors as much as the next person but going for a 'hike' (even the word makes me flinch!) isn't on the top of my 100 things to do this week.. year.. my lifetime! The H-word conjours up images of items that don't appear in my wardrobe. I'm a girly, girl after all and 9 out of 10 girly, girls when asked said they preferred a pair of heels and comfy slippers to H-boots!

The 'H-word' has given me some food for thought. Whenever we made a decision about something we like or dislike, for me anyway, there's always the possibility of another option. I never say 'never' ;-) because I don't close or slam doors but prefer to let them close very slowly as I walk away or I leave them slightly ajar. Let's say if someone said, I've booked you onto the next flight and we (as in a significant other) are going to walk the Great Wall of China that would be very different. That would be an adventure and I'd like that. I can do a lot of the things I want to do in my life on my tod but walking alone isn't one of them. So my new walking boots will be sticking to the familiar paths for the moment until another door opens and I succumb to a totally different challenge!

www.........what women want!

This week has been about enjoying the journey. From the challenges of driving in the snow, staying at Lisa's because I can't get my car onto the car park at home and making 50 invitations for Laura's pampering evening! It started as a 'Can you help?' idea and literally snowballed into a marathon crafting challlenge. Thankfully, Lisa's mum let me use her printer, Lisa did some sticking and they're all finished now. I remember thinking 'Enjoy the journey' last night as I was putting the finishing touches of the gems and glitter glue onto these invites. I'm not one for repetition. Others might see it as theraputic. I think it's boring! But life doesn't always throw us the easy challenges so 50 invites later, each one needing 1 stamping, 6 lots of cutting, 6 lots of sticking, 2 gems and some glittering.. and I can tell you what this woman wants... a lie down & a large glass of something fizzy!

Great evening...

Tonight I went to Brasserie Blanc with Nick. He drove over to Cheltenham and had booked into the Holidays Inn, which meant he could walk over to Lisa's to get me. He looked dapper in his suit and long coat ;) It started to snow as we walked down to Brasserie Blanc. We ordered a bottle of red to share between us, which was lovely. I'm not used to being in the company of a gentleman. He picked up my coat and scarf when we went to our table, he would pass me my glass and just does things for me, it's so nice. Our meal was so delicious and he even swopped his starter with me because he suspected that it's what I would have chosen if he hadn't got there before me. From BB we went to HDVin to lounge around on the sofas and have a nightcap. It was a lovely walk back to Lisa's. The snow was fresh on the ground, though very icy, and every sound was muffled. All in all, a great evening with my new BF ;) x

I love the snow...

It's driving in it that's a challenge! Reasons not to get my car out are...

1) car doors frozen so can't get in for a start.. grrr!
2) fantastic... the glass scraper from Lisa's shower comes in very handy for getting the snow off my car.. !
3) turning the car around on an icy road ain't much fun.. !
4) having an aston martin sports car pull out before me on the main road wasn't part of the plan. If you have to follow a car on icy roads, make sure it's a battered, old one.. !
5) no windscreen washers because it is minus 7..!
6) seeing two cars in the ditch on the way to the motorway doesn't fill me with confidence ;(
7) phew.. the motorway is quite clear so off I go..
8) it's positively tropical in my car so I've stripped off and it's time to try my windscreen washers again... if you've done this before, I can hear you shouting... nooooooooooooooooooo!
9) too late! There's now a big splat of ice on my windscreen so I am having to peer around it... ! Thankfully, the tropical conditions inside the car melts the ice quite quickly, though now it's so sunny that the glare from the snow is making it hard for me to see - is it time to put on my shades?!
10) a big barrier says they've closed the road to the car park by the office.. doh!
11) I'll go around the back and try to scale the icy hill into the car park..
12) phew.. made it.. big adrenalin rush having succeeded in making it into work.. how smug do I feel!

Happy faces ;-) ;-) ;-) I can't wait for 5pm so I can do it all over again in reverse.. this time in the dark.. woo hoo!

More curiously icy phenomenon...

Niagara falls apparently froze in 1911, enough for people to take a stroll brrrrrrrrrrrrr

Snow thoughts...

...the wind had dropped, and the snow, tired of rushing around in circles trying to catch itself up, now fluttered gently down until it found a place on which to rest, and sometimes the place was Pooh's nose and sometimes it wasn't and in a little while Piglet was wearing a white muffler round his neck and feeling more snowy behind the ears than he had ever felt before.
A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner 1928

Pretty as a picture...

Ohhhh snow...

The big freeze and a little mouse...

What's the best thing about a cold and frosty morning? Quaker porridge oats... ! I do love a bowl of hot porridge at work and it's much easier to do than at home. It may be minus 4 outside but it's warm and toasty in my tummy ;) Today was the first day back after the holibob. I needed a new mouse because my old one had wires hanging out of it's tail! I also found out that I got an award for the best 'out of office' response over Christmas. Mine said..

Happy Christmas! I've got my mistletoe and am off to visit Santa ;-) See you next year!

;-))))

Celebrating the first weekend of 2010!

I've celebrated the first weekend of the New Year with great friends. Friday was chilli night at Helen & Adrian's and Saturday, I arrived at Fi & Rob's. I managed to get to Hobbycraft and Mountain Crafts on Saturday and Fi & me have had a relaxing morning crafting today. It's mum's birthday today so I popped over to see mum & dad, had some supper and have finally made it home in time to watch a bit of tv before bedtime... zzzzzzzzz

My New Year’s Honors List for 2010

If the Queen can do it....... so can I! It’s time to stop, catch my breath and celebrate the many achievements and special people who have touched my life in 2009.

My TOP Award
My mother receives an EBM (extraordinarily best mum) award for her supporting role in the epic real life drama that has been unfolding this year. My mom always smiles and whistles under all circumstances! She is strong, patient and fair and like her mother before her, she is a very remarkable woman. I’m giving her this award on behalf of all her amazingly wonderful family, in recognition for her tremendous patience; strength of character and her ability to hold our family together without even a smidgen of superglue. She always makes a difference and that’s why we love her so much.

Three people who have made a difference to my life in 2009
My dentist, Annette receives the OPW (order of the pearly whites) for her magnificent work on repairing my chipped front teeth and giving me my smile back.

My great friend, KN, receives a SNP (seriously nice person) award for just being the best and most genuine friend a girl could have. He’s a good listener and has given me lots of reasons to smile this year.

My new hairdresser Eva, receives a SB (sheer brilliance) award for rescuing my locks from dull, lifeless mediocrity. For attempting to change my luster-lacking, greenie, gold hair into a shining, glossy, brunette bob!

One 'ordinary person' award
I’m awarding the ODG (order of the diamond geezer) to the very nice man on the platform at New Street Station. He is what you might call the opposite of a job’s worth. I met a few helpful people that day when I was trying to get to Birmingham following ‘an incident’ on the track. This very kind man phoned to make sure that my ticket would be accepted on my journey home. The reason I know that is when the guard on the train told me he’d received a call. How cool is that?!

And my life wouldn’t be complete without my great friends, including Ginger, Fiona, Amanda, Lucy & Lisa, for loving me unconditionally, making me laugh and keeping me sane

The year was memorable for lots of other reasons so my Best Merit Awards go to…

Best Airport – Bezier in the South of France, where the guy checking passports as we arrived was the same guy who was checking in passengers for the next flight. All air travel should be that easy.

Best Picnic – at Longleat with my big group of fabulous friends. The picnic was well orchestrated, the animals were wild and the ride on the boat to Gorilla island was very entertaining. And we wouldn’t have got there but for Lisa who calmly and masterfully, drove the bus!

Best Day Out – to Fi & Rob for inviting me to a fabulous 1940’s day out on Kidderminster & Bridgnorth trains. The sun shone and it was one of my most favourite days of 2009.

Best Lunch - to Quayles at Tetbury for giving me the best lunchtime experiences of 2009. Best lunch has to be butterfly garlic prawns, a glass of Rose and a homemade chocolate brownie.

Best Invite – goes to the girls on Hucklow scrapping group for inviting me to be an honorary member of their group, just for the weekend. Fab people, fab scrapping and so much fun that we’re going to do with twice in 2010!

Best Spa - to the One Spa, Edinburgh for the most amazing spa experience of 2009. The outdoor Jacuzzi is worth a wonder to behold, the girls are lovely and it’s just one of those special places to chill.

Best Adventure – Art Basel in Switzerland, for the art, the rooftop party and to being inspired. Scope was definitely the best exhibition and I just love being challenged by what others consider as ‘art’.

ps And I get an SGA award for being the biggest geek this side of the Cotswolds! I spent two whole hours yesterday learning how to make this awards badge by watching an illustrator tutorial on youtube! Super Geek Alert.. !

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!