Dogs At Christmas

One of the things I was least keen to do was share Christmas with a couple of 'hyper' and 'barky' dogs.  I cannot have even a phone conversation with Jess without these two yapping away in the background sometimes and it drives me crazy.  I wish I could say I was a lover of dogs, especially as my hubby is but I am learning to be around them and that's maybe as good as it's gonna get.

My plan was to have everyone take them out for walks and wear them out.  Surprisingly this actually worked and they even took a lovely nap on one occasion.  The kids didn't mind the hot chocolate 'mountains' after the walk either - I knew they'd do the trick to warm them up and if settled down in front of a movie with one they quieted down surprisingly too LOL!

Thankfully I haven't passed my fear of dogs on to my children or grandchildren and it was lovely to see them being so affectionate with the dogs.  Maddy was kept well away from them just in case Harry snapped which sadly he can do as he's a nervous dog but she was still okay around them.  I even joined them on one trip despite being poorly and held Louie's lead for a while.  Believe me I am sooooo much better than I used to be but it's taken years to get this far.

Everyone enjoyed the snow outside and Kaleb had a chance to put his new hat to good use.  I think he looks super cute in this - it really suits him.

And so - I survived my Christmas with dogs although I cannot deny I am soooooo very grateful for baby stair gates.  I couldn't have done it without them.  If I'm honest I WOULDN'T have done it without them either - not with these two guys anyways.

Baskets Full of Surprises!

My daughter decided to do several baskets for people this year and these are extra special gifts.  Why?  Because they take so much thought and preperation for filling plus dressing them up takes a lot of time too. 

She had made one for her sister, one for her dad and one especially for me (she loves her mummy) and even one for her friend and her little girls.

She filled her friend's with lots of lovely baking goodies - just perfect for a mummy and two little girls to spend a day having fun in the kitchen.  How sweet is that?

These were the other baskets.  She put together a gardening one for her dad so he'd have lots of new things for down on the allotment this next year.  Her sister had asked for soup bowls so Jess had found some and filled her basket with bowls, soup, croutons and crackers - yummy!

Mine was a 'crafter's paradise' basket filled with lots of crafting goodies including these!  Not one but several sets of fab Waltzing Mouse stamps!!!

Boy oh boy!  Am I gonna have fun with WMS next year or what?  And since Jess ordered first without asking, got some stamps I already had, refused to exchange them but kept them instead and re-ordered I think maybe she's gonna have a fun WMS year too!  I couldn't be more delighted that I have introduced my OWN daughter to the delights of these fabby stamps and she's already promised to come visit again in February too - I CAN'T wait!!!

As a fellow crafter she is getting to know me very well and tucked inside my basket was a beautifully wrapped gift which turned out to be this book.  I'm hoping we might both get some fab recipes and ideas from this for next year.  I have several books like this and I treasure them all.

She had filled my basket with lots of extras too like cookies and chocolates and had even taken time to make this fab gift card holder to tuck in as well.  I recognise these stamps cos I have them too (haven't played with them yet - shame on me) but she has done a fabby job with them.  And she tells me she's NOT a stamper! There is even a giant 'tag' stamp that she's used here - very clever idea Jess.

This is just another shot.  I tell ya for a fairly newbie crafter - one who is still very much discovering just what's out there she does extremely well and I am super proud that I am passing on so many skills to my daughters and that we're also sharing passions together.  Can you see why I get soooooo excited about her visits?  I simply can't think of anything we do together that we don't both love to do and actually that's with both girls.

This is inside the card which actually has a 'double' gift card holder.  I know, I know, she went way over board and it can't happen again next year but I know too this Christmas was planned and organised entirely by Jess for several reasons close to our hearts and I love her for it. 

The day was not without a relapse from me which took me totally by surprise but which also gave me an unexpected hug from a 10 year old grandson who maintains "I don't do hugs Grandma!".  Mom was very much there in spirit.  And that's it now - done - the toughest Christmas over.  Best not to dwell on it.

Jess and I have alreadly talked about the next one LOL! 

Last Minute Crafting

I took along a project to my daughters to finish and only now do I have the time to share it.  I am home still rather poorly from a chesty cough I picked up around Christmas Eve but it is getting better.

Just before Christmas I spent a lovely evening in the company of Kay, Amanda and Rosina at YTOC (thanks girls) and we made pillow boxes.  I had already started mine and when I showed them they wanted to make some too.    How cute are these?

I was going to put them on the Christmas dinner table this year - Jess is a crafter and I knew she would appreciate a little home-made touch - plus we have gotten used to a little something other than just crackers over the years.  In fact some years we've even drawn names for tiny table pressies and it's fun to see just what you can come up with and what you get!

I used my newest set of Waltzing Mouse stamps which includes lots of little stamps from gingerbread boys and girls to holly, berries, stars and hearts - lots of possibilities with this set.  This was actually a set I wanted last Christmas but never managed to get it until later this year.  I was determined to use it.

I love that I was able to add a 'girl' or a 'boy' to the box and just keeping these simple was all the decoration they needed.  I filled them with M & M's in Christmas red & green which appeared in the stores this year.  Hopefully that's just a sign of things to come.  I have ALWAYS been super envious of the Christmas themed candies in American stores.  I wanted to add mini red & white candy canes to the front but couldn't find any anywhere this year?  It's so not fair!  Plus there are always sooooo many lovely projects on the US blogs that we simply can't get the candy for - aarrgghhhhh!!

I will be working on new sizes for these boxes and once done I hope to be making a triple stack and dressing them up for our first class at YTOC in the New Year.  I have in mind to use some glitter in there somewhere too so once I get to feelin better I shall play. I can't wait to get back to classes and crafting again.

I am not on any design teams for 2011 and so I plan to make good use of my time playing with lots of lovely things - including my new Waltzing Mouse stamps that I got for Christmas - lucky me!  Once my craft room is complete there should be nothing stoppin me LOL!

Blessings!

Merry Christmas to All

Just wanted to stop by and wish all of you out there a very Merry Christmas and to convey it with feeling (hard to do on the internet) I found a picture to share - from me to you - hope it warms your heart.

I will be absent for a few days over the holiday - but I still wanted to wish you all good things (all the happiness your heart can hold) and many, many blessings for the holiday season and the coming New Year.

Hubby has a job to go back to in the New Year - God continues to provide - so already we have hope that 2011 will be a better year.  Hopefully the same is true for all of you.

To family back home - we love you all.  Please know we are there with you in spirit and we're thinking of you this first Christmas without our beautiful Mom.  We will talk real soon - promise!

Big HUGS & much love to you all

Suezie & family

Cupcake Under Glass

Oh Dear! I went and added ANOTHER cupcake stand to my already OTT collection - BUT I simply couldn't pass this one up.  It was too darn cute!  Besides I told myself I had room for one more and I want this one on display.

It's a cupcake stand for a one!  I just love that it has it's very own glass dome cover - how cute is that?  I only have one large one with a dome lid but I would love more - I never quite know what to cover them with otherwise.  I think the little fabric cupcake that my co-worker Pauline gave me looks lovely under glass too - a perfect place to display it when not in use.  Actually as it's meant to be a pin cushion wouldn't htis look cute in a sewing room too?

Jessy and I started looking for individual cupcake stands last summer and it's surprising what you can now find - I have 3 already. As soon as I saw this one tho' I knew it was coming home with me despite walking away and back and away and back - you get the picture?  It's the kinda thing I'd have kicked myself about later if I'd gone home without it so I caved.

And despite finding it in a fancy (and sometimes expensive) cook shop it was a very reasonable price - just £4.99 would you believe?  Less than a fiver so if you're looking for a pretty and practical last minute gift for someone this could be it.  Better still - give it with some home made cupcakes!  And how fun would it be to use this in the office for b'days - maybe with a musical candle? Just fill it with a pretty cupcake - hand made or store bought even and pass around to colleagues on their birthdays throughout the year?

And then when you lift out the cupcake it even has a sweet little 'just for you' message underneath.  This is the kind of thing I could happily give as a b'day gift as well.  Only trouble is the lid fits upside down in the box so you'd have to re-box it with a cupcake in it but I think I could manage that.  I might just find myself back in that shop after Christmas - and Jessy - if you're readin this, wait till you see this for real - it's soooooooo cute!

Room Revamp (sorry likely to BORE!)

Thanks to my darling hubby my room revamp is well under way and so far so good.  I'm determined NOT to bore anyone out there with picture after picture and day by day updates - trust me I've had my e-mail box full of that kind of thing but I will share a couple of early pictures and then maybe a finished one WAY down the line.

First of all I wanted to share my 'vision'.  I'm big on sketching out things - although NOT very good at it.  It also helps me share what's in my head with my hubby who just doesn't see it otherwise - he ends up shaking his head at me - in fact he shakes his head at me about most things. LOL!  Gotta love im' - and I do :-)

The top sketch is the main crafting side of the room and in case you can't see it - in big letters I've written DE-CLUTTER!!! across the centre.  This is my goal!  The other side will have a couch and a bit more storage as well as some pretty wall decoration.  We need a nice place to display DH dad's flag and my sister-in-love gave me a lovely Thomas Kinkade picture we have yet to find a happy home for so I have a slightly 'Americana' theme and colours in mind.  They will work nicely with several things we already have so it's do-able within a non-existent budget and with some family pieces added I'm hoping it will feel a little like 'home' (what we still think of as home anyways).

The desk area is already in situ underneath these cupboards.  DH originally built it out of reclaimed furniture and it's in a 'L' shape but I'm halving and streamlining it and incorporating my paper racks to just the one desk.  My shelves directly under the cupboards are also staying because I have lovely long wicker baskets that store all my punches and things.  It's always been super easy for me to grab them down onto the desktop if I need to and they go back neatly and easily. 

My aim is to remove from site anything that doesn't serve a purpose and look good on show so ALL the wicker baskets stay.  Plus I've discovered the only things in my existing craft room that stay tidy and organised (or are at least easy to tidy up) are the things that have a 'home' so this is my starting point.  I've also discovered that the MORE space I have the MORE space I can mess up too LOL!

I've managed to unload just 1 box so far and I know I'm gonna arrange and re-arrange the contents of these cupboards again and again before I'm satisfied.  They're smaller in height and depth than my last ones so I want to make use of every possible space.  This is just me getting a feel for what they'll look like right now but believe me this kinda thing could keep me occupied for many an hour just shifting things from here to there.  This is the kind of thing hubby's military background is good for - he'd have it done in a flash and all fitting perfectly together too but darn it! - it's MY room and I want to do it!

These are some of the few things that have always stayed organised - boxes, labelled containers that kind of thing so once I know what's staying and what's going hopefully every cupboard will look something like this inside (just more full).  I HAVE to get serious about this so we can reclaim the room - AND my kitchen table since I mostly craft there cos my room is such a mess!

My room is very much about re-purposing things - it has to be cos we have a budget of practically nothing to do this with.  Despite having several days of work DH is still job hunting so now's not a good time to be spending money on this kind of thing; but I think we can pull this out of the hat just fine without except maybe the couch and that will be later anyhow.  When my mother had a new kitchen fitted I promptly reclaimed some of her cabinets which is what got the ball rolling again and I think they look surprisingly neat all lined up along one wall.  DH still has to adjust doors and the of course there's the rest of the room to do yet and maybe when it's all finished I'll decide if the doors stay or need replacing.  I have to see the whole thing first before changing anything.

I hope to make new curtains from old and get my hands dirty with paint at some point - same colour scheme - just a fresh coat and maybe by then it'll be done but that's likely to be several months down the line.  I have massive amounts of craft stuff to sort through first.  I can feel a car boot sale coming on as soon as the weather's good - any money I can add to the revamp budget has gotta be good huh? 

Something tells me I might also be very glad to finally be rid of some of this clutter!  My new motto should be 'if I don't use it (won't use it, haven't used it) I can lose it!'.  Words to live by.

More CK Projects

Okay I am way behind on my sewing projects for Christmas (got distracted with my room revamp - yay!) but thought I'd share a few that I have finished.

Don't these 'turbies' in CK fabric look yummy all lined up side by side?  Such lovely designs.  I have just had soooooo much fun playing with these fabrics, adding labels and thinking up ways to present these as gifts.  The instructions are tucked inside and then I rolled them and tied with a ribbon.  I may wrap them in celophane as a finishing touch and add a tag of some kind I think.

In the New Year I hope to add this item to my store although sadly not in CK fabric.  I have BIG plans for the rest of it.

This is a sweet little bag I made for my mother to hang in her bedroom or bathroom.  Knowing my mother she'll most likely keep her curlers or something in here but I thought it would look pretty on a hook no matter what she uses it for.

And these are just a couple of the items I'm placing inside to fill it with.  The rest will have to be store bought this year as I ran out of time.  I picked up several ingredients for making home made hand cream, lip balm - that kind of thing and have several recipes to try but I simply couldn't squeeze all these projects in!  Next year maybe?  Ther arfe so many things I want to make and try - just not enough hours in my day, days in my week, etc. etc.

Speaking of which - time is ticking away and I have a couple more posts to do before today gets fully under way.

Blessings!

Crafting Afternoon

Wednesday this week I visited with friends from church. Originally we talked about meeting for coffee but as we're all crafter's (and missing each other from our Crafty Women days) I thought it'd be fun to meet up, share munchies and craft.  Amanda kindly loaned me use of her classroom above store at YTOC and even my friend Jilly was able to join us.

I agreed to put together a crafting project - which was not going to be easy since my craft room is all stacked in boxes on one side of the room!  Lucky for us I managed to spy some left over kits that I had put together for a group project at my friend's guest house one year.  This is what we came up with at short notice.

I wanted to try making a pillow box and these turned out to be pretty easy.  I'd have preferred a different colour scheme but hey - we were working with what I could get my hands on remember!  I'd also like to scale these down to a square size and make table pressie boxes to take to Jessy's.  I can see them made up in kraft cardstock, tied with red ribbon or baker's twine and with Waltzing Mouse 'homespun' tags, can't you?  Nothing quite so fancy - just a homespun Christmas.  Oh I love when an idea comes to mind :-)

I had also made up a cute little cardstock gift bag idea for hot chocolate but we talked so much we plum ran out of time!  Like I say I hadn't seen em' in AGES!!!  Plus you know I can talk for England LOL! I did promise to e-mail them instructions and I will - right after I finish this post.

I have a whole bunch more crafting to do - projects that I have been commissioned for plus I still have sewing projects to finish before I start my baking. I am only at work two more days and then I'm off for the holidays and I like to do my baking in the couple of days running up to Christmas so it's fresh made.  I have seen soooooo many fab recipes of late I am completely undecided what I want to make next year.

I think next year I'm gonna get (or make) me one of those Christmas Planner thingy's - one with places to list websites, recipes and maybe even pockets to tuck in ideas so I can bring it all together earlier (yeah right - does that ever really happen?).  I've made some really neat sewing projects this year already but there are soooooo many more I still want to do.  The hardest part about Christmas for me is actually settling on any one idea and sticking with it!

Okay clearly now I'm thinkin out loud (waffling more like) so I'm gonna go and get busy doing.  Hubby has just brought me up a couple of warmed croissants for breakfast (sweet) but clearly he wants me off the computer!!!

I have another girly session planned for Monday evening to look forward to as well and since we all get along and have a great laugh together I can't wait and I'm gettin EXCITED! After the year we've had it's so nice to be able to say that.

Blessings!

Project Tuesday

Well I'm not quite sure how I managed to play along this week since ALL my craft stuff is packed away in boxes and stacked up along one side of my craft room while hubby gets to grips with some DIY to transform the entire room.  Thank goodness for a few crafting supplies in my bag that were good to go!



This week's project is actually a photo cube but since I can't access any of my photos either I had to make it without them - shame as I was really looking forward to adding a few snapshots of the kids when I chose this project for December.



I managed to find some papers that I had completely forgotten about.  In fact I got these from mom when we went back for Christmas one year and they remind me so much of Stampin Up! papers. 


I decided I could add text and chose - Peace, Love, Hope and Joy - all the blessings of the Christmas season.



I knew I could get to my Sizzix dies since I keep these in wire baskets in a trolley under the desk (he hasn't ripped that out yet) and I knew I had some old favourites that would work perfectly like the holly, ornament, hearts and dove.  My Big Shot was still out on the kitchen counter from cutting Vicky's cupcake pokes so that was handy too.


I would've loved to glitter up the acents and go to town with a bit more detailing but I couldn't get to my glitter so I left it simple.  I could however get to my computer so I generated the text using a font called 'circus' and just printed it in colours to match my papers.  A bit of 'quirky' cutting and inking the edges worked just fine.



I may well have missed the US posting dates - I'm not really sure but I think this one is destined for family back home.  I just love how the whole thing folds flat for posting, add some simple instructions for assembly and there you have it - a 3D Christmas greeting!  How cute is this?

Next two projects involve my own tutorials so keep your eyes peeled for that.  For now you have to go see just how easy it is to make one of these 'flat pack' boxes for yourself over at Project Tuesday.  Oh and while you're there check out Melissa's fabby vintage style pennant bunting.

30 Sucks! (and cupcake stuff)

Yesterday we helped our eldest daughter celebrate a milestone birthday - nothing too fancy but we couldn't quite let it go by without making some kind of a fuss.  We usually have her and the kids to dinner every Friday which has become a really nice family time for us all but this week we surprised her with dinner out at the kids favourite restaurant.

We had secretly booked a table with balloons and everything but had just told her we would do something special at home - maybe order pizza or something for a nice change?  Well I didn't lie did I?  And when her dad stopped in town at the restaurant she still thought we were having take away cos she thought maybe he was collecting it himself.  He said they might as well come in with him instead of sitting in a cold car and SURPRISE!  There we were, waiting for her to arrive!  Don't ever tell me keeping secrets is a bad thing.

The theme was '30 sucks!' so for a bit of fun I had placed a pretty jar of 30 suckers (lollipops) in the centre of the table with the balloons.  She got way more excited about the jar actually (and yes I said she could keep it) but she also saw the funny side (phew!). 



It's impossible to see the pretty detailing on this jar - you'll just have to trust me that it's there but don't these suckers look lovely and colourful. There are actually 30 of them in there! Only thing spoiling it is my ribbon.  I have an absolute wealth of ribbons but nothing was quite wide enough and had I looked earlier I'd have had time to buy the perfect ribbon.  With Christmas so close and all those last month projects on the go her birthday usually gets 'thrown together' last minute so why worry now? LOL!  Poor Vic!  Good job she doesn't mind.

Besides being the kids favourite food restaurant we chose this one because it had a salad bar.  I'm pleased to say the grandkids all love salad and so do we so even though we had pizza more fuss was made over the salad - the kids were genuinely disappointed they couldn't go back for more - that's only in the lunch time guys!

And of course no trip here draws quite so much interest as the ice cream factory (well it was a special occasion) AND what goes perfectly with ice cream?

CUPCAKES of course!  Instead of taking a cake along to surprise her with I had made cupcakes with yummy fluffy frosting and pretty cake pokes.  Her dad actually baked these, and then I made up some frosting especially for her - she doesn't like the 'Fluffiest Frosting Ever' would you believe so I found an alternative for her.  It's actually the same recipe just a few extra ingredients and flavour but this version she loved (recipe below).  To make the cupcakes a little neater we baked them, took off the cases when they cooled and placed them into clean silver cases.  This little trick makes getting at your cupcake far less mess and keeps everything looking nice and neat too.

And before I share the frosting recipe I want to quickly show you how I transported the cupcakes to the restaurant in one piece.  I know we are beginning to see a few cupcake carriers coming onto the market but this one is from Lakeland Plastics and is so cool - I just love it. 



The base is the pan you bake the cupcakes in and then once cooled you can frost directly in the pan and simply attach the lid which locks into place at each side, grab the handles and GO!  How cool is that!  Only at Lakeland Plastics huh?  Ooops!  I made a mess trying to get a couple leftover cakes back into the pan to take this shot - they didn't look that messy first time around honest.

I am a big fan of sharing so we made sure we shared cupcakes with staff at the restaurant and turns out my daughter wasn't the only fan of the newer version frosting so today I'm dropping the recipe in to the restaurant.  I'm also sharing it here with those of you who follow my blog and you may remember the white version.  This recipe came from  Our Best Bites  and I also have a link/logo right here on my blog.  Check em' out regularly cos they have some of the yummiest recipes!

You can find the original version here

New Chocolate Version

2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup plain flour, 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup real butter, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I raided the Christmas cupboard and used 1/3 of a large Galaxy chocolate bar - worked just as well (sorry Jess will get Mike another one).  This time of year my store cupboard is full of chocolates and sweets as stocking stuffers and package tie-ons.  I already ate a bunch of 'Cadbury's flakes' that I bought for hot chocolate mountains while we're at Jessy's so I have to buy more of those too. Shame on me huh?

Whisk sugar, flour, cocoa and milk together in a pan over a medium heat.  Whisk continuously until mixture thickens.  Actually recipe tells you to strain out lumps.  I say 'lumps! - what lumps!'  If you whisk smooth before cooking, stir continuously whilst cooking and then whisk frantically at the end as it  thickens you don't get any lumps!  You just get an arm ache LOL!  But it's sooooo worth it guys.

Set aside to cool while you melt chocolate chips in microwave in a bowl and set to one side.

Now whip butter into a frenzy using an electric mixer (aahhhh! arm relief) on high until light and fluffy.  Add completely cooled sauce mixture and whip even more (5 to 8 minutes) until light and 'mousse' like in resemblance.

Add cooled melted chocolate and whip up some more for good measure before placing into a piping bag and decorating cupcakes.

Unlike the first version which was to be kept away from the refridgerator for fear of seperating this newer version states any left over CAN be kept in the refridgerator and warmed to room temperature before using again.  We of course used up every bit of this frosting so I can't personally vouch for this - you'll just have to take their word for it.

It's also a larger quantity so it makes enough for an entire Betty Crocker Chocolate cake mix made into cupcakes.  Did I say her dad made the cakes?  Okay so he had a little help from Betty Crocker but he cooked bless him - it's all good and those cupcakes were SUPER moist.

If any of you are making chocolate 'Yule Logs' (or better still decorating store bought chocolate swiss rolls) with the kiddies this year - this makes a super light and fluffy version and would pipe on beautifully.  Give it a go - you won't be disappointed and now you have the lightest fluffiest frosting in two flavours!

Enjoy!

PT Pennant Banner

It's the first challenge for December over at Project Tuesday and I chose a pennant banner to get everyone in the mood for Christmas decorating.  I have wanted to make one of these for ages and I decided to make one for my daughter Jessika.  I plan to take it to her when we visit this month.

I ended up using pinks and greens although I'm not sure how this came about.  Since hubby has started revamping my craft room most things are packed up in boxes so I think I was lucky to find any bits and pieces at all. 

I started this project yesterday with the intention of finishing it this afternoon but I got held up in a meeting at work so it was rushed a little towards the end but I still like how it turned out.  I used my Waltzing Mouse stamps to create the holly.  I don't know if I'll ever get tired of using this set!

In this shot you can see the almost 'vinyl' feel detailing on the paper. I also glittered up the die-cut letters, added white gel pen detailing and even stitched the pennants on my sewing machine.

I think Jessy is gonna love it - I know I do.  If you haven't had a go at one of these yet why not join the fun and make one for your own Christmas decorating.  Oh and don't forget to stop in over at Project Tuesday for some inspiration to get you started. 

Enjoy!

A CK kinda Christmas

I am finally putting all that yummy Cath Kidston fabric to good use - no sense hoarding it only to take it out and drool over it now and then is there?  If nothing else this year I have learnt a few of those 'life lessons' you always hear people refer to so from here on things are going to be somewhat different.  I'm not going to keep saving everything for a 'rainy day' I'm going to enjoy them for a time, share them or give them away and move on to something new when they're gone.  Parting with things shouldn't be this hard and besides what exactly am I saving them for?

Well that said I have been sewing most of this weekend and making more fabby things with all my lovely fabric stash - although I'm makin it stretch as far as I possibly can plus getting a few things made for me with it too.  My enjoyment is also the creating process, working with gorgeous fabrics plus of course the sheer joy of giving them and the excitement they bring - let's not forget that.  I have had Eva Cassidy playing in the background (love her Songbird CD), been TOTALLY absorbed in my creativity and had a wonderful sense of restfulness and inner peace as I worked at the sewing machine - my first love and very familiar to me.  Let me show you a little of one project (hopefully without giving away too much) if I can.

I am just lovin working with these 'dreamy' colours and designs.  I had intended to make just a couple of items but got carried away and I'm still not sure if I have added everything I want to yet.  Knowing me I will make one, maybe two more items to tuck in before I finally consider this gift complete.

I originally planned to use a small white-washed wicker basket to pop these items into but when I saw this pretty blue casserole dish in a local supermarket - for a very reasonable price too - I knew it was perfect for filling and would come in very handy as well.  It's plenty large enough to bake the Betty Crocker cake mix that I'm tucking in underneath the kitchen goodies plus it's perfect for a family size lasagne, macaroni cheese or casserole - that kinda thing.

I got hubby involved too by taking me out yesterday to look for suitable linen cloths to alter and a few utensils to add to the effect like these wooden spoons with pink on the handles - how cool are they?  I plan to add thin ribbon or cord to the handles at some point too.

I won't go into detail about the items wrapped up in the ribbon except to say there are two of them and they're what got me started on this gift idea.  I am excited to take pictures of these afterwards so I'll post an update later if I can.

This is a shot showing you the linen tea towels and pretty dishcloths, each with crocheted lace trim and of course a bit of the Cath Kidston name strip that runs down the side of the fabric as a label.  I never quite know where I stand with this kind of thing but as this is a gift item and NOT something for sale I'm guessing it's maybe ok?  The name/logo is on the fabric so it must be ok to use that too mustn't it?

I made hubby take me to SEVERAL stores before I found just the right cloths I had in mind and these two were perfect.  One was a pretty blue polka dot and the other had a pretty embroidered flower detail.  All I had to do was add fabric, lace and labels around them to pretty them up and make them match the other items.  Best of all while this gift looks expensive it's not.  I used mere scraps on the towels (which were a reasonable price), the dish was only a fiver, the spoons half that for all three and the cake mix was even on special!  Can't be bad.  Now I'm on the look out for a pretty white-washed wrought iron kinda towel rail cos these towels soooooo deserve hanging on a wall.

I'll create a pretty CK themed tag and use some pretty polka dot clear wrap and a large ribbon to finish it off before wrapping it up and putting it under the tree.

For now I'm gonna get back to makin a few more 'turbies' in some of the same yummy CK fabrics and THEN I have an idea for the guys I want to get started on.  They're soooooo hard to make anything for aren't they?  I think I may just have found the perfect project - I just need some masculine fabrics.  NOT something I usually work with clearly so I may just have to dig a bit deeper!

Lasting Memories

Well it's December already and so my page features Christmas - no surprise there!  I can still recall the first Christmas our grandson Zach trimmed the tree for us and I remember taking these photos too but somehow I don't remember how he got from a few years old to the young lad he is now!  Where does the time go?  And why do I still have a backlog of unscrapped photos of when he was a little boy? (never mind the other two kids now).

We've had the same Christmas tree for far too many years and while we've decided not to put one up this year as we're going to spend it with Jess maybe next year we'll start fresh and treat ourselves to something new.  Our tree has always been full of the ornaments mom gave the girls as they were growing up which Zach delighted in discovering as he carefully unwrapped each one.  I have since given these back to the girls for their own trees full of memories although we enjoyed them for 25 years or more and remember them fondly.

I used my computer to generate the text although I did also use adhesive stickers for the 't's'.  Since this page is going into Zach's album I've kept it pretty basic like all the rest.

My sister had given me some picture 'scraps' that were just perfect for a 'tree trimming' layout and I decided to block each one to make a feature of them all.  The entire page works in a block format with everything fitting in nice and neat.

Right now getting anything crafted is a real challenge as hubby has only been off work for a week and already he has torn apart my craft room and ripped cupboards off walls.  Looks like I'm finally going to get that REVAMP I've been wantin for the last year or so.  The walls look kinda strange and very bare and no doubt I'll have to get my hands dirty helping him paint but it's good for us to have something to work on together.  Plus he's so cute - I came home from work on Friday to have him say 'come upstairs I want to show you something'!  No he wasn't gettin fresh (wink) he wanted to show me his handy work.  I can expect this to happen several times over the following week and I'm real excited to see how it all turns out.  Kinda scary too since I'm reducing it by half.  NO idea where the excess stuff is gonna go!

Guess maybe I'll just have to use some of it up and do way more crafting than this year.  Speaking of which - if you haven't done a page in a while stop on over at Lasting Memories for some fab inspiration and get going!