For My Niece

Hello Peoples - well, what a gorgeous day today - mind you, I was extremely hot by the time we'd walked home from school today - I hadn't realised how hot it was!

My niece was 14 yesterday - she'll soon be as tall as me, she is growing up so fast, it is scarey LOL!

As per usual, I was very last minute making her card, so had to end up making a fairly quick and simple card. And I find that the Labels 10 die from Spellbinders is such a nice shape, and if it's embossed, it doesn't need much more to it really. So I made an easel card, using a Miss Anya image.







I would like to enter the following challenges:

Delightful Challenges - Pearls and Swirls - not sure if this card will count - the blue patterned paper does actually have swirls on it, but the image has covered them up - the embossing folder I used for the base card is a swirly flower one (called Hanoverian from Do Crafts I think)
One Stop Craft Challenge - Easel Cards
Truly Scrumptious - Clean and Simple

I also made my niece a jewellery set as her gift - a long necklace, two bracelets and earrings set. I loved it, and I hope my niece likes it too.



I've used white jade and quartz, and added a haematite heart to the clasp on the necklace and on the one bracelet. This photo really doesn't do it justice - I must find a good way of displaying and photographing jewellery.

Eleri says she wants some 'real' jewellery made by me - so I think I'll have to make her something for Christmas.

Well, that's it from me - thank you for calling by - I hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Show and Tell

Hello Everyone - I hope you're having a good week so far - we have had some gorgeous weather the last couple of days, and it is supposed to be good for a few days to come - lovely!

I've finally managed to download photos of the cards I made at the class on Saturday, so here they are:






I think the reflection technique on that last card is fabulous - I must check whether I have any stamps which would suit that technique.

And I've also made some more jewellery. This is a set I've made to go with an orange top I have. A long necklace, bracelet and earrings, made out of grey agate and haematite. Because of the weight of the gems, the necklace does hang straight when it's on, but it looks a bit scrunched when it's not on.



I've decided not to apply for the Advocacy job in our office - I don't meet the essential criteria for qualifications so it's not very likely that I would be shortlisted for interview, and we as a family could not afford to lose money each month anyway - it is a bit disappointing, but I'll soon get over that - better than going to a lot of trouble filling in an application form, and then discovering that I'm not shortlisted! So I'll look forward to working with a new person in the office.

Eleri's complaining of earache again today - I hope there's nothing wrong - I'm keeping a close eye on her at the moment. She says she's definitely not put something in her ear (because she's not been lying down - she's convinced herself that the last bead was on the floor and it popped itself in her ear when she lay on the floor LOL!)

That's all from me. See you soon. I need to make a birthday card for my niece as soon as Holby City has finished LOL!

Love, Andrea xx

Dilemmas in Life!

Hello All and Happy Sunday to you - I hope you're having a good weekend.

Well, I had a lovely morning yesterday - I attended a Christmas Crafting class run by Ruth and we made 4 lovely Christmas cards using Stampin Up products (I've not used those before and I am very impressed!). Hopefully, I can photograph the cards and post them later today. I'm looking forward to attending another class with Ruth next month.

But today I feel fed up again! Cricket season finished yesterday (yay!) so it was the end of season drinking session for my hubby last night - he's gone to work today with a slight headache but otherwise not feeling too bad! Football started on Friday evening and I was told this morning that indoor cricket starts next Thursday, and there's a golf day next Friday that Richard thinks he might try to get his day off this week to go to! As Richard keeps saying to me, I knew he was into his sport when I married him, but we didn't have children or a house and garden that needs a lot of work then, and Richard didn't have to work most weekends then either! And Richard seems to find it easy to ignore the fence that fell down last January and the big gap between us and the neighbours, and the weeds and grass that have grown around the tree branches that he cut down and left in the middle of the lawn in the spring! It just depresses me! And I want to buy some new curtains and blinds for our living room and kitchen, but I don't want it to be just my decision - but when am I going to get Richard to come with me to choose something - I just don't know!

And I have a dilemma at work at the moment. A job has come up in our office, at a higher grade than I'm on. Lots of people are saying I should go for it and, though I'm not as confident in my abilities as they are, I am tempted to have a go for it. The problem is I currently work 24 hours a week, and the job is 18 hours a week so, even though it is a higher salary, it would mean a cut in wages for me for a few years, and I don't know if we can afford to lose up to £140 a month. That might all be academic anyway as an essential qualification is to have a Degree or a professional qualification - I don't have a Degree and I'm not sure if one of my qualifications will count as a professional one - I need to check with our HR Manager on Tuesday.

But now some really happy news! I have realised this morning that I was chosen in the Top 3 for last week's Delightful Challenges with this card - so that's cheered me up some!

Instead of all that waffle, I could probably have just typed a few words today - I feel unsettled!!! LOL!

I'll go and leave you in peace now - better finish loading the washing machine and then get some cleaning and ironing done.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

New Baby Card - It's Taken a While!

Hello Folks

It's taken me ages to finish the card I'm going to show you today - I started it about a fortnight ago, and just could not manage to motivate myself enough to finish it. But, today my Mum was planning to visit my cousin who had a baby, so I really had to finish the card for her to take with her.



I've made an easel card using the Sleeping Infant digi from Digi Doodle Shop, which I've coloured with Promarkers. The dark pink paper is Kay & Co, and I'm not sure where the pale pink papers were from.



I made the flowers out of a strip of organza fabric and just added a pearl brad to each one. The butterfly is a punch I've recently purchased - Woodware I think! Why is it that, when you see other people using something it looks really good but then when you try it, it doesn't look so good??!!



I decorated the back panels of the card, and slotted in a tag with a verse on it - and I've written on the reverse of it.



The Sshhhhh Baby Sleeping is a freebie digi from Sentiments 4 You, and I created the other sentiment on the computer.

I'm going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Stampin for the Weekend - Tickled Pink
Delightful Challenges - Girlie Girl
One Stop Craft Challenge - Girlie
Fab n Funky Challenges - Bingo - I chose Flowers, Sentiment and Die Cuts
Ellephantastic - Here Come the Girls

Well, I must tell you something - this morning, I realised Eleri hadn't got any clean underwear (OK, knickers actually!), but I managed to find a pair in the back of her drawer - whew!! So I had a conversation with myself at work today - Should I put a load of washing in the machine when I get home from work, or should I go out and buy a new pack of knickers???? Well, come on be honest, what would you have done??? LOL! What do you think I did?


Well, I was good and I've done a load of washing LOL! Sometimes I do wonder why my husband married me - I don't think I've turned into the best housewife! ha! ha!

Must go now, I'm hogging the computer and the TV - I can feel the tension from across the room LOL!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

18th Birthday Girl

Hello Everyone - I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Eleri has recovered very well from her hospital experience - it seems not to have affected her at all, thank goodness! She still hasn't actually admitted putting the bead in her ear, but she says she's not going to put anything else in her ear, up her nose or in her mouth LOL!

Now to my reason for posting today - My friend's daughter is 18 today, so I can show you the card and gift I made for her. I am just amazed at how quickly babies grow into adults in what seems the blink of an eye!



I've used Retro Melody from Pollycraft again, as she reminds me of Robyn who the card was for. The papers are all from a Kay and Co stack which I've had for ages and still got so much of - used the papers to paper piece her dress too. I bought a Do Crafts alphabet die last week, and used that to make the word 'eighteen' instead of adding a sentiment. I did struggle to die cut it in my Cuttlebug - wouldn't go through with the C plate, and was too thin with the two B plates, so used the embossing mat and some shims and then it worked (although I was a bit of a burk and had the embossing mat on the top at one point and that got caught in the rollers - oopsie, but no damage thankfully LOL!)

I've followed Sketch n Stash sketch number 57 - their current challenge is to use any sketch from their catalogue.



I decorated the inside, so I can enter the Truly Scrumptious Challenge this week.



I'll also enter it in this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge which is Anything Goes

And the gift I made was another stretchy bracelet, this time made with Quartz and Haematite.



That's it from me - I'd better come off the computer as my headache is throbbing again.

Hope to see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Update on Eleri

Hello Everyone

Please see my post below to find out what has been happening with Eleri!

I've had a couple of very sleepless nights - Saturday night Eleri woke a few times in pain, and only once last night. But I struggled to sleep last night - I'd forgotten to phone Andrew's friend's mum to double check that she was OK to take Andrew to and from school today, so I was worried about that. I had forgotten to take Eleri's bottle of water away from her bedside when she went to bed, so I was worried that she would have a drink in the night. It was also very windy in the night, so I was worrying about our garden fences blowing over again, and about the possibility of trees across the road when travelling to hospital, and worrying about whether we would arrive on time or be able to park!

But everything went well today. We arrived at the right reception desk at the right time this morning - although a bit windy there was no traffic hold ups. Eleri had managed not to eat or drink anything since going to bed last night - although I did catch her trying to get a drink in the night - aaaaggghhhh!

Poor little thing had such a long wait this morning before her op though - we had arrived before 8am, and she finally went to theatre just before 1pm. Eleri didn't complain of being hungry or thirsty but, boy I was thirsty and hungry by then - I'd managed to sneak half a cup of tea and a piece of toast before I woke Eleri this morning. But there was no way I could leave her to get a drink whilst waiting for theatre. She was so good having her 'fairy toilet' (the cannula) fitted for her anaesthetic, even though the first one didn't go in properly so the anaesthetist had to put one in her other hand - and I was amazed at how quickly she went to sleep. And then she was fully awake when she came back to the ward about half an hour later.

Well, we have been given the foreign body - it was a little flower shaped plastic bead! Because it's got quite pointy petals, it had scratched the inside of her ear, and was quite lodged in I think. So her ear was bleeding a bit - and the bead is quite bloodified. Anyway, the bead, safely tucked inside its specimen bottle, is going to join the specimen bottle with the blackthorn that was removed from her foot in the summer holidays! I wonder what will be next!!!

Eleri's just got to have ear drops for the next few days, but does not need to have any other follow-up. We'll see how she is in the morning and decide then whether she should go to school tomorrow.

Well, that's enough from me - I think I'm going to bed - lack of sleep and stress has just caught up with me!

Love, Andrea xx

What On Earth ... ?

... has Eleri put in her ear?!!!

Hello fellow bloggers - sorry I haven't been around much - I'm back to the four day working week again, and I've also had two evening meetings this week.

I hope you are all well! I have a new baby card in progress at the moment, but not sure when I'll get around to finishing it - Mr Mojo always disappears when I'm stressed, and boy am I stressed at the moment - I am so busy at work, and I also have worries about Eleri at the moment.

Eleri has been complaining on and off for a few weeks that her ear hurts. I've been giving her Calpol, and then she's been getting better. But, when she started complaining again this week, I decided it was time to take her to the doctor to get it checked out. And, apparently, she has a foreign body in her ear! I am so shocked as she has never been a child prone to putting things in her mouth or up her nose or anywhere else. Eleri says she can't remember putting anything in, but she is adamant that no-one else has put something in her ear. So we have no idea what it is or how long it's been there!!!

That was discovered on Wednesday. The doctor advised us to start by putting olive oil in Eleri's ear, in the hope that the thing would float up and out of her ear, but he made an appointment to see him the next morning if that didn't work. Well, the olive oil didn't work. So off we pop to the doctor the next morning - the doctor tried a few things, and the nurse tried washing it out with water - but still no joy! And no-one can tell what the item is - I think it looks like a tooth(!), the doctor thinks it's white with something yellow on it, and the nurse said it doesn't look as if it is round - it seems to be kind of square shaped! So, then it was a trip to the Ear Nose and Throat Department of the district general hospital. The first doctor we saw there said he thought it looked like a tooth (I had not told him that was what I thought it looked like!), then when he couldn't remove whatever it is, he wondered whether Eleri's ear drum had burst and it was that he could see so he asked his colleague to have a look. The second doctor came in and said that it is definitely a foreign body, and he thinks it is something plastic, he said it looks like a grommet, but she's not had a grommet fitted. That doctor did not think it was wise to remove it whilst Eleri is awake as it is too close to her eardrum. So he's booked her onto his theatre list for Monday morning, to have it removed under general anaesthetic!

I'm a bit nervous about it as neither of my children have had operations before. I had a phone call yesterday to confirm that Eleri is on the list for Monday, but the letter from the hospital has not arrived today, so I'm not absolutely certain where to go or what will happen. We've been asked to arrive for 8am, so that will mean a departure time of 6.45am from home. She's not to have anything to eat or drink from midnight Sunday, and we're to take dressing gown and slippers and something to keep her occupied whilst waiting for theatre. I know it's not going to take many minutes to do, but there is naturally a little niggle of worry in the back of my mind, about how she will react to the anaesthetic and what if it is something else and not a foreign body!

My Mum has given Eleri some money today for her to buy something to take into hospital with her, so we'll pop off somewhere tomorrow for that. And it'll probably be a sleepless night for me tomorrow night.

But Eleri says she's excited to see what it is that they take out! Actually, I desperately want to know what it is too - I'll let you know!

Love, Andrea xx

Flashing Lights!

Hello Everyone - and it's gorgeous weather here at the moment, though the cloud does seem to be building up a bit. Eleri and I have been swimming this morning, and we really ought to be making the most of the sunshine outside but we're just flopped on the sofa in front of the TV (lazzyyy!). Andrew stayed with a friend last night, and I'm not sure when he'll be home.

My hubby woke me up in the night last night - he'd slapped me on the shoulder and, as I woke up, he was pointing his arm straight out and at our bedroom window. I thought he said "ooo splash!" I looked at the window and then turned to Richard and said "Pardon, splash?" - his eyes were open and he was looking at me, and then he said "Flashing". That scared me a bit, I looked to the bedroom door thinking does he mean there's someone on the landing with a torch (aaarrgghh!). Then he said "There's flashing lights somewhere". Then he clasped his hands together and started snoring - ha ha! I had my very own Sleep Talkin Man! ROFL! I've no idea what he was dreaming about. But I struggled to get back to sleep afterwards, because I kept giggling! He couldn't remember anything about it this morning when I told him!

I just had to write about it - it was so funny at the time - but maybe you needed to be there to think so - though I'm glad you weren't ROFL!

Well, I'm going to get lunch now and then really must get outside this afternoon.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx