Happy New Year to...

...each and everyone of you.


For some of you 2009 has already arrived and taken up residence, for others it is still working its way to you. Whatever the situation for you, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year and wish you all a Healthy and Happy 2009 (trying to get this typed and posted before cyberspace goes manic LOL).

Let the celebrations begin...

Here's to a wonderful 2009...take care everyone.

Love and best wishes
Toni

In just under...

...six hours we will bid farewell to 2008 and welcome in 2009.

Where did 2008 go???????? It seemed to fly by even faster than other years (must be an age thing LOL).

Life has changed this year...a new role at work - not one I would have chosen but things seem to be going okay...Dad (FIL) passed away - although this has been expected for a while it still came as a shock...Kristy split from her boyfriend and has been rather poorly this year so Uni has been quite tough for her...and I still don't seem to find the time I want to craft (hurumff).

The Internet has brought me in-touch with some lovely craft folk...it is great chatting to folk in different parts of the world and it has also brought me in-touch with folk that live very close to hand but who I would probably never have met.

As another year comes to a close I hope that 2009 will bring more crafting opportunities...have a good one everyone - I'll try and pop back at midnight.......

There it was...

...been and gone - Christmas, I mean LOL



This is a pic of my prezzies under the tree after I had un-wrapped them all - I had a lovely lot of stuff.

However, I don't know about you but Christmas hasn't seemed very Christmassy this year. Whether this is because of all the last minute hassle at work or whether it is the fact that I developed the "bug" just as I was due to finish work for the holidays - I don't know **shrugs** It might even have something to do with this grotty weather we are having at the moment - I don't mind the cold but I hate this gloomy overcast weather that we are having...yuck, yuck, yuck...

Tomorrow is New Year's eve which means I only have five more days before I have to go back to work and this cold is not shifting one little bit :o( What a wonderful start to a new year (NOT!!!).

I will probably pop out tomorrow morning to get a few bits & pieces but to be honest, the thought of fighting the queues in the sales has not appealed one little bit. So I have avoided Lakeside & Basildon and doubt very much that I will visit either before returning to work.

All is not 'doom & gloom' though (he he he) I have managed to make a start on the cards that I need for January birthdays - must remember to take some pics when they are finished..............

Just one sleep left until...

...Santa visits.


This year has just flown and has not been the best of years for many reasons but hey, tomorrow is Christmas. My friend Eleni in Athens shared a link for sending a letter to Santa which I did and I received a lovely letter in reply.

Today I have to deliver the presents to my sister & niece and collect from them the ones for the rest of the family...I'm the family delivery service LOL

It gets harder every year to chose presents so I'm keeping everything crossed that folk will like what I have bought.

I always love Christmas so will be just like a big kid tonight waiting for the day to arrive so all the pressies can be opened.

I Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas

Love from Toni xx

Nice things do happen...

...honest.

The sore throat, runny nose and hacking cough started last Thursday and by Saturday I was feeling very sorry for myself (lack of sleep never sits well with me). All I wanted to do when the weekend arrived was curl-up and stay in-doors but with Christmas fast approaching that wasn't going to happen - no way.

I wandered over to Artbase to collect some last minute bits to add to gifts for some of my crafting friends and was surprised with the following...


Caroline tells me that Grace picked out the chocolate bear, so thank you Grace...it is lovely and is sitting under the tree guarding all the presents LOL

The beautifully wrapped box will stay a surprise until Christmas day. Margaret tried to slip it into my bag with my purchases without me seeing but wasn't very successful LOL

To Emma. John, Margaret and Caroline...have a great Christmas and here's wishing you all the best for 2009.

Today I needed to go and get some of the food stuff that you can't get too early otherwise the dates run out before Christmas has even arrived. I'm still not feeling too great but at least last night I managed to get some sleep so I wasn't walking around like a total zombie. However, the weather has beengrotty - dull, overcast and drizzly - so I couldn't wait to get home again.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home to find a parcel on the mat - I knew I hadn't ordered anything so was rather puzzled...

A while back I saw a link on Annette's (Voodoo Vixen) blog that took you to the Fiskars site and their new forum "Fiskarettes". I signed up to the forum as I like and use quite a few Fiskars items in my crafting. The pic below shows what the lovely folk at Fiskars sent me for joining their forum...



A very big thank you to Fiskars, this really brightened my day.

The Fiskarette forum can be reached via the link over to the right-hand side of my blog. Crafters share lots of ideas and projects that they have produced using Fiskars products. I have found some lovely things by just browsing through.

The cold/flu is still hanging on in there but I'm feeling a lot better because I know I have some lovely friends and the odd nice surprise can make all the difference...........................

Exchanging...

...awards, rather than gifts.

I sent my friend Eleni the friendship award that Paula had given to me and in return she sent a lovely award back

This award states that:This blog invests and believes in time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends, they are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

I need to have a think about who I want to share this with. Thank you Eleni and I'm so glad that things are starting to calm down a bit in Athens..........

A Friendship award...

...from a very lovely lady - Paula

I have never met Paula except here in cyberspace but she has shared her crafting skills and details of her family life with me. We 'chat' often via the UKS forum where we first met. She makes lovely comments about my crafting efforts and has now honoured me by giving me this award. I feel proud to call her my friend.



"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I visit a lot of lovely blogs but these are the eight I have chosen to share my friendship award with...

Annette is probably the reason I love mini-books so much. Hers are always delightful pieces that I would love to be able to replicate. She always has time to help her fellow crafters and is quick to share ideas and tips.

Ruthy was kind enough to give me my very first award back in July. She has shared some beautiful pieces of work on her blog.

Eleni is another lady I have never had the pleasure of meeting in real life as she lives in Athens but along with her beautiful craft work she has also let me have an insight into her way of life - I'm thinking of her a lot these days because of the media coverage of the terrible riots/protests that are happening so close to where she is - take care Eleni.

Caroline is one of only a few bloggers that I know in real life. Her crafting is wonderful and she has become a fellow mini-book adict LOL

Sarah shares some lovely ideas on her blog and she has been kind enough to drop by my blog and leave some super comments. I wish her continuing good luck in her participation in the Scrapbooking Apprentice.

Missy is another lady I have only had the pleasure of 'meeting' here in cyberspace but I love her work and she has been an inspiration - I love flicking through craft mags and finding Missy's work.

Dan is a very generous crafter who shares a new template everyweek with his fellow UKscrappers. I first met Dan when he became a Drama Queen for the Oscars cybercrop earlier this year LOL. Dan is a fabulous stamper and I have learnt so much from the videos that he has posted on his blog - he is the reason I now try more stamping techniques - Thank you Dan.

Cal was so helpful during my very first cybercrop. I really wondered what I had let myself in for but she was always around with her cyber-bacon butties and helpful comments and tips. Without her I would never have learnt about baffies LOL

So there you are, my eight nominated award receivers...............

I suppose...

...I should have mentioned some of the materials I've been using.

DCWV 12x12 Christmas Stack.
K&Co Christmas papers.
Forever Friends Christmas Stamp.
Inktense pencils.
Stickles.
Glitter card.
Vellum.
Beads from a 'Make snowflakes' kit.
Core-dination cardstock.
Cuttlebug embossing folders.
Assorted ribbons.
...and bling, loads of bling LOL................................

Lots of...

...Cards.


I've been rather busy trying to catch up with my card making - Christmas is nearly here and there is still soooooooooo much to do.

I managed to do my usual...

In my panic to get as many done and written as posible I forgot to take pics (ho, hum).

These are only some of the cards that I completed (this last pic is rather blurry due to the vellum).

All the rest have been written and delivered.

One year I might just remember to take photos of ALL my cards LOL..................

I know what...

...one (well, two actually LOL) of my Christmas presents will be.

I happened to mention to Mum that I'd seen the new Amy Butler bags & totes in Artbase and they were lovely but as it wasn't payday for another week I was hoping that they wouldn't sell the ones I wanted.

Mum said she had intended to give me some money for craft stuff so she suggested I went and got them so they could be wrapped and put under the tree.




I have the faded china ones (grey & lime) they are beautiful. So I'm a very happy bunny..........

Thank you everyone...

...for your lovely comments about my tree and decs.

I decided two Christmas' ago that I was going to change to a gold and copper colour theme - previously I'd had gold and burgandy. So I started to collect garlands and other bits that would "go" LOL

This year I added the new tree and the bronze & chocolate baubles.

I have to let you all into a secret...this is probably the cheapest I've managed to decorate a tree for LOL especially as the cost includes the tree...

Tree - £19.99
Santa tree topper - already had
4 boxes of assorted baubles - £4
4 lux strands of tinsel - £4
Ribbon - already had
Lights - already had
10 sleigh bells - £1

Under £30 the lot c",)

Paula, the ornaments on the front of the fire place are all ceramic and I made those a few years ago when I attended ceramic art classes (got too expensive).

So once again, thank you all for your lovely comments and I think I just proved that you don't have to spend a fortune to have a great Christmas setting...........

The New Tree...

...is up and decorated c",)


Although not the most expensive of trees (just under £20) I am really pleased with the way it has 'fluffed' up.

Could probably have done with a few more lights on the main tree but I think it looks fine - and I couldn't get to the other lights anyway, so no way was I gonna buy more LOL.

I found a roll of gold organza ribbon in my stash so this came in handy.

Focusing isn't one of my photography skills - tends to be a bit hit-n-miss - never mind, you get the idea.

The fireplace has a bit of tinsel and my ceramic figures.

So Christmas has arrived in my house...lets hope this year is a good one.........

Clearly...

...Christmas.

This was the project that we undertook at Artbase yesterday - a BoBunny clear mini book with Basic Grey Wassal (sp?) PPs and loads of ink, glitter, paint and embellies :o) - a mucky time was had by all LOL



As you can see the pages are all different shapes and there are 'dangly' bits and pieces.



Mine is not finished as I wasn't happy with the Christmas photos that I had, so I have decided to wait and take pics this year with my little book in mind.....

Thought I should...

...start getting ready for Christmas LOL



As you can see, plenty of bling/sparkle..................

What colour tree...

...this was over on Sarah's blog so thought I'd have a go.

Surprisingly, gold (bronze/copper & chocolate) is my colour theme for my home decs.

You Should Have a Gold Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of optimism and wealth. You definitely have a generous spirit, and you give a lot during the holiday season. You really go over the top for Christmas. Everyone on your list gets a great gift. Even if you don't have a lot of money during the holidays, it's the one time you pretend like you do. Your gold tree would look great with: All kinds of metallic decorations You should spend Christmas Eve watching: Miracle on 34th St What you should bake for Santa: A ton of cookies, cupcakes, and candy. You would enjoy spoiling him.

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

Watching Miracle on 34th Street...now that is my idea of Christmas.

Wonder what the most popular colour is, LOL............

Cards, trees and...

...baubles.

Well I promised pics from the card workshop so here they are...



The cards as they look just sat on the side...then...



...the surprises LOL

The tree is so cute (a bit fiddly putting together) and I just love my bauble in a box.

Now I need to crack on and get the rest of my cards made.............

Christmas in...

...November.

Well, that's how it felt yesterday.

I went to the last Card Workshop of the year and it was a fantastic day - very festive :o)

Dawn's workshops are always fab but yesterday had to be the best so far.

We started by making a Christmas Tree shaped box card, then a small slider card. Tea break was accompanied by lovely warm mince pies but lunchtime was a real treat. The dining room was decorated for Christmas with a huge vase of baubles on the window sill and the table dressed in gold and burgandy. There were beautiful hand-made crackers (with real 'bangs') containing craft bits-n-bobs and the meal was wonderful - thanks to Dawns DH, Brian.

The afternoon session saw us making exploding boxes and decorating one of the baubles to go in it and a lovely stamped card with double folds and an apperture - afternoon tea brought Christmas cake c",)

It was a truely fab day but unfortunately the last for the year as the 'classroom' is a marquee and not suitable for using during the winter months. So the next workshop will not be until March :o(

I took some pics of lunch but I haven't been able to take any of the projects yet (poor light) so once I have them done I'll let you see what a fab time I had.........

Oh dear...

...is it really a week since I posted.

It just goes to prove, time is flying and Christmas will be here before we know it.

My excuse (as if I needed one LOL) is that I've been busy - I was asked to make an Advent box and a Sleeps 'til Santa for colleagues so they are done and out of the way - now I need to sort out filling all my advent boxes so they can be given...December is approaching at a gallop.

I got to have a play with the new "Slice" die cutting machine at Artbase on Saturday - if I didn't know Santa is a bit cash-strapped at the moment I would certainly be wanting one on my list...perhaps next year.

I need a new tree this year but so far I haven't seen any that I really like - I don't want to spend a fortune but I do want a nice one. Saw a lovely one at the entrance to Mum's local Sainsbury's but it was only store decoration - not one they have for sale :o( So I'll keep looking. Tesco trees are half price at the moment so I might have to go and have a look there.

There still seems so much to do. I've still got loads of cards to make, haven't even started on the prezzies yet...where does the time go...Oh dear....................

Knickers...

...sorry, don't mean to be rude LOL

In the days before Bridget Jones kindly shared her views on 'Big Knickers' with the world, they existed but were rarely referred to...........

Over on UKS there have been a number of threads about things that folk remember either with fond memories OR horror - sweets that are no longer available or have changed their names, favourite childrens programmes/books, music - a whole host of stuff.

Every generation seems to have it's own memories but one thing that seems to be a constant is "Embarrassing Parents" and this is where the introduction to this post comes in c",)

My Mum was for ever telling us how my Nan made her wear knickers with legs and a hankie pocket...she always said how embarrassing it was to have Nan check that she had a clean hankie in her pocket - you would think having been subjected to this she would have tried to avoid making similar mistakes but NO............

I remember well at primary school sniggering with my friends about religious knickers or as we called them HOLY knickers (as most kids will do, we played on the fact that they were holey knickers/airtex) the last thing any of us would have been seen dead in was a pair of these. So imagine my shame at having these bought for me by my Mum :o(

I became quite adept at making sure they were in the washing basket all the time and was relieved when the elastic finally gave out on them (probably due to all that washing LOL).

Over the years Mum managed to subject my sister and I to various 'wardrobe' embarrassments but despite this my niece has confided in me that her Mum has done exactly the same...

Do you remember your parents embarrassing you in this way? I'm sure you can think of some instances **big grin**........................

A different...

...type of advent.

I have made so many advent chests this year I thought I'd have a go at something else.



Using some board from the back of some note pads, some Dovecraft Christmas PP, red core-dination CS, black organza ribbon, gold CS, gold number peel-offs, gold stickles and the Cuttlebug cut/emboss trees, with embossing folders Snowflakes and Lace tree and of course my trusty BIA...I decided to make a "Sleeps 'til Santa" flip-over countdown advent.



Sorry the close-up is a bit fuzzy but I'm quite pleased with the way it came out even if the binding bit was a bit fiddly....................

Remembrance Day...

...is this coming Sunday.



I decided some time ago that I would buy a poppy each year but I wouldn't attach it to my coat as I was always losing them. It wasn't anything to do with the cost of buying another it was the fact that the sight of all those lost poppies scattered around was so sad. Now I either have my poppy on my desk at work or as for this year - it is being proudly shown on the dashboard of my car.

Whilst we take this opportunity to remember our brave service folk who gave their lives in various conflicts we shouldn't forget that many other folk died as a result of these terrible events. So with this in mind I would like to share with you all a project being undertaken by the Holocaust Children's Museum. They are hoping that people will send them butterflies to represent the children that died as a result of the Holocaust.




Full details can be found via this link (thank you Annette for bringing this to my attention) and the wonderful Dan has promised to come up with a template over on his blog that folk can share if they would like to take part so please keep an eye out for this.

I found the picture of butterflies above by Googling for this topic.

As it is the...

...1st November, I thought I'd better post the pic of the cards I made at the October workshop otherwise the November one will be here LOL



It was a fun day and although none of the cards were overly complicated they all involved different techniques - pyramage (sp?), penny slider, die-cuts, embossing, fabric, & stamping.

Can't wait for the November workshop............

Today is a....

...sad day.

Today we say goodbye to my Father-in-Law who sadly passed away on 13 October.

"Dad" had not had the best of health for a number of years but as a result of some very intensive treatment in the last year he had been much better.

He was very much an Eastender, 'know what I mean', and his joys in life were a pint, a bet, and until five years ago...a cigarette (we were all so proud of him when he finally managed to give up smoking). So, if one has to 'go' I suppose he went in the most perfect of ways....he was in his favourite pub with his son - with a pint in his hand.

Sleep peacefully Dad, my thoughts and love are with you always.................

New post...

...on the way.

Just as soon as I get the photos done LOL. These dark mornings are playing havac with my posting because I can't get the pics I want. I have a whole mass of pretty Christmas cards from the last workshop which I hope to be able to post fairly soon - pics permitting......................

Hope I'm not...

...boring you LOL

COS HERE'S MORE BOXES.............





Still not sure what to do with all these matches though LOL.......................

Have you noticed...

...I've been re-arranging the 'furniture' LOL

I decided it was time the Christmas tree moved back to the top of the stack. It has waited patiently all year at the bottom of the screen so now it deserves to be in a more prominent place counting down the days..........

And there's more...

...advent boxes, that is LOL.


Here are the latest four to add to the collection - and there are more on the way.

Mum pinched my original blue one so of course I had to make a replacement (hehe)

I have so many different Christmas PPs that I have found it very difficult to choose what to use - so I've been doing more boxes to try them out LOL

I've also had a play with different ways of opening the drawers, so there are a mix of ribbons (looped or knotted) and brads.

I have three more on the go at the moment plus enough boxes to make a further two after that.

Keep watching this space, LOL...........................

Thursday crop night...

...my pages.

Helen had decided that the four weeks would have a brown theme to them and whilst I quite like browns - I like them with other shades...especially autumn colours.

Many of the ladies at the crop are new to scrapping so Helen has tried to keep things fairly simple to help boost their confidence but things were a little too simple for me so I've had a play..................


This was the second weeks page and although I have kept to the basic layout I've had a tweek - added some bling and a bloom and used slightly larger pics for the two smaller photos.

Last Thursday was week three and I have completely gone my own way on this LOL, rather than a single page I made a DLO and added bling and brads to the blooms that were provided. This really doesn't look anything like the demo page that was done as the PP I have used across the pages was originally used as the whole background of a single LO.


Helen wasn't letting on about what will make up week four - suppose I'll have to wait and see......................

Wonderful stamp...

...by Thomas Kinkade.

Mum treated me to this stamp and it is beautiful. I've had a bit of a play but on a very basic level so far - will have to see what ideas I can come up with...


Bit of a fuzzy pic trying to show the sparkle of the Stickles.


It was rather an expensive stamp but I am totally loving it LOL...............

What's in a...

...name?

What Toni Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Some of this is spot-on, other bits - not so sure............

Autumn visit to...

...Ally Pally.

Yesterday was the first trip out since getting the new car and the hoist for Mum's scooter was brill. Decided to take the seat off and this gave a better view through the rear window but not great...something I'm gonna have to get used to.

Driving to Ally Pally was not fun as it was thick fog most of the way, but we did it in good time and we were there for the half-hour early entry for disabled visitors.

Mum headed straight for the stand where she got some lovely beads last time and she got some goodies this time too.

That half-hour goes sooooooooo quickly and soon it was getting very crowded and not very easy to get to look at things on the stands. I appreciate the reason behind the way many of the stands are now arranged so staff can keep a better eye on their stock but it is not very disabled friendly even before the crowds started to build many of the stands were not accessable to a wheelchair or scooter user. Mum is very good and says "give me your bags and go and see if there are any goodies there..." but that isn't really fair to her.




We still managed to enjoy ourselves and came away just after midday having spent a small fortune between us LOL.



The beautiful Thomas Kinkade stamp was a prezzie from Mum and she has already placed an order for half a dozen Christmas cards using this design (already had a play with this and it is fab).

After the foggy journey there it was blazing sun for the journey home. Had a slight detour to Artbase LOL, as you do, and picked up some more clear stamps and cardstock.

All in all, a great day...............

September...

...at Artbase.

Two wonderful DLOs made up the BoBunny class kit this month and they are designed so you can use a number of photos or leave areas for that "less is more" look



I originally thought the kit was a choice of colour not realising we got the lot LOL.



Lots of knife work trimming round the PP design to wrap around the photos.



Lots of interesting elements...acetate overlays, rub-ons, ribbons and journaling blocks.



I had a great time, even though my photos weren't too good (ink was running low on printer :o(...) and I've now sorted the piccies.



Next month is another collection of layouts. Can't wait to play with those.......