MIAM

MIAM

Saturday 28 January 2012

Unemployment Ends

Hello Readers,

After a six week spell of unemployment since being made redundant I am pleased to report that I will be starting a new job next week. I will be working back at Gatwick (can't imagine working anywhere else after 27 years there) but in a different field. I was so pleased to learn that I had been successful for this position as there were no less than five interview stages and I really felt as if I'd earned it.
I applied for two jobs before I was laid off and I was lucky enough to be offered both of them, not bad for an old bird! I do feel exceptionally fortunate considering that there are 2.69 million unemployed in this country.

So bearing in mind that I will be on a training course for the next few weeks I got some crafting in today. I'm not mad about this card, I looked through all my stamps hoping one would jump out and grab me, but none did so I settled for a set I'd not used for a while. It didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped but I really couldn't be arsed to do it again. Mojo is missing.
I'm entering three challenges this week.


Less is More - Sketch


Simply Stampin' - Colour challenge


Challenge up your Life - "THANKS"






The colours I used aren't SU and therefore differ slightly from those in the graphic and also I had to use my flash which has not given a correct colour representation. The blue I used is more petrol blue, all stamps are SU,(now retired I think) and the panel is positioned with sticky fixers although this does not show in my snap.


I've had a busy old week getting lots of jobs completed before I'm back to the grind but had a fab night out at the local theatre where I saw That'll Be The Day. I didn't really know what to expect as Dad booked it but the performers were excellent and as most of the music was 50's/60's/70's it was right up my street.

I gather from the weather forecasters that they are expecting arctic conditions here soon, it was certainly parky enough when I ventured down the tip earlier. Not cold enough though to prevent Galanthus Nivalis from popping their heads up in my garden.



Thanks to everyone for their comments on my last post, I really enjoy reading them all.
Off now to make a plum crumble.

bfn,
Fiona xx


Sunday 22 January 2012

Cut It Out!

It's the weekend again and that means Less Is More. Thought it was tricky this week with the brief being to create a card with an aperture. Although that in itself is not difficult, the problem was coming up with something that had not already been done, and at the time of crafting, this hadn't. I'm also entering this week's CAS-ual Friday challenge which is 'Penguin Suit', in aid of Penguin Awareness Day. (yes really!)


So without further ado here is my effort.


A very simple creation this week made using a Marianne die, a Hobby Art sentiment and some ribbon from my stash. The white card is raised on sticky fixers and it was a real bugger trying to get the 'waste' piece between the bird's legs. Chrissie will no doubt admonish me for a floating branch, tee hee. I suppose I could have positioned the die so it was off the edge of the white card but birdy's tail would have been very near it too. Never mind eh, someone will like it I'm sure.

On a different subject altogether, I am pleased to report I have finished my decorating, Hurrah! It's taken me a fortnight on and off but I have done the entire ground floor of my house.

Yesterday I popped out to a jumble sale, such excitement I can tell you, as I last went to one in about 1975 when I was a Girl Guide. Seeing Vix's JS bargains spurred me on to find one in my area and I loved it. Alas no vintage finds but I purchased six items of clothing for the princely sum of £3!!! Most of it was for my 12 year old niece, who said 'Cool,Thanks!' and promptly donned one of the garments. (a shirt) Her mum said 'don't you want to wash it first?' but after a perfunctory sniff she decided it was clean enough
and went off shopping in it.

Here are some of my recent chazza shop buys.

Chain belt and bead necklace £1 each




Tan handbag ( A1 condition and matches my boots exactly!) £3

Looking forward to the telly tonight as the new BBC midwife drama is on, I enjoyed it last Sunday. Have a good week all and thanks for reading.

Fiona x



Wednesday 18 January 2012

Girly Chat and Chazza Shop Finds

Today I caught up with two friends that I used to work with, Jacko and Samyo.
(nearly everyone who worked in the Gatwick Handling Traffic Dept had their name suffixed with an O, there was Sharo, Karo, Rocko, Borro, you get the idea.) Jaki kindly hosted the lunch and served some delicious homemade Leek and Potato soup.


It was lovely to have a good old goss, (although scandal was sadly lacking) and a chat about all things crafty as Jacko scraps, makes cards, sews and bakes and
Sam bakes divine cupcakes.


She won't thank me for this one!



Samya rifling through Jacko's cards



Charity shops also came up in conversation today and here is my latest bargain find.


I'd been looking for a jewellery organiser for a while as all my costume stuff was in an almighty tangle in a drawer. Just as I was leaving the Heart Foundation shop I spied it on the top shelf.

It was brand new and still had the label on it.....



and priced at a bargacious £1.99. When I got home I looked on the interweb and found Argos are selling them for £20!!! Two self adhesive hooks secured it to the back of my wardrobe door, et voila!
I was very smug at finding such a bargain I can tell you. Have you found any bargains lately? Do tell.

Fiona x

P.S. Excuse paint splattered hand in final photo, I'm still decorating.


Saturday 14 January 2012

Sing Little Birdie Sing

Birds are this week's theme at Less is More. After watching Sheena Douglas stamping with H20's on Create and Craft this afternoon, I thought I'd dust off mine and give them a go. Ahem, my attempt did not look like Sheena's, I don't know whether it was because I used acrylic stamps but it resulted in several splodgy messes on the card. So after effing and blinding for 30 minutes I turned to Plan B and used ink pads instead. Here is my effort.




I scored a fine line around the card and then stamped the image which had been subject to some judicious inking, the addition of a SU sentiment (which I think is slightly on the wonk!) finished this project.




This is the first crafting I've done all week as I'm still decorating the entire downstairs of my house, I'm on day 8 now and getting completely bored with it.
I found time however to make a 'Tea Time Treat', which I served with ice cream this evening. Mmmmm.



What have you been doing this week?

Thanks for stopping to look and for all your comments, I appreciate each one.
ttfn,
Fiona x

Monday 9 January 2012

Decorating Drudgery and Blog Candy Wins

Hello All,

I've been rather quiet on the blogging front of late. My unemployment has given me the ideal opportunity to embark on some long overdue decorating.


The kitchen/diner is in progress at the moment and then I intend to continue in the sitting room. The kitchen is in chaos and therefore meals are very much hit or miss. As you can see from the Oven Pride box I've also tackled the disgrace that was my oven and I'm pleased to report it has come up like new. It's so clean it's almost got the 'ring of confidence'.(ting) I'd not used this product before but can highly recommend it.



The ceiling and cutting in are finished now, so it's rollers away tomorrow.

Much more exciting this week was the arrival of a parcel containing some Hero Arts blog candy I recently won from Bumblebee. ( Go take a look-see at her fabulous cakes.)



I've been lucky enough to have another couple of wins in the last few months, more recently this gorgeous bag from Jane, (handles now getting a bit grubby due to high usage!)



and a box filled to the gunwales with crafty goodness from Godelieve, which included these fab stamps. How lucky am I ?





On the subject of Blog Candy, Fliss has some up for grabs over on Stampers Chef, so get yourselves over there now.

I'm off now to see if I can find the fridge under all the dust sheets and cobble a meal together.

ttfn
Fiona xxx

Sunday 1 January 2012

Goodbye 2011

No hangover for me today as I had an early night with a good book. I didn't fancy going out and nothing much on telly. Personally, I think the xmas tv has been dreadful, all I've watched is Porridge and Fools and Horses which even though I've seen countless times, never fail to make me laugh out loud. (and I can't say that about much on telly these days) I'm not sad to see the back of 2011. It was the year when I very sadly lost my lovely Mum, and more recently (just before xmas) I was made redundant from my job. So, I'm hoping 2012 will bring good things my way and on the job front it's looking positive, I don't want to say too much at this stage but watch this space. 2012 is also the year that I will be celebrating a milestone birthday!

As I'm unemployed at present I have lots of time for crafting and below is something that I knocked up yesterday to enter the Card Patterns challenge with.




Not my usual style but I quite like it all the same, I wonder what you think?



I actually got my sewing machine out! Shock Horror!




and managed to sew in a relatively straight line for once.



The stamped images are both by SU, the sentiment is by Kaiser Crafts and the Cuttlebug embossing folder is Victoria if my memory serves me correct. All other materials are from my stash.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

Stampin for the Weekend
Charisma Cardz
Everybody Art

where the theme is Anything Goes


So until next time it's ttfn from me and thanks for looking.
Fiona x

EDIT: Whoops, just realised that I've missed one of the layers on the sketch, so I may be disqualified!!