A rather productive Sunday

I have had a really productive day today, not only have I made Apple Crumble Muffins which I will definately be making again (they tasted amazing and are not going to last until tomorrow) but i have also managed to put finishing touches to a project that I have been working on for a while now. I am really into making mini albums at the moment, I find them much easier to dip into (when I don't have much time in a day for anything crafty) and find I can use up small rub ons, stickers etc that tend to be too small to use/somehow loose their impact on a big layout.

This book started life as 2 blank chipboard sheets that I covered in fablon (the sticky sheets that come in a roll designed for covering kitchen drawers/cupboards etc). Fablon is great as it comes in a variety of designs, including some great woodgrain effects, and can be wiped if it gets dirty which is really good as mini books tend to get handled alot. There is a mixture of solid and clear pages and I have used mainly October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket papers, two of my favourite companies.

Sorry that this is rather photo heavy, TFL x

Finally something finished!!

I have had lots of projects on the go over the past few weeks and today I finally managed to sit down and complete a couple of things I have been working on. I bought a template a while back to make 'Take out' boxes as I thought they would be a nice way to package a small gift. It is a colleagues birthday tomorrow so I thought it would be nice to fill a small box with chocolates as a little birthday treat. The box is so simple to make, I used a sheet of bazzill cardstock and some leftover pieces of cardstock from the October Scrapagogo kit. There is a little tag that says 'For you' which is finished with some apple green gingham ribbon but in true style, i forgot to take a photo of it!



The other project is a layout using the Scrapagogo November kit which is just perfect to use with photos of boys. I have a growing collection of punches that i need to make more use of so i decided to go with the circles theme.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, tfl x

A little ray of sunshine on a cold and wet winters day

This photo makes me smile everytime I look at it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the snow and we have had our fair share of fun playing in what little snow we had, but I look forward to the days when we can enjoy the freedom of the beach, build sandcastles and splash in the sea. I plan to spend more evenings at the beach this year with the boys now they are a little older. It is all to easy to take what is on your doorstep for granted, I have lived a couple of miles from the sea all my life but you see it through fresh eyes when you have little ones to share it with.

The winter weather has however given me time to start many 'crafty' projects but in true style, i tend to start and not finish projects so have nothing to share just yet. I am waiting on a couple of parcels to arrive full of pretty things which should hopefully give me the push I need to get some of my projects finished.

Check back soon to see what i have been up to, I promise I won't leave it so long this time!

Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho

is all I have heard today, over and over again. I do however have two very happy little boys who are no doubt dreaming, as I type this post, about their little chat with Father 'Kissmas' today.

I wasn't sure how they would react to the larger than life character that is Father Christmas, they are quite shy with strangers at the moment, but they could have stayed and chatted all day! I have to praise the efforts of the people involved. In our town, which is small, there is a little shop decorated as Santa's Grotto and they are open each and every Saturday in December, for the whole day. You enter and can look at the lights, toys, presents etc while you wait and then Santa calls you into his 'office'. A very traditional Santa in a green coat, beard and white hair greets you from behind his big old desk. The boys were mesmerised by a little (obviously fake) robin on his finger that was able to disappear and then fly back at the shake of a hand. He then proceeded to ask what they would like him to bring for Christmas. I have to say bless them, they don't want much, all they asked for is a pair of Mickey Mouse pj's and a Dora (the Explorer) puzzle. Santa wrote the things down on his list so he would remember but I think at his age he may not have seen Dora on the television as he looked somewhat confused!! When it was time to go (at least 15 minutes later as it was quiet) he gave them both a rather large handmade star biscuit coated in chocolate and sprinkles, boy did their faces light up even more. As we left Father Christmas bellowed 'Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho' and off we went.

What I forgot to mention is that all this was FREE! No £5 for two minutes with Santa, no see Santa for nothing then pay crazy money for a silly little gift, it was free. A box was in place to try and raise funds to ensure it happens again next year but there was no pressure. I happily gave a donation - to see the boys reaction to the whole experience was priceless.

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas

Talk about last minute, i finished an advent project on the 30th November! I had been waiting to use the new Very Merry range from October Afternoon but was getting doubtful as to whether it would reach the UK stores in time, luckily it did and the little gingerbread men were worth the wait. I had seen an advent box made out of match boxes designed by Tracie Hudson and wanted to make something similar for my boys. I decided to use large match boxes as they are big enough to hold small cars, socks etc as well as chocolates. I'm pretty happy with the way it has turned out, the only problem I have is trying to explain to the boys that they can only open 1 drawer each day -they were so excited when they got Postman Pat socks that they are a bit too eager to check out what is in the rest of the drawers!

Did you get lost?

was my partners question when I walked through the door twelve and a half hours after I left home to do some Christmas shopping with my best friend. Boy can we shop! You know that the 'little people' don't really NEED anything else for Christmas, but where is the fun in buying things you NEED? How could i resist the cute little snowman slipper socks and way too cute fluffy Elmo slippers that are so perfect for a scrapbook photo or two. Thankfully it is a quiet day at home tomorrow with the boys and hopefully a little time for some crafting, I have so many projects on the go it's about time they were completed.

The beginning

So here i am in blog land.

It's been a difficult few weeks here - I have had to say goodbye to my precious dad and nothing really prepares you for how that feels. Even harder was explaining to his treasured boys that he was now watching them from way among the stars, my heart crumbles every time they wave to the night sky, look long and hard and say "but i can't see him?"

My dad was someone that achieved so much in his life and because of this i am inspired to start this blog. It is the realisation that if you want to do something, big or small, try your best to achieve it and don't put it off.

So here i (finally) am in blog land.