October 31st

 

 

I am making my Christmas pudding today!  I was going to make my Christmas cake too, but I forgot that the fruit needs to soak overnight!  As we are going to Bath tomorrow to see Nicholas, it will have to wait now until next weekend.  Anyway, here I am stirring my pudding!  Actually, I have just remembered, aren’t you supposed to make a wish when you stir the pudding?

 

And a little extra – I have actually done the weekly challenge over on UKScrappers for the first time in ages, so here it is:

 

It has to be 3d (letters are thickers, and the handmade flower is 3d with it’s curly petals and button at the centre), include a handmade embellishment (the flower) and include 3 of something (3 photos, and 3 flowers)

 

It is one of the LOs for Lucy’s album I am doing for her 18th birthday.  I am trying to include as bright colours as I can as she thinks my autumnal colours are drab!!!

october 30th

 

 

There are a lot of changes going on at work, to include a massive refurbishment of the building!  So I took my camera in today and took loads of pictures all around the building – I will make a scrapbook to celebrate the Family Centre, and the wonderful team I work with!  Here’s a picture taken in the team room, at the desk which overlooks the garden.  You can just see the rainbow collage on the fence!

October 28th

Cheating a bit here, cos this picture was actually taken last night!  I so wanted to take some pics of my pumpkin before it goes mouldy!  So I took a few last night on the highest ISO setting on my camera (1600)  This one is the best, all the others are blurry! 

 

Here’s one I took just now.

October 28th

We weren’t supposed to put big pics of our makes at the LB Craft/Paperartsy weekend on the web until the following weekend had finished.  So I have just done a little photoshoot of my makes:

 

The BIG make was this clock.  I have to admit that I am not all that keen on it!  I think it’s the curly bracket clockface, and the fact that it looks very handmade!  But we used lots of techniques in it.  I do love the metal embossing, and bought some moulds to go with my Ten Seconds Studio metal tool kit.  I also think I over did it with the stamping!  Which is funny, because I originally did very little stamping on it, and decided it was finished, then I saw everyone elses……..

 

 

This little box was fun and quick to make!  I love that stamp we used for the inside, and just had to buy it!  It is coloured by using glimmer mists as paint.  I love the crackle finish to the clock face too.

 

I just love this too!  It is sooooo arty!  (One improvement though would have been to stamp the wings up the right way!)  The centre is that stamp again, stamped onto metal, then embossed, squirted with pink glimmer mist, then covered in molten UTEE, with a square cookie cutter to make the shape.  Tiny clock pieces were glued on in one corner afterwards.

 

I love this little book!  We used loads of acrylic paint, metal and stamps!  I just love the way the quote stamps have stamped.  This little book lives on my desk at work, but I bought it home today to take these pictures.

october 27th

Lacking a bit of inspiration here, let alone time!  So I am giggling to myself as I upload this photo of me taking a photo of me!  This is where I spend alot of my time (LOL) and I have to tell you that I have just signed up to shimelle’s latest class 'which is all about blogging!  So you never know, this blog could get better over the next few weeks!!!

 

October 26th

An early one this morning before I go to work!  Here’s DH’s little organising project.  He has organised the front porch (his side) to fit all his motorcycle gear, which frees up a lot of space in the cupboard in this room.  Hoping to fit scrapbook albums and maybe some sewing in here!

The big empty shelf is for his crash helmet (he has already gone to work on his bike).  All jackets and overtrousers etc are hanging up in here now. 

October 25th

Thought it was about time I had another picture of Merlin!  Here he is on our lovely walk through Slindon Woods this morning, looking all shiny and handsome!

October 24th

I just have to show you this picture!  I am sooo pleased with how the dining room looks now I have it ready for my dinner guests tonight!

I have been working on sorting and organising my craft stuff for several weeks, nay months!  This is the end result, that we can eat in there! YAY!

 

Cos this is what it looked like before I started:

October 23rd

I didn’t manage to take a photo today, so here’s what the bedroom looked like before it was decorated!

October 22nd

 

Bedroom is all back in place now, including our HUGE 1930s triple wardrobe – which has been on the landing!

 

More pics and posting on http://123pierce123.blogspot.com/

October 21st

 

It is our wedding anniversary today!  31 years!!! OMG!!!  At the risk of sounding soppy, I have to say that things just get better and better!

 

Anyway, we spent the day clearing the bedroom for the new carpet and then putting everything back!  Here’s Maurice taking down the lampshades for cleaning – and Merlin wondering what the funny smell is – clean carpet!  He is doing his best to make it smell doggy againLOL!

 

More pics of the finished bedroom for tomorrow.

October 20th

Another crafty day today!  This time it is a sewing day, making a bag.  Here’s my kit:  6 different ‘fat quarters’ of fabric, 3 light and 3 dark, vilene (for foundation piecing) scissors, thread, pins, needles, pencil.  I managed to sew about 1/4 of the bag today, so it will be a while till you get to see the finished article!  There is quite a lot of work in it, but it is easy sewing, so could do it in front of the telly!

October 19th

Bit of a cheat here, cos I didn’t take these photos till this morning!  But I did work on these last night.  They are for an autumn leaves ATC swap over on www.ukscrappers.co.uk.  I just love watching ‘Life’ on BBC1 at 9pm on a Monday, and had just sat down to watch last night’s when I realised it was all about reptiles and amphibians!  YUK!  I HATE snakes, so decided to get something I could do when  the snake bits came on (makes me shiver just to think about it now!)  Hence I worked a bit more on these.  I managed to use a technique from the weekend, and use my Ten Seconds Studio mat.

Here’s all my stuff on my lap mat so I could do it in front of the telly:

 

And here’s a closer look at the ATCs.  Actually I have just realised that I added some words to them after taking this pic.

Crafty weekend

I spent the weekend at the Paper Artsy/LB Crafts weekend at Milton Keynes.  What a fantastic time we had!  Leandra and Lin are the most expert teachers, and we had a go at some fabulous techniques.  I am only allowed to show you ‘sneaky peeks’ as they are running the same course next weekend, adn don’t want to spoil the suprise!  So here they are:

 

 

 

October 15th

Just about finishing organising my craft/dining room with the help of Organise101 course over at www.simplify101.com.  Here’s a sneaky peek!  I am intending to do a longer post on my other blog. 

October 14th

 

I rarely buy sweets, but I made an exception today!  I am going to the Paperartsy/LB Crafts retreat in Milton Keynes this weekend with my good friends, Burnice and Lesley.  I decided we might need some midnight snacks…. so-  Burn and Lesley, this picture is for you!

october 13th

More early morning walk photos today!

 

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October 12th

A very early morning picture of Worthing seafront (7.30am) on my dog walk.  It was lovely and sunny but a bit chilly!

October 11th

Looking in my garden this afternoon for autumn colour, I came across these berries on the Iris Foetidus.  They are usually bright red, but these are orange.

 

October 10th

I have been sorting out the big cupboard in Lucy’s room, and we came across a big bag of cards she had made for Nanny and Grandad, and some sewing stuff she did when she was 10 and 11.

 

I think this first one was a Blue Peter make!

More Christmas, the white one was a computer generated one, and the red one was a birthday card for my Mum.

 

Look at this sewing!  The angel is somehow felted in the background (iyswim) Lucy has sewn on her hair, and has embellished the castle.  Isn’t it wonderful?

This one has been dyed all different colurs, then machine embroidered! 

 

Aren’t they fab?  Shame Lucy doesn’t do any of it anymore.  It was a lovely little class she went to on a Saturday morning.  The lady who ran it was fantastic with all these wonderful ideas.

october 9th

I took my friend (whose birthday it was recently) to Sheffield Park for the day.  The weather was a  bit dreary and it did start to rain, but we had a wonderful afternoon strolling around the lakes taking photos of all the colourful trees.  It’s mostly acers that are colourful atm.  A great day!

 

  

Meal Deal October 8th

 

Whenever I go shopping for food, I always put other things in my trolley that are not on my list!  I had already decided that my photo of the day would be of my ‘extras’, before I went shopping.  So here it is: Waitrose’s ‘Meal Deal’.  For £10, I have lamb shoulder steaks, pack of vegetables to make an Irish Stew, a pudding (autumn berry cobbler'), and a bottle of wine.  Bargain eh?  That’s Sunday’s tea sorted – might even invite Mum over to join us!

October 7th

Here’s a closer view of my Lo that I made on Saturday.  It’s called ‘This Dog…. a Wonky Tail’.  That’s because Merlin has a wonky tail!  It must have damaged before birth, and has a big kink in it and is shorter than it should be.  When we found out that one of the pups had a wonky tail, Lucy immediately wanted that one!  Well, that was the one we chose!  This LO tells the tail of how we chose him, and that’s him only 5 weeks old with Lucy.  It is for Lucy’s album I am doing for her 18th birthday in December.

October 6th

 

It has been a very damp, dreary day today, not a good day for taking photos!  But here is the view out of my bedroom window looking north up the road.  The pampas grass is in the north east corner and get battered by winds and rain really quickly.  So here it is just before it looks a total mess!  Also, I am about to put up some thick lace curtains (when I have shortened them) to block the view.  What you can’t see in these pictures is the block of flats immediately opposite our house.  It feels like they can see right in!  But it is one more step on the way to finishing the bedroom decorating!

Monday October 5th

Remember those pesky flower thingies on my tree that have been dropping pollen on us for a few weeks?  Well they just suddenly started to drop!  Here is a picture of the mess they make.  Our bench needs a good clean now!

October 1st through to October 4th

October 4th

We went for a lovely long walk along Worthing beach this morning, and then coffee in town.  We did need to clear our heads a bit because we both manage to drink too much red wine last night at the Chinese restaurant!  (Trouble with red wine + Chinese combo is that it makes you feel worse, all that msg dehydrates too!).  This picture shows the grandeur of Worthing Seafront – these 2 buildings are my favourites.

 

October 3rd

I went to my crop  yesterday.  We have a really lovely church hall in Hove.  There are not very many of us, but we have a really great time!  This picture shows us all except Terry who is hidden behind Janet (in the red), then clockwise there is Lerryn, Sara, Sylvie and Lorna.

We always have a ‘page of the day’ competition.  Our theme was animals, and Janet and I won joint first prize!  woohoo! Mine is a page for an album I am doing for DD Lucy who is 18 in December.  It’s called ‘A Wonky Tail’ and is about Merlin – who does in fact have a wonky tail!

October 2nd

Still working on organising my craft stuff.  I had an unexpected morning in, as I had to wait in for a delivery of new computer parts!  So I sorted out some more drawers, including this one full of fibres and fabric.  Wonder why fibres have gone out of fashion in the scrapbook world?  I just love the textures and colours, so had to photograph them with my macro lens!

 

 

 

October 1st

Here’s how my pots outside the back door are looking today.  It has been incredibly dry now for a month or two, so they need watering all the time.  Bit of a chore, but I have managed to keep up with it.