Hello Sailors!!!

Did we have fun yesterday or what???!!!


Maggie and Tony invited us on a trip on board their lovely canal barge yesterday and it was fab! Cold to start with but fab. The boys loved it as you can see from the piccie and Tony made their day when he let them 'steer' the boat themselves.


It was great to sit and watch the world go quietly by - I can highly recommend it. I also took some really nice pics which are screaming out to be scrapped!



Thanks to Maggie and Tony for a lovely afternoon!

I also managed to get some crafting done over the weekend. Here is a card I made using a template from WSDesigns which I purchased from Traci Its a handy template and I think the effects you can get are really good.

On the magazine front - I have finally put them in date order. To be honest I think I am going to make an ideas folder with them as I really do not have them space to store all of those magazines. So that is something else to add to my To Do List.

I really must scan and print some photos this week too. I am running low on photos to scrap and I know that I have loads in albums or on my laptop just dying to grace a layout of mine LOL!

But for the rest of the evening I am going to cut out some decoupage and surf the net. Oh and stop for the occasional cuppa! xxxxx

Erm.....my name is Clare....and....

I have a craft magazine addiction. Yes thats right i have finally come out and said it! Hurrah I finally feel as if the weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

So.....when did I realise that I had a problem? Well there are two answers to that one. The first is that I thought it was getting slightly bad when all of the free gifts you get with the mags started overflowing out of a box i kept them in. The second is when I only recognise which mag I have bought by the free gift and not the name of the publication. Hmmmmmm see what I mean?!

The answer to this problem is NOT to stop buying these informative and educational mags but to have a sort out. Yes this is my mission for the next few days, weeks, months LOl! And I am also going to use the free gifts which are sitting gathering dust and generally feeling unloved. Yes i am gonna get organised.

But what of the magazines? Do I keep them as they are or start an ideas folder with cut outs of the projects I am interested in? Any ideas please feel free to let me know xxxxx

Good news!

Liv is out of hospital and doing ok! Very pleased but her poor Mum is shattered. The docs think her problem is ongoing and something other than they originally thought. But she is doing ok for now and is eating again which is like the normal Liv we know and love.

Here is a card a made for Livvy last night. I am having a real thing for decoupage at the mo - can you tell?

Today has been a day full of catching up - mainly housework - eurgh!!!!!! Tomorrow promises to be some of the same but am going to squeeze in some crafting too. Oh yes indeedy!

Busy busy Sunday!

Yes I am almost back to normal and slowly catching up with things!

First thing this morning we had a trip to Tesco to get some things Harry needs for his residential trip in a couple of weeks time. I don't know who is more nervous about this trip - me or him. Its not the fact he is going to be away from home, as he has stayed with my Mum and Dad quite a few times before,. I think it is the fact you have no communication with them at all. Still I know he will love it!

Then it was another trip to the Cabin to see Traci and I bought the most fabby journalling stamps - they are sooooo lovely!

I have also made this card today as well as a couple of others which I am really pleased about as it seems ages since I did some crafting. This card is for my Goddaughter who will be ten next week - gawd I am feeling old!!!!

On a sad note one of my close friends, Claire, is having a worrying time at the mo. Her beautiful daughter who I love to bits was taken into hospital this afternoon. She is very very poorly and they seem to think that it could be appendictis so my friend is going to be in for a rough few days I think. I can only imagine how worried she is, especially as she is a single mum and so has noone else to help her through this. My hubs is being a star as usual and is on his way to the hospital as we speak to deliver Livvy's favourite toy as she will not sleep without it. Bless him - he loves that little girl so much!

Am going to have a cuppa and await an update. Catch yers later xxxx

Very very very poorly!!!!

I hate being ill - really really hate it! Unfortunately since last Saturday night I have been feeling dreadful. So much so that on Tuesday morning I gave in and visited the doctors - I last saw one when George was 1 years old so I rarely go unless I am suffering. And yes indeedy was I poorly - bacterial throat infection and also the start of an ear infection - double whammy!!!

Now that the antibiotics have had time to kick in finally I do feel alot better. Throat is still sore but I am feeling 100% better already. Thank goodness!!!!

Anyhow this explains the reason for no blog entry since last Friday - for once I have a genuine reason LOL!

Here is a piccie of my big boy taken on his ninth birthday which was Monday. He is 9!!!!! My Baby is growing up!
He enjoyed his day even though most of it was spent at
school. He was really pleased to get the prized Nintendo
DS at last and some smellies which he is getting into at the mo!

For his birthday treat he was desperate to go to the Natural History Museum to see the Dino exhibition. Wow!!! It was fabby and Harry? Well he was soooooo quiet all day it was unbelievable. This boy dreams of dinosaurs day and night and so wants to be a paeleontologist when he grows up. He did not want to leave at the end of the day so we have had to promise to take him back soon!

On a crafting front nothing has been going on at all this week but I went over to the Cabin this morning as Traci has a promo this weekend on templetes from WSdesigns. I did a train card for her which I really enjoyed. It was nice to get out of the house for a couple of hours as I have felt so house bound this week. Aso as a thankyou for having kiesha on Thursday she gave me the most fabby box of crafting stash which I will take a piccie of and post tomorrow. It is truely fab and is available at the Cabin for £35.00, this is a brill pric when you see just how much stuff is in the box.

Right will finish this mini novel but will be back tomorrow xxxx

Hello hello hello!

Well it's the last day of the Easter hols here and I can't believe I have made it through the two weeks relatively unscathed!!!


It has flown by and on the whole we have had lovely weather here so the boys have been playing outside for most of the time - bliss!


Having said that I have done hardly any crafting - much to my shame. Although the last few days have seen me being slightly more productive.

Here is a piccie of Harry's birthday card for Monday when he reaches the grand old age of 9. 9!!!!!!! I just don't believe that he will be 9. It does not seem five minutes since this little bundle was placed in my arms and two blue eyes looked up at me. From that moment my heart just melted and my life has not been the same since. Sorry - just having a slushy mum moment!

The other card is one I have made on George's behalf for Harry - George does not do crafting much to my disapointment.

So tomorrow we are off to the big smoke - London for the day. Destination - The Natural History Museum for a dinosaur exhibition. Harry's first love is dinosaurs and what that boy does not know about them is not worth knowing! Since he was 3 he has been fascinated by them and he has been itching to go to this exhibition for ages. So tomorrow is going to be a lonnnnnggggg day but it will be so good to see his face lighting up at each thing he sees.

Right I am off to have a cuppa - have a great weekend xxxxx

Happy Easter and look who's 1!!!!

Firstly Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have all had a lovely day!



Secondly Happy Birthday to my cuddly lil' nephew, Kyran. He was 1 yesterday and all of his family were with him to celebrate his special day. Isn't he cute??!!

We had a lovely couple of days with my Mum and Dad and spent yesterday evening at my brother's and his partner's house for a party for Ky. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up on things.

Sadly we had to leave to travel back home and battle the traffic on the M6 and A14, finally getting home about 10.30pm. The boys are shattered today as they were up early wound up by the thought of chocolate for brekkie.

We have done nothing today except sit and spend time with each other, which was lovely. We also watched Night At The Museum which is excellent and I can highly recommend it.






Right off to sort out boys as they are having an early night tonight - hopefully. Catch ya all later xxxxx

I know I know!!!!!

I am an awful blogger at the mo - I do apologise!!

It's Thursday today - blimey this week has flown. And what crafting have I done?? Well apart from my class on Tuesday and Wednesday and a couple of cards yesterday - nothing! his is obviously not a good thing and something which I intend to remedy very soon.

It would seem that although I gave up work to do more crafting I do not seem to be doing more than when I was working. Hmmmmm what is going on? This is not good.

Tomorrow sees my boys and I heading up to sunny Stoke on Trent to see Mum and Dad and then over to my brother's on Saturday for my nephew's 1st Birthday. I cannot believe this little fella is one. Auntie Clare will of course be requiring her quota of hugs, cuddles and kisses to see her through until I get to see him again. I luve that little chap!!!!

Today has seen the sun beaning down on us and the boys have been playing outside all day - lovely! They are shattered tonight so have headed to bed very early.

Right am going to catch up on a bit of blog reading. I hope everyone has a lovely Easter weekendxxxxxx

Sunday already!!!!

Wow it's been a very busy weekend! It has flown by so quickly.

Yesterday I was helping a friend at the local children's shoe shop and it was very very busy. But that was good as time flew and before we knew it was 4pm and time to close.

Today we visited the in laws. FIL seems in good spirits although I think he is getting abit fedup with being told to sit and rest, but it is for his own good!!!!! Again the day flew by and we have only just got back in the house.

I am so glad it is the school holidays for the next two weeks as I think the boys are ready for a break. Whether I will be saying this in two weeks time is another matter but we will see.

Right time to get the little fellas in bed and then ahhhhhh peace xxxxx