Tis me!!!!

Hi all!

Yep tis me!! Although the old bloggity blog has been ticking over nicely with DT posts that I schedule to do their magic by themselves I have recently realised it's July since I was here in person ... eek!! So I thought I would drop by and say 'yoo hoo' and do a quick catch up on life in general, I'll try not to make it too long even though it's been nearly 4 months!!

I don't know about you but time seems to be going crazy fast at the moment, I can't believe it's nearly Christmas again and my battle cry at the moment is definitely more hours in a day please!

So as you may or may not know a lot of my time recently has been taken up with Create and Craft TV. Never in a month of Sundays did I ever think I would be guesting on TV shows, let alone doing live hours but do you want to know a secret? I'm really enjoying it! It helps that I love the products I take on; Purple Cows tools and Serif digital scrapbook artist 2 and it also helps that everyone at the studios is so lovely and so much fun to work with!

Talking of Serif digital scrapbooking, that's another never in a month of Sundays moments for me! never did I think I would love digi scrapping but I am, here's a small selection of my latest favourite pages


The software makes it so easy and creating my own papers and my own embellishments has never been more fun!

This month me and him celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! We've been together 19years now and to be honest it seems like 5 minutes, I am a lucky girl to have met my soul mate, here's a montage of then and now


Blimey we look so young in some of those pics!! On the same day as our anniversary Sophie was born 4 years ago so we had a trip to Devon to see the grandchildren.


I went armed with a birthday tea, complete with egg sandwiches, sausage rolls and cheese and pineapple on sticks LOL Sophie decided she liked cheese puffs and chocolate cake together the best and Dylan managed to polish off most of the sausage rolls!

Way back at the end of July, when I last did a 'live' post I mentioned we were off on a cruise. Hubby was working on it so it was a cheap birthday treat for me and we had a fab time. It was a Baltic cruise, and the main reason I wanted to go, as we had 2 days in St Petersburgh Russia and it was AMAZING! We also met some great people, ate too much and endulged in the old vino LOL here is a very small collection of photos (you can only imagine how much I could bore you with more!)


Back in September I was honoured to be featured in the September issue of Craft Stamper magazine in their stamping for scrapbookers section with an image transfer technique, here's my layout


Keep your eye out for more features in 2011

I mentioned Christmas earlier and in this household that can only mean one thing ... it's panto season ... oh yes it is!!! Hubby is in Bristol again this year at the Hippodrome with the lovely Barbara Windsor and back in September we spent a couple of days in Bristol for the launch


Rehearsals start next week and it opens at the beginning of December. It's going to be a goodie!

October saw the end of my 2010 workshops at Bee Crafty :( I've had a fab year with the girls there and all that attended the workshops, I particularly liked it went Santa came to visit when we made the light up Christmas tree :)


Let's see what 2011 brings!!

2011 is filling up with bookings too. I'll be at Stitches in February, Olympia in March, Scrap-a-mia in May and sparkle dreams in October, check out the side bar for details and any additional info and I'm also working on something exciting that I hope to bring you all soon :)

And that's it really, the last 4 months kind of caught up on, life is mighty busy but I can't complain because life is good and at the end of the day I am getting to do what I really love .... create!

So all that's left for me to say is ... 'and finally' ...


The boys are doing really good, they make me laugh every day and are my best friends. Ollie recently went through it a bit following an op, he was very poorly and did put me and Stan through a week of trauma but I am happy to report he is back to normal and terrorising us as ever! (thankyou to all those that sent well wishes during all that via email, blog, facebook and daisy trail!) As you can imagine I have many, many photos of my fur babies so here are just a few collaged together so you don't lose the will LOL


I've really enjoyed this visit with you and thanks for stopping by, I've missed this 'live' blogging and will try and pop back soon to do it again!!In the meantime I have some DT posts coming up so hopefully I'll *see you* then. I hope you've all been keeping well and happy yourselves and until soon Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Focus on colour in Black and white

Clear as mud? maybe this will help ...


Hi all! This is my offering over at It's a creative world for today. A super easy but effective way to add a twist to your photos, go and check out my post to see how I did this easily and simply in a word document.





Although in the post over there I have said you don't need any fancy programme to do this effect in, I resisted the temptation to do it in my serif digital scrapbook artist 2 programme until I know you've all got it LOL and you can get it tomorrow at an absolute steal, basically getting a digi collection of 10 kits with it for free so why not join me tomorrow 17th August on create and craft and ideal world TV at 9am and 12 noon ... not sure which channel comes first as I post this, but you get the idea :) See you there!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the inspiration over at it's a creative world and until soon Happy Crafting!

Love
M x

A quick catch up!!

Hi all

Well it's been a while hasn't it! I was doing so well with my scheduled posts and thought I was so ahead of the game then someone shouted 'scream if you want to go faster' and my world started going full tilt LOL Busy, busy, busy but it's all good and I'm just holding on tight to the roller coaster that is my life at the moment and enjoying the ride :)

So I thought I should pop in and do one of my 'live' posts. I can't believe the 2nd of June was the last one eek! Where have I been? Sadly enough I just had to get my diary out to remember LOL with teaching and telly and hubby to and fro at silly o'clock day and night my poor brain is addled.

Hubby is as busy as me, I think my car could find it's own way to the airport, I just wish people would book him on flights at a normal human being time, I'm rather tired of seeing 4am LOL. (and was rather surprised to know there were two 4 o'clocks in one day LOL)

I've done 2 more shows on Ideal World/Create and craft since my last visit. I NEVER thought I would actually say I'm enjoying telly ... but I am :) Everyone there is so lovely and makes it so easy. Of course it's meant I've had to create lots of Purple Cows samples and over time I will share them with you as they get published over at the ranch :)

I've also been teaching. Mid month I was at the Scrapping angels retreat and had a fab time with all the ladies. I will share my Glitzy classes with you soon and I would share photos of the classes but can't find the pictures I took (I'm working between 2 computers and 2 hard drives at the moment!!) :( However I do have pictures of last weekends workshop at Bee crafty.



I work shopped my pop up pirate ship (in my web gallery and shop!) A tall order but all the ladies were up for the challenge and we had a blast, they created some great projects!

I've been on 2 product training days too. I was on my way to one of them and got stuck in traffic!



I couldn't resist that photo LOL

The first training day I was very honoured to be in the company of Julia Andrus, a crafting goddess with an amazing story and an amazing company Eco Green crafts and I have to say products that I LOVE!!! The acrylic paint is like nothing I've ever used before and I urge you to get some and have a play! That day inspired this



Live today on the Banana Frog blog with step by step instructions, hop on over (after you've finished reading my waffle LOL) and check it out!

My second training day was fab too and I'm playing with a 'new to me' product, I will share soon, I promise, when I'm allowed to ... I am super excited about it though and it will be something you won't expect from me :)

Now I've written this down it doesn't look a lot, what HAVE I been doing LOL but that's it, the quick catch up on life in my world so I guess all that remains to say is ...

and finally ...

My boys are a constant source of entertainment and of course unconditional love. Ollie is growing up fast and really is the yin to Stan's Yan.



Although not quite big enough to get on the settee himself yet, he mithers me until I put him up there much to Stan's disgust .... goodness knows what will happen when he CAN get up there by himself!!



But they are cute together at times ... were does one end and one begin??



And this was just after Oliie's favourite new past time .... emptying the water bowl! He seems quite partial to an indoor swimming pool, I think I may buy him a paddling pool LOL!

Well that's it my crafty friends, enough of my waffling! I hope the sun has been shining with you and that you're well and happy. I'll be back soon .... honest :)
Thanks for stopping by, happy crafting!
Love
M x

Funny old week!

Hi all!
Well here I am writing this post live! I write every post live of course but the past few have been scheduled posts in my absence ... Don't you just love technology :) sad I know but this stacking up of scheduled posts has only just occured to me to keep the posts coming when I'm busy ... oh I can be a bear of little brains sometimes!

Anyway I thought it would be nice to actually drop in and say hi and catch up. So yes a funny old week I've been on't telly :) For those that saw it thankyou for all the lovely messages you have sent me :) I was on Create and Craft on Wednesday launching the new Purple cows hot/cold laminator and also some trimmers, it was live for an hour, I was scared but I survived and surprised myself by actually starting to enjoy it :) Having worked in theatre and entertainment for so long it was very wierd being the wrong side of the cameras!! Then they were foolish enough to ask me back on Sunday to do a 2 hour show on Ideal world. I was with the lovely Leonie and we had a blast. Needless to say that is where I have been, busy prepping for the show and making samples and I have to give a big shout out to all the cow girls across the pond for the wonderful samples they sent me ... you all rock!

Talking of Purple Cows one of my projects was published this week here where, as you will see, you can download the FREE PDF instructions to make your own and when you've finished on my blog (yep you don't get away that easily LOL) Hop on back to the pasture and peruse all the cow girls projects and have a purpleicious time downloading the FREE pdf's till your hearts content :)

Here are some pics of my project ... A Waterproof wall hanging



A lovely memory of me and my husband swimming with the dolphins in our beloved Mexico



The layouts are laminated in 12 x 12 Purple cows Hot pockets with the new hot/cold laminator





Although you can build up the layouts quite a bit within the hot pockets (up to 1/8th'') I like to add extra embellishments and dimension to the outside.



A while ago I had a blog giveaway and the lovely mustavcoffee was my winner. I shared with you a lovely thankyou card she sent me using some of the goodies and have spied this on her blog using some more of it, very cute :) (oh and mustavcoffee the compass stamp I used in my Glitz post is from Glitz designs yummy isn't it:))



There isn't really a lot else to report at the moment, I've just been busy with the TV and my scheduled posts have taken care of keping you up to date with the creative stuff so all that remains to say is ...

And finally ...

Oliver Pickles had his first official lead walk a week or so ago ... he's growing up fast!



Stan took him into his field .... literally! I think it was a vain attempt to lose him



It took Ollie a while to get out!!



But he did and for those of you that have tuned into my blogs for a while (in fact way back when it was on my website!) here's 'little dog on the prairie 2!!'



But they are great friends and this is their favourite place when I'm sat on the computer, it renders my wheelie chair useless but I wouldn't be without them :)



And so that's it, here endeth my waffle! I hope you're all well and happy, thanks for stopping by and until soon Happy Crafting

Love
Mx