The cat is out of the bag!

I can at last reveal my bit of good news! I am one of the runners up in the "Scrapbooker Of The Year Competition 2009" in Scrapbook Magazine, out today. I found out a few weeks ago, but was asked to keep it secret. I am delighted, and of course even more delighted that the prize is £180 of yummy stash! I must go and buy the magazine today to see who the other prize winners are and which layout of mine they have chosen to publish. Updated - this layout! "First Taste of Magic" TFLx

December Daily 09 Part 2

Have a look at the second half of my completed December Daily.

December Daily Video Part 1

Have a look at my completed December Daily as I talk you through the first half. Sorry the camera ran out of battery at the end, but this was my first go at a video!!! TFLx

Happy Anniversary!!

It is my parents 54th wedding anniversary today! Wow! That's a lot of years! I got them a funny card from Moonpig.com that I customised with their names and my dad thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen! He has a fab sense of humour!

Today I am playing! I have some tidying up to do and of course I will be doing that, but I have the idea to tidy the craft room and get out some stash and have a play! Due to Christmas, the countdown and my craft fair, it seems ages since I did any scrapbooking! I have photo's and I have my SC kits, so there is no excuse! The other thing I would like to do today, is to try and make a video of my December daily. I snatched an hour in the craft room yesterday to embellish my completed pages and I would like to share it with you. I will try later, suing my new mini tripod for my camera!

We were out again last night with friends and the roads were yet again "dodgy" to say the least! This morning it is just our estate that is bad, everything else is clear, in fact it is raining as we speak! I can't decide if that is a good thing or bad! Good if it melts the ice, bad if it subsequently re-freezes!

It is that difficult time of the year again SALE time! I have to admit I have made a few purchases, well, at half price it would be rude not to! I have bought a 7 gypsies kit in the QVC sale, some Tim Holtz stuff from 3 Jolly scrappers, half price papers from Sarah's Cards and some more stuff from A Trip Down Memory Lane! Add to that my purchases from Studio Calico yesterday, with the new kit reveal and I have a nice haul winging it's way to me!! My excuse is I am going to need to amuse myself after my operation! Which, incidentally, is one week today. So if I disappear from a few days from blogging you know why! Once I return home, I will hopefully be up to chatting and crafting on a phased basis! I have to admit, I am getting nervous about it all, but there is no escape.Will leave you with a photo of Barney's new Christmas toy! Awh! TFLx

Yappy Christmas!

Barney certainly enjoyed the unwrapping this morning! Merry Christmas to you all and I hope Santa was good to you! xx

Happy Birthday.......

to DS1, who is 19 today! I am sure I am not old enough to have a son that age!!! We did presents and cards at 8am before DS2 went to work, amazing considering DS1 can never get out of bed unless he is forced to! He was happy with his haul, although slightly disappointed when he opened a Gavin & Stacey DVD instead of the FIFA 10 X box game he asked for!! Guess who got the tags mixed up!!! Anyway, I have rooted in the cupboard and found the game, so all is well. He wanted it to play today as this is his only day off work - he is working Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day at the pub!

The birthday cake is made and I am just finishing off the Lasagne and salad! (his choice of meal) I have the Sherry trifle to finish and set the table. Grandparents and cousins arriving at lunch time due to the snowy conditions!

Got Barney's card made for the postman and delivered it yesterday with a bottle of wine! Completed an album I was making for someone to give as a gift. Right, I had better get on then! TFL x

An early start!

At the risk of upsetting you all again (particularly Ann C and Gina!) we still have the snow! I was woken up early by the door bell at 7.15am, it was the postman, returning some layouts from a magazine submission that had to be signed for!! (More about that in the new year!) Needless to say, hubby was not best pleased as he is on holiday today! Barney too flew out of bed at a great rate of knots!! Funnily enough it was our normal postman, that I have not seen for months! On enquiring about this fact (once I had prized open my eyes sufficiently to sign and print in the box!) he tells me he has been absent of paternity leave! Those of you who know me, know that we have a ritual of giving a bottle of wine and a card from Barney to the postman annually, as Barney greets him so aggressively!! We have had an external postbox for years due to his singular obsession with that red bicycle, but Paul, on the whole, has remained amicable! To smooth things over, we usually apologise with some liquid refreshment, but as I had not seen him for so long, I assumed he had left! Barney is now a Christmas card short!! I will have to make one today!

Jobs for today, include more supermarket shopping, assembly of the Lasagne that did not get done last night and even more taxi driving of both sons to work and back with hubby! I need to get the ingredients in to bake a birthday cake for DS1 too! His birthday is on Wednesday, I feel a nostalgic post coming on - maybe some facts for the December daily about the year he was born. Yesterday, I found Rachel Allen's recipe for Cinnamon Pecan buns on the Internet here. I hope to get around to making these, they look divine and I can imagine the smell. They may become a tradition!

I need to write a bit about my new Christmas decoration for this year, which is this wooden word "Christmas" that I have added to my fireplace garland. I usually try and get something new each year, this time I was taken with this, Shaker style piece. I may use it in different places each year, but this year it adorns the fireplace! The garland itself is nothing fantastic! Just a cheap, green, fake fir tree garland that I lay along the mantlepiece and then it is decorated with various hearts I have bought over the years from IKEA. The gingerbread hearts are from IKEA too! They give a lovely smell to the whole room. So far, Barney has never touched them!

Right, better get dressed and get cracking! TFLx

A blanket of snow!

Well we had some more snow last night, so we woke up to a blanket of white! In fact we walked home from friends last night after midnight in it!! Barney enjoyed his walk this morning in his coat, the frost heightens all the smells! I did not realise my December Daily would be so full of snowy pictures!! I took some when the first flurries started on Thursday in case that was all we got, now those pages look daft compared to what we have now!

Today has been a relaxing day, with both boys out at work. I have a nice piece of roast beef in the oven for Sunday tea and I have done some last minute loads of washing - changing all the beds and towels. I have just been making a large Lasagne for lunch on Wednesday on DS1's birthday, as all the grandparents are coming for lunch. I need to do my last minute supermarket shop tomorrow for all the fresh stuff I want. I have some family and friends entertaining planned, but the actual Christmas lunch is not my job this year, my sister is cooking, we do it alternate years. Just been printing out some Christmas recipes from the Internet, for Cinnamon pecan buns and St Stephen's day muffins. I feel like cooking and not crafting at the moment! I need to search out a Christmas jigsaw - that will have to be a page in my December daily! TFLx

The Big shop! December Daily update

Yesterday was all about shopping - food shopping! That much maligned task, which actually, when you do it online, is exceptionally easy! The ASDA van rolled up at 10am yesterday and before we knew it, we had it all put away and were on our way into town for a leisurely amble around the shops and lunch out! Well worth the £5.50 I paid! It's worth it in time saved alone!! Yesterday's post in the December daily was a few pics of the delivery and the van and the computer print out of the list! The prices are on there, so it will be interesting in the future! We had a blanket of snow yesterday, so I could not resist getting in the garden with the camera when it stopped, although it was going dark, and getting some snaps of Barney having a play!! (see yesterday's post!) He enjoys having a speed about and eating some snow, trouble is you have to keep letting him out all evening to wee!! Lol! More snow forecast for this evening, so hubby has nipped off sharpish to see his dad before it starts after 3pm! We are walking to friends tonight for Christmas drinks so we can take our wellies to trudge home!

Today, I am back on baking! The carrot soup we always make for Christmas lunch (I shall include the recipe in today's post in the daily) and a sausage plait made with puff pastry that we always have at Christmas!

So far today, the cupboard under the sink has had a hinge problem, something snapped and the door came off and mum's oven is up the Swanee, so I wonder what can go wrong next!! On the plus side, the Paypal issue has been resolved and I have had some other good news, which I will share in the New Year.

Ok, the soup is simmering for an hour, so off to start the sausage plait! Both boys are at work so I have the house to myself for a few hours! Bliss! Carols CD on full blast!! TFLx

P.S. There seems to be a lot of beer here, but it is DS1's 19th birthday next week too! Lol!!

A happy bunny! & Unhappy bunny!

Happy bunny - I am jumping up and down here as I have been paid for the article I was asked to do a while ago in the last issue of Scrapbook Inspirations magazine! I was so over the moon to be asked to do the "Ready, Steady, Scrap" feature it might not have mattered that it was the last issue, although I did not know that at the time! But then, me being me, I anticipated that income and purchased a Sizzix Boutique machine as I had always wanted to be able to emboss! Using a Hobbycraft voucher I had paid £20 for it and was calling it "my reward" to myself! When the magazine went 'belly up' and they did not reply to my invoice (sent three times) I began to worry! However, just when I had given up hope, I get an email to say I will get it in the next couple of days! Just when I had been to the Christmas market again and taken more pictures of the "Real Reindeer" that I used for the layout, lol! I do miss Scrapbook Inspirations magazine, I thought that when Papercraft Inspirations dropped through the door this week :(
Unhappy bunny - someone has claimed back the cash I was paid for an e bay sale back in October! I sold a pair of DS2 designer jeans that had been hardly worn and sadly outgrown all too quickly! The lady received them and left feedback, apparently she has had a few problems with her Paypal subsequently and her bank have claimed back all of her Paypal transactions, even those that are legitimate! I know it's only £10 but it has taken me into negative funds with Paypal as I spend all my eBay earn money on stash of course!! They are cross and want me to rectify the situation!! So be warned! Paypals can be reversed, through no fault of your own! What is more her bank are not being helpful about getting it back to me!! Paypal have the whole thing frozen! What a mess! In the mean time I have to "rectify my negative balance!" Great! Whilst they investigate! Fortunately I have been able to fax the proof of postage, which I still have to show the goods were sent! Sometimes recycling goods is such hard work!! It's me who is suffering and I did not even do anything! Ok, rant over!! A little light crafting is required!! Lol! TFLx

December daily catch up!

So where did the last two days go?? Yesterday was a busy day, taking Barney to the vets for a check up and meeting friends for coffee to exchange cards and presents and yet more mince pie baking!!! Another three dozen to be precise! Where are they all going??? Today was back to work and a hectic time planning a handover to the person who will be covering for me whilst I am in hospital. A lovely facial for me tonight courtesy of an exchange of goods between me and the beautician who wanted a few things from my craft stall, so we negotiated!! I have to say she has done a fab twig tree using contorted willow branches with some of my scented hearts and birds and the iced gingerbread cookie hearts with dried cranberry hearts. I will have to go and get a photo of it! It looks fab! So I am feeling suitable refreshed!

I have just written up my daily, with a page about icing the Christmas cake and a few photo's! Just needs a few decorations putting on it! I used to do marzipan and sugar paste icing all over, but then we realised we did not like the taste of the icing and we were peeling it off and throwing it away, so now I am back to the old fashioned royal icing albeit the instant royal icing mix from Silver Spoon! Just got a few air bubbles here unfortunately, did not leave the icing to stand overnight like I should have done! Going to add a broad ribbon around the side later.

Tomorrow I am going to write up about the Christmas lights! TFLx

Victorian Christmas market

Today we are going to the town for their annual Victorian Christmas market. Taking my camera along for lots of photo opportunities! Pop back later to see the results! Have a great day! TFLxSealed Knot re-enactment.

OAP Xmas decs!

Well, that's the pensioners sorted with their Xmas Dec's today! We were up and off early to Morrison's this morning so we could get our shopping done. Then we split into two teams. DS1 and I went to my parents and got their tree out of the loft and put it up along with their outside lights, whilst hubby went to his dad's and put his fibre optic tree up and his outside lights! All parents now beautifully decorated! Lol! DS2 has been run off his feet at work today at the chocolate shop, big Christmas build up and he is working tomorrow as it is the Victorian Christmas market! Phew, he will be going back to school for a rest! We are hoping to go into town and do some shopping tomorrow and get some good photo's! Just hope the weather stays fine.

Barney is spoiled in our house and has a cloth on the end of everyone's bed so that he can choose who he wants to spend time with in the evenings! Look what happens when you wash the cloths, tumble dry them and then 'chuck' them on the stairs to go up when they are still nice and warm!!! Awwwwww! Comfy??? So sweet!

Altered Lyrics

Christmas would not be Christmas, without our altered lyrics thread on the do craft forum! Here are two new ones I composed today!

The First Noel

The first Noel Sue Bubbles did say,
was to certain ‘do crafters’ - “A sale’s on its way!”
A sale for paper, buttons and dies,
a sale where you wont believe your eyes!
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Visit the ‘Crafts U Love’ Christmas sale!

They looked it up and saw one more sale,
and also there was free p&p in the mail.
They filled their bags with goods galore,
and low and behold they kept adding more!
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Visit the ‘Cutting Edge Crafts’ Christmas sale!

Then came along, QVC crafting day,
yet more yummy goodies were winging their way,
To her ‘poor’ buddies houses all over town,
crafters greeted the Postman in their dressing gown
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Where can we hide stash from the Christmas sales??!


The "Selfish" Christmas Alphabet!!

C is for the Cricut sitting under the Xmas tree,
H is for the happiness it’s going to bring to me!
R is for the red - we will be in at the bank!
I is for ignorance, with only me to thank
S is for the stash shopping, I’m going to buy for me,
T is for the toys, there was never going to be
M is for myself, “It didn’t cost a lot!!!”
A is for the attitude, my family have got
S is for the shock, my husband’s going to get,

I don’t care and I’m getting everything in my Christmas alphabet! TFLx

So how did I do?????

With my "to do list??" Well, very well actually!!

Hospital appointment - check

Picture frames purchased and made into an album - check

Paper bag album made - check

Family Christmas cards made - check!

Took me all day mind you!!

Today's page in my December daily is going to have one of the embossed pictures from my Christmas cards that I made today, using the winter snow scene embossing folder and my new Sizzix Boutique machine (an early Christmas present!) I just highlighted them with a gingham bow one adhesive gem heart and a Merry Christmas stamp! Simples!! My daily is also going to have the two tags that were very kindly sent to me by Val! Great for journaling on and adding a real Tim Holtz feel to today! Thanks, they are fab! I want to add a photo of my sister too, as it is her birthday today! Happy Birthday! TFLx

P.S. Nearly forgot to post about DS2 getting his house colour tie!! He has been chosen to receive a performing arts tie at the speech night in January I am delighted! He thoroughly deserves it! Sadly I will be in hospital for speech night and wont see DS1 get his A level certificates either :(

Still a proud mummy moment that deserves to be logged in the Daily Diary!

Wrapping and my 'To do' list!

Tomorrow is my day off and I am busy compiling a to do list of Christmas necessities! It's looking like this;

Make a picture frame album (first go and buy the picture frames)

Make a paper bag album

Make my family Christmas cards

Well I think that will keep me busy all day and I will be happy if I get all those things done.

Tonight is more Christmas wrapping, so I am going to put that in the December daily for today. It's out with the wrapping basket I made as a Christmas countdown project last year.

My nose is still like a tap! Any resemblance between me and Rudolph is purely coincidental!!! Just been piping yet more brandy butter on to yet more mince pies, so they are still a feature in this house! Today hubby took some in to work for his birthday, tomorrow he wants some for a meeting he is hosting, apparently they are mentioned in last month's minutes!! Lol! Somebody at work wants me to make some for them too! TFLx

Whoops!

I just managed to reject 5 comments instead of publish them!! Sorry to those people, I had read them and was just supposed to be rejecting one and ended up rejecting all five! That's technology for you!! It was not personal!!

Anyway, what have we today for the December daily?? Well, a little trip to the hospital for an appointment, resulting in an op in the new year :( Other than that, a normal afternoon at school, but still with a dripping nose, due to this silly cold that I decided to get last night! Just taking a Lemsip!My missing stash parcel finally turned up today! My monthly kit from Studio Calico, that has been missing for ages! I have never been this late receiving it before, so it must be due to volume of post at Royal Mail! Anyway, at least it is here now! Looks like it has been sat on!! Fortunately the contents were intact!!Uploaded some pics of my mince pie making session from yesterday, so I just need to print those off and add them to the journal. TFLx

So how is your December Daily???

Last night I had to play catch up of three days! We have been so busy this weekend and out every night it was finding time to do it! I have decided to keep it on the computer table, then at least I write a bit when I am sat here and print off a few pics and trap them in the relevant pages. Then, like last night, I sit and stick in a few photos! Today I am doing school work as I always do, but hope to make mince pies later, so I have printed off mum's recipe that I use to include in the album. I am using a vintage Christmas card as the cover for the recipe too. If I have any more time, I have a Santa sack to make for a friend's new baby, need to get that done if I am to get it in the post! TFL x

RAK winner!

Random.org came up with number two for the winner of the 12 x12 display easel. Susie J it is you!! Let me have your address and I will get it in the post to you. Congrats!

Football, football football!

No matter how old they are, they are still little boys at heart!! Happy Birthday to hubby, who was up and off early today to get to Elland road for the lunch time kick off, picking up DS1 on the way!! (Life long Leeds Utd fan!) One of the advantages for DS1 of going to Uni in Leeds was the proximity to his football team! He has bought his dad a ticket for today's game as his present and they are off to enjoy the match! Let's hope they win again today!! I am going to add the ticket to my December daily page for today.

Talking of December daily, I forgot to take any pictures of us glammed us for hubby's works Christmas meal last night! I was late getting out of the hairdressers and had a tight time schedule to get ready, so completely forgot to get the camera out! Never mind, I will be able to document the menu and the venue! We are going to a friends 50th party today, so maybe a photo op later!

DS2 is at work, so hoping to get some crafting done today. Had a late flurry of orders for snowman soup, so better get cracking! Just Barney and I, so we can please ourselves! Get the heating on and the Christmas CD on full blast and we are off! TFLx

Christmas shopping !!

Here is another layout from the Cybercrop, with a flap that conceals more photographs. I chose to use some Christmas photographs of a shop we discovered in Bremen Germany, in their version of the "Shambles" a little street in the old town. This was an all year round Christmas shop! The layout had an envelope concealed on it and a handmade tag (I did a Tim Holtz type tag) and the layout was designed by Shimelle. I am going to do a mini version of this layout as one of the pages in my December daily. (My papers were Cosmo Cricket.)

Well day 3 and 4 of the December daily will be easy to fill. Yesterday we hit Meadowhall for some Christmas shopping and had lunch out, so I will write about that and maybe add a few receipts of some of the items. Last night I had a Christmas meal with some girlfriends at Pizza Express so my menu will be in there for sure!! Today it's more Xmas prepping! Hubby has another day off, as it is his birthday tomorrow, so we may have lunch out today and then I am off to the hairdressers to get my Christmas cut and colour! Tonight is hubby's work's Christmas meal so that will be another menu to include with maybe a photo too! Right, off to walk Barney, a busy day ahead! Have fun!! TFLx

Day 2 - Christmas music

I have a thing about Christmas music! Old fashioned type music, sung by Bing or Dean or The Andrews sisters etc! Christmas crooners! It all started when Christopher was born and we had his first birthday party on the 23rd of December 1991. As we had lots of relatives and friends coming, I wanted a bit of background music, nothing too churchified, but suitable for the party. Hubby arrived home from work, those days in Hornsea, with a cassette tape called "The stars sing Christmas" which he had bought at Jackson's supermarket! It was quite jolly and sing along! I loved it! Over the years, it is the one I put on when I mix the Christmas cake and puddings in October!! Or write the cards in November!! Now, Christmas is synonymous with putting on this tape and immediately it is associated with those times when the children were little! It is playing in the background when you watch the video of the party! People said it was only the start of Christmas when they came to Chris' birthday party! This year, we are down to only one tape player in this house!! Every one has died a death and I was getting worried that the "Hornsea" tape as it is now known in this house would be no longer around!! Crisis!!

This year, I vowed to do something about it! I have built up quite a collection of Cd's over the years, a bit of a ritual that we buy a new one to add to the collection each year. Last year I got a great one from Tesco for £3! This year I thought I would make up my own CD by picking tracks off various ones I owned to compile the "Hornsea" tape in a CD version! I ended up being short of about 6 tracks! I whizzed on to i-tunes and downloaded a CD called Legends sing Christmas 64 tracks!! That only left me a couple short which I searched for and bought individually for 59p So now I have my "Hornsea" tape on CD! It has taken a while to put together, but now these memories can stay with me and the family! I have to say, although it is not their taste in music, it reminds both the boys of me and so after I am gone, a copy of this will bring back memories for them! I am putting a copy of my compilation in my December daily for today, along with a copy of this post! TFLx

December Daily - day one

Well, I have begun my (Ali Edwards inspired) December daily, writing today about cards, presents and cooking lists as well as photographing the advent calendars!! Saving the photo's in a file on my PC called December Daily and then I will print a few out together and assemble them when I have more time! Just found the baking tray advent calendar I made for last year's countdown, got it out the loft and I am minus one decoration!! I only have 23!! Will have to make one!! TFLx
P.S. Don't forget to check out Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas which started today! (Link )