Sketch Saturday Challenge 18th October

Here is my first time challenge on the Sketch Saturday challenge blog. I used my one and only House Mouse stamp which I love. 

I have no idea of who made these papers as I bought them in a folder this morning. I do know that the patterned one beneath the stamp is Dovecraft.

I had intended to use a Magnolia snowman stamp, but just as I'd finished colouring, almost... I thought I'd just add a bit of colour to his body around the bottom... and then completely ruined it, lol. Oh well... 

Friday Sketchers challenge - Christmas Forever Friends.

Here is my entry for the Friday Sketchers challenge blog. It's the first card I've made in over a week! I do love these stamps!!

I used...

Forever Friends stamp from one of the packs for £9.99

Papers were from the Forever Friends pack, and also Dovecraft papers.

Cuddly Buddly greeting stamps.

Cricut for scalloped circle. Punch for the holly. A Kanban jewel, and organza ribbon from stash.

Woohoooooooo... I have a...

I love your blog thingy from Marion, so I shall have a think about who I want to give it to as well and will post as soon as I can. Thanks Marion! XX

Paula and Mark's visit!

Well, Paula and Mark came round today after Paula's visit to the hospital. Mark was his normal joyful self, bless his cottons. He absolutely LOVED my lemon cake and wants another one made for next time. Ok... honestly... he DID like it, but said it resembled cheese on top (runny burger cheese, lol), although didn't taste like it! It was slightly harder than last night, but that was coz it had been stored in the fridge. He was a good little fellow though coz he fixed my cross stitch stand again that had fallen apart again this morning. He had a good play with the Music on Demand on me telly delighting both myself and Paula with his chosen tracks. 

Here he is hard at work below.

Me and Paula swapped a few crafty things. Paula had got some extra rubber stamps that she'd acquired and gave me those - gorgeous leafy scrolly designs and text. Paula took some Whispers layering templates, and some Morsels stamps and I've forgotten what they're called... the little stamps that you stamp on top of each other... ohhhhh, grrrrrrr... Paula, what are they??? lol

I'm cooking the dinner, so unless I want to feed them charcoaled parsnips, I'd better keep my eye on it.

Lemon Drizzle cake

Yeah I know it looks a bit too much drizzle, more of a downpour, lol. I also went wrong on the butter icing in the middle. I can't believe what a plonker!!!! I have made butter icing LOTS of times... only this time instead of icing sugar I stupidly used caster sugar, lol... oh well, it tastes delicious all the same. Nice and lemony. I'm sure Mark (Paula's hubby) will like it whatever I went wrong on.

WIP Father Christmas

Here's where I'm up to on the Father Christmas cross stitch. I've done quite a bit today as Matthew was still off school - back tomorrow tho!

Paula. I'm making a lemon sponge cake tonight, coz there's only enough Bakewell for Justin left... and it's his favourite, so you'll have to have a slice of that when you come over tomorrow!!

Football is on the telly again tonight. I think I'll probably be either stitching or crocheting. Hopefully next week I'll get a couple of cards made.

Well it's sausage, egg, chips and beans for dinner, how's that for a banquet?

Bakewell tart anyone?

Matthew has been off school today. For most of yesterday he was complaining of a headache and tummy ache, and he had a cough. This morning he woke up with a temperature and still had a headache, so he stayed home. 

We've been watching dvd's today - The third series of The Royle Family, and our home dvd of Christmas 2007! 

I made a Bakewell tart! I've only ever made one before, so thought I'd have another go today.

Recipe for the spongey bit - I cheated and bought a pastry case.

2oz (50g) Self Raising Flour

2oz (50g) Caster Sugar

2oz (50g) Butter

2 tablespoons of milk

2 teaspoons of almond essence 

Layer of jam.

Shove the lot (apart from the jam) into a bowl and give it a good ole whiz till it's light and fluffy. Spread out a layer of jam - preferrably raspberry, but strawberry will do, onto the pasty base and then pour in the sponge mix. Cook in the centre of a preheated oven at about 160 for 20 minutes. 

When it's cool, mix some icing sugar, teaspoon of almond essence, and a little water, depending on the consistency that you want to spread on the top of the sponge. Add cherries to decorate.

Last night I did some more of my cross stitch, and yesterday was taken up with crocheting the blanket. I expect I'll do more of the same tonight due to football being on the telly!!

And, I did want to do the Friday Sketchers challenge this week too.

My current Work's in Progress.

This is the blanket so far that I'm making for Merce at work. I had to go and buy the other three balls of wool today, but they didn't have anymore of the same pink, so I had to get another shade, but it's very close and Merce said it would be ok to use that one. So here we are, this is how far I've got with it. I have the current ball of the original pink to use, then three of the new shade and then six of the fluffy black eyelash wool.

The two photos below are of my cross stitch that I'm working on. I had a bit of a disaster with the stand last night though. There is a strip of wood that is there to sort of keep the top bit at an angle (I'm good at describing eh?!), and part of it had split... I started searching online for another one, then decided to get my hot glue gun out. Not only had the wood split, but when the lamp and the chart holder were added - even though they are made by the same company for this stand, it made the whole top bit top heavy, and it couldn't cope... so I hot glued the lot, lol, and now it's solid as a rock! 

Anyway... the top photo here shows the chart I'm following and the stand etc, and the bottom one shows how far I've got with it. I tend to work more on the blanket though, just to get it finished and out of the way... 

 Normal gossip...

Cheryl was really hungover yesterday at work. Normally she "comes to" by the afternoon, but this time it took till 4pm for her to look remotely human again... although she didn't seem too bad for the first half an hour of the day. I really couldn't do what she does most weekends. I like to be alert every day! She tells me I'm sad because I don't go out to the pub!! I think she's jealous coz I spend every evening with my partner and she doesn't hers. If that makes me sad, then I'm happy with that, lol. She's just a mad woman who needs HRT I think. She loves me really, or so she says. 

A & E was MANIC! I said it wouldn't be so quiet. We had an RTA come in so that livened an already lively day up. 

I'm overworked!!!!

I have been working on a blanket for Merce at work... but now wants another 6 balls adding to it... blimey! It's crochet, so quicker than knitting, but it still takes LOTS of time. I'm also cross stitching as well.  I'm doing Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas. I shall have to take some pics and upload as I progress... no time for cards at the moment - bit of a pain what with Christmas coming up!

Thanks for all your comments, have a great weekend!! Thank full A & E was quiet today, bet it won't be tomorrow.

Santa card.

Tonight I have made another Christmas card using the gorgeous Father Christmas stamp. I keep meaning to do another challenge, then totally forget!! I'm also TRYING to find a card using this stamp on a blog recently using blue papers. I commented on it, and now I can't find the blog!!! ARRGGHHH!

I used...

Stamps - Santa stamp (forgotten company), Cuddly Buddly round stamp.

Dovecraft papers.

Organza ribbon.

Kanban jewels.

Holly punch.

Cricut Storybook for circle scalloped frame.

Prismacolors for colouring.

Other news...

We had some of the tea leaf tart and it was gorgeous! I also made some chocolate sauce to go with it... first attempt not bad! I made some basic white sauce, added sugar and drinking chocolate powder and it was lovely! I say lovely... bit lumpy, lol, but that was coz I'd added the powder to the mixture after it had all thickened. What I should have done was mixed it with a little hot water first to mix the chocolate powder, then added it. Still, it was lovely all the same. Justin ate it all, and he's my biggest critic when it comes to my cooking.

Tea Leaf Tart or Fudge Tart.

I've just made a tea leaf tart. Remember what we used to have if you had school dinners?? It was accompanied by chocolate sauce (hot chocolate blancmange). Some people used to call it fudge tart. Well here's the recipe!

Ingredients.

1/2 a pint of milk

2oz  (50g) marg

2oz (50g) sugar

1 and a 1/4 oz (38g) plain flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Chocolate to grate

Method.

In a saucepan put the milk and marg, heat until the marg melts, then add the vanilla essence. Add the flour and sugar and stirring all the time, bring to the boil while it thickens. Pour the mixture into a ready made sweet pastry case - I bought one from Sainsburys, of course you could always make a 7 inch one yourself, but I couldn't be bothered with the hassle. 

When it's cold, grate chocolate on the top and put in the fridge. YUMMY!

Card for Sunday evening.

I made this card tonight for a lady called Pat who works in the restuarant at work. Pat is retiring at the end of October. 

I used...

Forever Friends stamp.

Bazzill and Dovecrafts papers/cardstock.

Prima flowers.

Kanban jewels.

Cuttlebug embossing folder (in my sizzix)

Hearts and scalloped frames cut with Storybook Cricut cartridge.

A Forever Friends Snowman.

Here's a quickie card for tonight. I say quickie, but it still took me an hour to make from scratch what with having to stamp it and colour it! 

I used the gorgeous little Forever Friends snowman stamp that comes in the 12.99 pack along with another stamp, papers, stickers etc. I love these FF stamps.

At work today I saw the tiniest little baby girl ever, she was soooo cute bless her in Special Care Baby Unit. You could of held her in your hand and she had the tiniest little face, awww... she had a quilt over her incubator to keep the light off of her. I hope she does well. It makes you wonder how they survive when you see them SO tiny.

Anyone for cake?

I made this this afternoon, a lovely gooey chocolate cake. Trouble is, me being me, "licked" out the bowl and the spoons, and the mixer blade thingies, and now I feel sick...

Vet Prescripton charges...

- are about to come into force again. 

In 2005 it became law that a vet couldn't charge you for writing a prescription, on the 1st of November, that is to come to an end.

I received a letter from my vet today to tell me that I shall now be charged £9.50 per prescription. It is for the expertise and the time it takes to produce this prescription. One of our dogs is on Florinef tablets, and Prednisolone for Addisons Disease, so each prescription is the same each month (for the last 5 years!)... so not much expertise needed every month surely??? Or every three months, we get a repeat one valid for three months. Anyway, I phoned them up and yes, I will have to pay that amount each time. Luckily it's per prescription and not per item as on NHS prescriptions. It's a pity it's not like the NHS though, being as Sophie has a condition and on the NHS this would be free... 

I was quite surprised to read that back in 2005, vets were charging between £0 and £30 per prescription! Vets can charge precisely what they like, as I found out this year with two dogs suffering from Pyometra which meant both had to have hysterectomies within 3 months of eachother, yet £200 extra the second time. 

I just have to add. I'm shocked! I'm SHOCKED at Paula for DUNKING battenburg cake in her coffee....... there is no hope for her. They're coming to take her away ha haa.

Here's a better link for the cuddly lamb and other cuddlies that you heat in the microwave. I got Matthew's lamb today, it's SOOOO cuddly. I love it... and it smells of lavendar as well. I want one for me tooooooooooooooooooo!

Sorry, just to clarify on the vet prices coz Shell didn't realise. The prescription price doesn't include the pills, they can be up to £30 depending if I get them from the expensive vets, or Boots. 

Yet more candy!!

Over at Elf-Creations. Emma has some fantastic Christmas candy to give away. Too much to mention, so go over and have a look. While you're there, have a look at the rest of her wonderful creations as well!

40th birthday for Joyce

Here it is! I was quick wasn't I?! Does it show??? I hope not... although my cards never turn out the way I'd hoped they would when they go from my head to reality. I do love this stamp. It's from the gorgeous Forever Friends stamps, and I stamped it in Tim Holtz Distress Ink in walnut, and just used a water brush to colour it in from the outline itself. I added some Prismacolor to the roses for a hint of colour.

Here's a link for the sheep Beddy Bear... it's out of stock at the moment... and just think, they've got loads of this continental market... I have to get get one!! Paula, there's also Cuddles the Cow on there too, now he's cute!

My aim for today...

... is to make a 40th birthday card for my supervisor who's errrr 40 in a couple of weeks!! I also need to make a goodbye, been nice knowing you card as well. So I'd best get to it... in a bit.

I went into town with Darryl today, and there's a Continental Market on the market square today, and for the next 3 days. Anyway, I spotted a teddy bear stall!! They were called Beddy Bears...awwww, and the blokey on there gave me one to cuddle... oOOooOooh, it was gorgeous! It was on of those lavender filled ones that you put in the microwave, and I've now fallen in love with the sheepy one. I didn't have my bank card on me, shame, so I will go back again tomorrow and get one for Matthew for Christmas. I know he seems abit old for cuddly things to take to bed, lol, so I might just nick it if he doesn't want it. 

Well watch this space, there SHOULD be a card uploaded here later today. But, so's you don't get too bored waiting, here's one I made earlier... bout 3 0r 4 years earlier. I've always loved this card, pity about the picture of it though. It was rubber stamped and stamped a bit more, and a bit more to layer it. Even the little stockings hanging off the chimney breast were 3d'd as was the little puddy tat on hearth! And lots of glitter added as well.

Ok... off I go then.

Blog Candy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know we all love blog candy, and here's a gorgeous one, just look at the stamp, and the papers are sooooo yummy!!! It's over at Dollie Dewdrops, so make sure you have a good look at her blog too, it's worth the visit!

Gggrrr @ Background!!!

I thought I'd get a nice pink and black background, which I love... but I can't find the html that puts the blue one up there first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I changed the background a while ago, but I think the Cutest Blog people only use the new way to add a background, so I can't find the old way!!!!!!! HELPPPP