31 day blog challenge - day 30

"favourite comfort food"

• Lindt Lindors! (the ones in the red box)
• Ferrero Rocher
• Frazzles
• Marmite on toast
• Roast Potatoes
• Banana cake
• Ben & Jerry's Cookie dough Ice cream
• Haagen Daz  Vanilla ice cream

oooh 'eck, right I'm stopping here, I feel like I might have put on a couple of pound just thinking about these wee treats!

 

Easel-ly does it!

 Hello there and thank you so much for stopping by today.....hope this week is treating you well.

 

I am enjoying a few days "home alone", well I say alone but obviously its me, two kids, two dogs and the cat, but y'know what I mean! My Mum decided to scatter some of my Dads ashes on Culloden Moor in the North of Scotland (this was of great interest to him) and my hubby decided to chaperone as his daughter is due to go into labour at any moment. After everything that has been going on recently, this is welcome break for me too! Not least because I'm spending a little more time at my craft desk then I otherwise might!

 

Decided to print off an old favourite for todays card

todays card features:

• Gilly from Prairie Fairy coloured with Promarkers
• papers are magazine freebie from Nitwit
• dies used are Spellbinders circle and lacy circle, Marianne creatables Butterfly, Nellie Snellen tag
• Martha Stewart border punch
• pearls and lace from stash (lace coloured with promarkers to compliment)



 

(side view)

 

I would like to enter:

passion for promarkers - easel cards

pennys challenges - anything but square

di' s digi designs - fancy/fun folds

cute card thursday - use a sentiment

 

righty-ho, I've got two furry little herbert's hanging around my feet for a walk in the park, so better go now and I'll catch you later xx

 

 





31 Day Blog challenge - day 29

"Bucket List ideas"

Ok, so I have never actually made a Bucket List as such, but if I did it would be a bit like this

• Go to a Music Festival (camping and the muddier the better!)
• take a "flight" in the Emirates cable car that runs across the Thames between the Excel and the 02
• ride in a helicopter
• stand before the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
• Go on the Maid of the Mist boat through Niagra Falls
• have a BBQ on a beach
• be a contestant on tv game show "Pointless"
• visit one of the "big" craft shows like the Nec for example
• go to a Dr Who convention.....and do the whole "cos-play" thing too!
• take a road trip around this wonderful country of ours stopping off at nice little b&b's and country inns
• be a volunteer for an animal charity
• Pink hair....or another equally vibrant colour
• to have a card of mine published in a magazine

Now I've started this, I could go on......but I think this gives a pretty good account of my would-love-too's

31 day blog challenge - day 28

"last time I cried"

Seem to be doing that a lot of late, however my last tears shed were actually happy tears!

Yesterday, I was retelling a story to a friend of mine about my boss, and how in a meeting, randomly and for no apparent reason he did this kind of golf swing type of thing. Ok, so you kind of had to be there to understand the hilarity of this but it reduces me to hysterics every time I think about it!

A little bit of Daisy!

Hello there, hope the week has started well for you! Had the best time yesterday at the Sincerely Yours paper craft show......if you scroll down you can have a wee peep at the goodies that I "rehomed"

 

The new flower die that I bought prompted me to finish the card that's been sat on my desk for the last 10 days.........

Today's card features:

• Sugar Nellie "Daisy" image coloured with promarkers
• LOTV Nitwit papers, which have been a popular magazine freebie
• dies used are, Spellbinders Floral Ovals, Cheery Lynn border, Go Kreate tag, Die'sire Delicate flower
• mini rik rak, button and pearls from stash.

I would like to enter:

passion for promarkers - spring blooms

chocolate, coffee, cards - use a die cut

cute as a button challenge - anything goes

cheery lynn designs - anything goes

 

and finally, this is my little haul from yesterday.......haven't told the hubby yet, how much I spent, but to be fair I did get quite a few bargins!!

 

have a great week xx

31 day blog challenge - day 27

"what makes me feel better, always"

• big hugs
• a nice cup of tea
•  a walk with the dogs
• feeling the sun on my skin
• trips to the seaside
• a session of stamping/printing and promarkering
• laughing at the most daft things with my work friends
• tumbling into bed at the end of the day and realising that my hubby has put the electric blanket on so the bed is toasty and cosy for me
• turning up the volume when I'm listening to a fave song and having a good bounce around to it

I am actually pretty easy to please!

31 day blog challenge - day 26

"5 Favourite Blogs"

eeek, this is a toughie!

my Cutie Pie teamies all have amazing blogs, but don't want to single out five sooooo

Cutie Pie challenge  - I am immensely proud of my challenge blog, I may not have been the original creator, but I see it as my baby now and love it to bits, my team are wonderful, supportive, inspiring and soooo talented ( and all lovely folks too) If you've not visited us before....why not, but come check us out - we are THE place to be for all things cute!

the crafty sister - I became aware of Laura's blog when A Random Fan sponsored the Cuties last year (she is on their DT) I absolutely adore the simplicity of her designs and her colouring is awesome

paper playful - do an amazing job at keeping us informed of all things "challengy"

totally tutorials - an absolutely wonderful place to loose yourself for a wee while

heartprints - not a blog as such, but somewhere that I have always found it really inspiring


hope you are all having a lovely weekend.........I am off out in a wee while to hit the Sincerely Yours Papercraft show in Maidstone. Have been looking forward to this for ages, so am like an excited child this morning....up, fed, dressed and ready to go!

31 day blog challenge - day 25

"best physical feature"

my eyes are nice shade of blue and I've never had to do a days work with the up keep of my eyebrows!

....just wanted to a huge thank you for the thoughtful and supprtive replies on yesterday's post. It was a toughie to put in words and I do take great comfort from your support. Sadly the news regarding my brother isn't good. He has had MRi and CT scans which indicate that the Cancer has spread, not only to his brain, but his liver and kidneys too. He will be meeting with his team on Tuesday to plan what happens next. He still maintains that he can beat this, but I think we are more realistically expecting it to be a palliative care plan instead of a treatment plan

Yes, life isn't the best right now but having a lovely crowd of friends at work and having you wonderful lot here keep a smile on my face. I also draw strength from my faith in God and in being a stubborn old bird I will not let stuff get me down!

31 day blog challenge - day 24

"a difficult time in your life"

Really don't want to sound sorry for myself but, to be honest I would say that sometimes it feels like I'm living it!

In July, last year my husband had to have major surgery for an aortic aneurysm. There were complications during the op and also during recovery and a very different person came home from the one that went in. Whilst the wound from the op has healed, he was suffering for a while with depression (which by and large has passed although he still has the odd  "down day") has also had an on going bowel problem, we went on for months without anything much getting done to help, but then his vascular consultant referred him over for a sigmoidoscopy (camera in back passage) this indicated that there was "something" there, but due to its positioning they were unable to determine exactly or to get a suitable biopsy. A few weeks ago he had a CT scan which again highlighted "something", when I asked the consultant what sort of something it was he indicated that it could well be a malignant tumour. Needless to say our hearts sank and for the next few days we were both certain that Alistair was in the early stages of bowel cancer. We have since seen a colorectal surgeon, and whilst he can't and won't rule out that this might be the case, having looked at the CT results he feels much more certain that there is an inflammatory issue in his bowel (can't begin to tell you how relieved we were to hear that!). The next stage is that Alistair has to have another camera but this time under general, so that they can have a better look and hopefully take a more accurate biopsy.
.
we also lost my dad at Christmas and its tough at times dealing with my own grief and trying to support my Mum.

After "beating" oesophagul cancer last year my brother is currently undergoing scans as it looks like he has a secondary tumour on his brain.

Can't really say much more than this :( 

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 23

"Pet Peeves"

oooooh here we go, lol

Ok, I don't like people who are a little too fond of the sound of their own voices, shall we say.

Get the hump with people who overdose on Facebook! Like, do we need to know your every move - we already know that you life is clearly soooo much more exciting than ours......and you've already posted a dozen photo's of your baby this morning, so do we have to be subjected to another load!

I know its petty but I don't like it when they have groups like the Scouts doing bag packing at the supermarket......don't get me wrong, I am more than happy to donate to their cause, but I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to packing my shopping and I don't wanna have to explain to a bored 13 year old, why it is imperative that the boxes of dog food MUST go in the flowery bag etc etc

Don't like having to wait for people....time is precious and I don't like wasting it like waiting for my husband to get ready so we can go shopping, or like sitting in my daughter's school car park to give her  a lift home with her heavy text books, only to find she's been sitting in the common room drinking coffee and nattering with her friends.


 

31 Day Blog challenge - Day 21

"Something I miss"

My Dad

Being in my early twenties when the only financial responsibility I had was keeping petrol in my car and paying for my next holiday/concert or theatre trip/pair of shoes. ....

but mostly, my Dad!

31 day blog challenge - Day 20

"Where I want to be in 10 years time"

10 years ago, I wasn't doing the job I do now, we were living in a different house, my husband was in better health (although he was still a smoker, which he now, proudly, isn't!), I had just about discovered the joys of card making and had a small drawer of bits and bobs, we didn't have a dog (now have two and a cat! and my kids were 7 and 4.......my life has changed beyond recognition in the last 10 years and I can't even begin to image what the next 10 years hold, however, from a pipe dream point of view.........

1.  Living in the house I mentioned in the "If I won the lottery" day, with it having been fully renovated and just gorgeous and with a successful little craft business running on site too.
2. back in size 12 or 14 clothes (and maintaining that size too)
3. watching my 27 and 24 year old kids, be out in the world, doing their thing and being happy, healthy and successful at it.
4. In the likely event of my not having my own craft business I would like to be happy in whatever job I'm doing

Get Embossing with Creatalicious!

Hello to you all.......hope you're having a great weekend!

 

Now, really I should be posting this from the Naughty Step as I am a few days late with posting this - I actually thought I'd scheduled a post (clearly not though) and I have had a bit of a distraction at home this week......but more of that in a mo

 

anyhoo, back to the Creatalicious challenge and this month the theme is

Embossing wet or dry

 

 

we are sponsored this time by

Bunny Zoe's Craft

&

Sparkle N Sprinkle

 

 

 

who very kindly provided some amazing digi's for the DT to play with

 

My card features:

• "Brighten the Holidays" digi stamp with accompanying sentiment
• coloured with promarkers
• pennant cut with spellbinders die
• bow from stash
• "embossed" detail created with Glossy Accents on the fairy lights (so actually its been wet and dry embossing!)

 

 

My fellow teamies have produced some amazing cards for this challenge so click here to check it all out.

 

So back to the "distraction" that I mentioned..........may I introduce the last member of my furry family

 



 

 

This is Charlie and we adopted him from our local Cats Protection shelter this week.....so far things are fairly well with my two dogs.....as long as they get their fussing and walks, they seem happy. Charlie is just adorable, very friendly and loves a good nuzzle! I've never noticed this in a cat before but he doesn't so much walk as glide - its captivating to watch and like I say, very much the reason that not much else has got done this week!

 

 

 

31 day blog challenge - day 19

"My worse habits"

I can be pretty forgetful, which I personally have made my peace with, but my family do have more of a problem with this, especially when I forget where I've put things, or forgetting to do things, forgetting to put i-pads on charge........

Allowing myself to be distracted and subsequently "char-grilling" (a much nicer word than burning, methinks) dinner

bit of a nail bitter too

31 day blog challenge - day 18

"What am I afraid of"

Not keen on Snow......it's cold and it can cause you to fall over.

Company auditors.......the one that comes to our store in himself is a perfectly nice chap but his very prescance can strike the fear of God into you.

Losing my car keys/purse/mobile phone.

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 17

"Favourite Childhood Book"

Easy one - the Malory Towers stories, by Enid Blyton


But I must admit "Fungus The Bogeyman" was a huge fave too

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 16

"Dream Job"

Ok, so having my own sort of craft related business would be amazing.......but when I was younger, I really wanted to be Judith Chalmers! She always go to go to sooo many amazing places and she always looked so tanned and well for it!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 15

"Timeline of my Day"

so on an average weekday

• 4:45am - alarm goes off
• 5:45 - off to work
• 6:00 - 11:00 am - work
• 11ish - home, housework, lunch
• 1ish - afternoon nap
• 2ish - dog walking/Housework/Crafting time
• 5ish - Dinner/Pointless/Wash up
• bit of chilling in front of the TV and/or Blogging
• 9pm - Bed

Yes, I really do have an glamorous lifestyle, lol!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 14

"what's in my handbag"

I was intending to take a photo of the item in question but according to my photo the sd card is faulty (no idea, but that doesn't sound to good!) and my boy has forgotten to put that I-pad on charge

But anyway..........Purse, locker key, pen, chewing gum, name badge for work, receipt for a blouse I got recently, but as far as my hubby knows I've had it for ages (note to self - hide the evidence!), mobile phone, car/house keys, dog poo bags, Paracetamol, Vaseline lipbalm.......so a bit boring really! 

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 13

"Favourite Quote"

I'm a big Winnie the Pooh fan (and an even bigger Tigger fan!) and the stories are stuffed with the most beautiful, sentimental and profound quotes.....but my favourite has to be

“If you want to make a song more hummy, add a few tiddely poms.”

not just to be taken at face value, there is definitely a deeper meaning there!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 12

"If I won the lottery"

bit of travelling, a Hyundai IX35 for my hubby, but most of all there is a house on my wishlist

Now, I pass this house every day on my way to and from work and over the last few years I have fallen more and more in love with it. At the moment it is in a pretty derelict state BUT it is oooozing with potential and with a few bob (ok, quite a few!) and a bit of manpower the house itself could be transformed into something special and there is also a decent sized garden too, which could also be great.....but not only that but alongside the property is a huge garage/warehouse/workshop type building which could be developed into a craft shop, maybe, or a really awesome work room. That's my pipedream anyway.

The Boys get Cute!

Hello there, hope you are having a lovely  Weekend and have enjoyed spending this time in whatever way you choose.

This time of year is about the busiest in the year in "home enhancement" retail....so it has been super busy at work....hence the reason I am a little late getting this post done

Sooo, its time for a new Cutie Pie challenge, and this time its

ALL ABOUT THE BOYS!

 Our challenge is sponsored by the wonderful

Who are offering an amazing prize to one lucky winner

but not only that

are offering this great prize to our randomly drawn winners

Huge thanks and hugs to our wonderful sponsors!

Our lovely friends at Bugaboo stamps were kind enough to give us some fabby boy images to play with.

This card features

•  Ladybird log, from Bugaboo
• image coloured with promarkers
• both papers from stash.....I've no idea of the brand.
• pennant effect created with spellbinders die
• tag created with sizzix die, with sentiment embossed
• buttons and twine from stash.

The Cutie DT have made some amazing cards for this challenge, so do please hop on over and check it out!



31 Day Blog Challenge - day 11

"Most Proud Moment"

Obviously the birth of both of my children, and watching them grow up into such lovely people.

although, the second Monday in every month when our new Cutie Pie challenges start always give me a major pang of pride!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 10

"First Celebrity Crush"

Adam Ant.......hhmmm, least said, the better methinks, lol

Went on to have a wee fancy for John Taylor from Duran Duran, followed by Nik Kershaw, Rick Astley, Marti Pellow to name but a few. My bedroom walls were covered in posters from magazines like smash hits and look-in!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 8

"Photo of me as a child"

Must've been about 2..........still do the sticky-out tongue thing, when I'm concentrating!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 7

"10 Favourite Foods"

1) Twiglets
2) Lamb shank
3) My hubby's lasagne
4) Red Leicester cheese
5) Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream
6) Banana's
7) Baked Camembert with warm crusty bread
8) Marmite on toast
9) Salmon En-croute
10) Mashed Potato with Branston Pickle

These are in no particular order, and could have very easily have doubled this list......haven't even mentioned my love of cheesecake or muller light toffee yoghurt!e

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 6

"Personality traits I'm proud of"

I am cheerful (even at 6am when I get to work)
I am Thankful (Two words that are very under used but can mean so much to hear!)
1 am Forgetful (yep, I am a scatterbrain at times and proud of it - I can't  change it so I've learned to love it!)

To wish you all a Happy Easter

Hope you are all enjoying this Easter Weekend, I wish you a Happy, Peaceful and Blessed time.

 

Yesterday, was a funny old day here, weather wise, dull and overcast during most of the day....which put me off my pottering around the garden plan, and when it did brighten up much later in the day my hubby and I took the dogs out for an early evening stroll along the river. This did allow me, though, to get in some crafting time during the afternoon....and this is what I got up to.............

this card features:

• James with flower from LOTV, I know I use it a lot but  never tire of inking up this gorgeous  stamp!
• coloured with promarkers
• Papers and wooden butterfly - recent finds in The Works
• sentiment is my own work - Zipty do font
• doily, ribbon and pearls from stash.

I would like to enter this into
simon says stamp wednesday challenge - Happy Birthday
dis digi designs challenge - Spring is here
chocolate, coffee and cards - use a doily
pennys challenges - anything goes

Thank you so much for visiting me today, your comments always make me smile - thank you also for the lovely comments you've been leaving on my 31day blog challenge posts....I'm having so much fun doing this!

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 5

"My Guilty Pleasure"

 Facebook, Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream, singing along to Let it Go from Frozen with a great deal of arm flinging and Glee

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 4

"Earliest Childhood Memory"

Apparently I was very, very young, like maybe 18months old, but I do have a slight recollection of having a picnic underneath the statue of Winston Churchill, on the green in the town of Westerham. We had gone to pick up our new car which was a VW doormobile type of thing, of which I also have many fond memories 

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 3

"Meaning of my business (blog) name"

well that's an easy one - One Happy Little Crafter.........'cos I am!


although, maybe not so little, hehehe

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 2

20 facts about me.......

1) I will be 43 this year......(eek, almost a grown up!)
2) I am 5'2, so just a little'un.
3) I've supported Manchester United football team since I was a little girl, and have been to several matches
4) when i was a little girl, I had an imaginary friend called Heidi
5) I would love to be a contestant on the TV quiz show "Pointless"
6) my favourite perfumes are White Musk from The Body Shop for general use, and Issy Miyake for posh occasions
7) after starting of as a guest teamie, then a regular teamie, then sponsorship co-ordinator, I am now the DT lead and boss lady at The Cutie Pie challenge blog.
8) I believe in God and very much believe in the power of prayer
9) I wear size 5 shoes
10) I now work in a DIY store, as an operations assistant which involves me stock counting, price checking and all number of other stuff.  I love that I never have two days the same. I studied Travel and Tourism at college and worked as a Travel Agent before I had my family
11) I still have my very first teddy bear, his name is Phillip
12) when I was at school I took guitar lessons, but I was never very good at it and only stuck with it to get out of Biology class which I enjoyed even less
13) I have been to Wembley on a number of occasions for events as varied as U2 in concert, to Gymnastics, to WWF American Wrestling
14) I climbed a fair way up Mt Vesuvius when I was four months pregnant
15) Big Dr Who fan - David Tennant will always be THE BEST Dr in my opinion
16) I never ever managed to learn to ride a bicycle without stabilisers
17) Took me three attempts to pass my driving test
18) I met my husband when I was working for a coach holiday company - he was a driver and I was a "trolley-dolly"
19) I love Musicals....my favourite being, Miss Saigon
20) My work "nickname" is Lissie Lou Lou.

31 Day Blog Challenge - day 1 😊

I recently spotted this challenge posted on Pinterest and immediately thought, what a fun idea.......as much as I love to browse the beautiful crafting work that you all post on your blogs, I am also a bit of a nosey sort, and I love reading the little snippets of your lives too.  So I have decided to give you all a bit of an insight into my life for the next 31 days. I know what busy lives we all have but if anyone else would like to join me in this challenge I would love to follow your posts.........as you can see, Day 1 is my introduction......see you tomorrow for day 2 xx