The one and only....

Christmas card that I got round to making this year was for the tennants of Calum McDonald court, where I used to work.
I had a brilliant day with them, when we went for our Christmas Dinner at Garvock House Hotel and then back to Calum MacDonald Court for the Christmas Party. Santa and Mrs Clause even turned up with pressies for everyone.

I managed to get all my college work handed in a wee bit early, so this gave me a few extra days holiday, I just hope I pass. This was great as it meant I could go and see my grandson Kian play a shepherd in his nursery nativity.

Then we had loads of snow and it has been freezing................ bbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr my dogs and chickens are not too keen on the snow......come to think of it neither am I....it looks nice for the first day but after that I just wish it would go away and warm up.........bring on summer!!!

The snow is still here but it is frozen solid and is as slippery as a bumpy ice rink.

Christmas was great this year with a big family dinner at my mums, 15 of us. It's been a while since we were all together. I have ate and drunk to excess and my waistline is telliing me to stop, but there are too many goodies left in the fridge that I must finish off. When the fridge is empty then I will maybe start to think about losing some pounds. :-)

Some of my college work can be seen here

Oh and how could I forget, I am going to be a gran again. This time it is my youngest son Sean and his partner Katie who are having a baby. I'm so excited, just look at their 15 week scan.

I wonder if it will be a wee girl this time or another wee boy?

It doesn't matter what it is, I'm just so looking forward to another grandchild arriving.

I've not been well but....

.......woo hoo look what got delivered today (a wee stop feeling sorry for yourself 'cause your not well pressie). Well it came in a box bigger than expected

But then there was another box inside with lots of white 'wotsits'


Then inside the second box even more white 'wotsits' (have to make some kind of crimbo decoration with all the white 'wotsits')

But then there it was, in all it's glory.......................my screen printing starter kit :-)

I had a wee taster of screen printing in a class at college, but just not enough for me......I want to do more screen printing and try out different techniques and designs.
Well of course even though I'm still feeling ill, I had to have a wee play in between coughing fits. So now that lovely new screen looks like this.....

..... and this is the result of my playing today~~~~~~~my beautiful daughter hanging up to dry

I still need a lot of practise with this, just can't get it totally right yet.....not enough ink than too much, not lining up right etc. But I'm not one for giving up............tomorrow is another day

This year we have got a real Christmas tree, not had a real one for years. It is all decorated now and I'm starting to get a wee bit excited about the festive season. Might need to buy some new decoration next year, some of my glass balls are over 20 years old now and starting to look their age

Good old St. Nick has come out of his box for yet another year of standing on my fireplace, with the fir cones that my children glittered years ago........

Oh and before I forget, I did a wee bit of crafting 2 weekends ago......... I made personalised christening gifts. A keepsake box and a guestbook/photo album/journal in it's own wee box. Sorry photos are not very good

I now have a thumping head ache with coughin' so much :-(

I really must....

.. find some time and update my blog!! :-)

I have been ....

crafting this afternoon and look what I did. I had 4 boring candles


and look at them now. Potential Christmas pressies :-)


Well thats all the crafting I've had time for.

My mixed media canvas, that I started the other week, is hanging on the wall in my craft room, but it's not finished yet and definetly not ready for the world to see. I am hoping to get some more done to that this week.

Oh I nearly forgot, I did manage to fit a wee bit of drawing in this morning, while munching on a bacon roll. Much to the disgust of my son, who now says I'm weird, because? .......... I drew my very first manga elf.


I am quite pleased with it, for a first try, but going to try and draw a better one during the week

College is on....

... holiday for a whole week. I have had the house to myself and it is so quiet, even with 3 dogs and 6 chickens!!!

I learnt a new stamping thingy this morning ..... a resist technique ... it was in the November issue of Craft Stamper. As I didn't have all the materials that were used in the magazine , I had to improvise with what I had. I made a thank you card for the tenants at the sheltered housing court where I used to work, to thank them for the fuss they made of me and the gifts I received when I left my job so I could go to college.

I have a few ideas going round in my head now of other ways I could use this technique. It was good to be crafting again :-)

I have managed to ....

squeeze a bit of crafting into my day ....... Hooray hooray

One of my projects at college is a magazine project and we are to decorate our project book to reflect what is inside. Well my magazine brief is for an arts and culture magazine called Juxtapoz and I am thinking of doing a feature on Alterd Art, but I haven't totally made up my mind about that yet. Anyway here is my very boring grey sketch book before I altered it

Thanks to some Paper Artsy stamps, which I stamped onto colourful magazine pages, my ATC that was published in Craft Stamper magazine and my trusty Sakura glaze pens, my book looks like this.....

I might add some ribbons or fibres on the spiral spine, but that is it for now as I've got to get on with some real work for another college project that has to handed in this week.

A new banner...

... for my blog. Been having a wee play in photoshop today with a few things that I have done at college. Just put them all together with my favourite fairy ATC. Not totally happy with it, but it will do for now for a wee change. I need to have a play around in Illustrator and get more familiar with that, than I might come up with another banner.

I'm thinking ......

I really need to make a new banner for this blog. and a nice new background for my Twitter page. Just need to find the time to do it......................

I can't believe ........

I've been at college for 4 weeks already. It's been hard with having to work, a house to keep and my dogs and chickens too .... but I am enjoying every minute of it and learning so much.

Been playing in Photoshop today and the 2 prints that I made in art class have come together quite nicely .. if I do say so myself :)

This

and this

have become this

and this

I've not had any time to get any crafting done lately, but I am hoping to start to try and squeeze some in.

Queenie has started to lay again so she must be getting used to hearing The Draymin rehearse and this is my favourite song this week ..........

Sean did his abseil off the Falkirk Wheel last weekend for Meningitis Research Foundation, if you would like to make a donation please click on the Justgiving.com button at top right of this page.

thank you to everyone who sponsored him.

Here's photos of Chris, Sean, Gareth, Teresa and Beth who all did the abseil. I was going to put music to it, but the Youtube music is total c**p

The Draymin are back together ........
....so my son has just told me. Now the music over the last few weeks coming from their so called sound proof hut was a bit of a give away to that happening. Here's my favourite Draymin song at the moment

I don't think Queenie (my chicken) likes the Draymin, she hasn't laid an egg for days now. Oh well! can't please everyone..... she will just have to get used to hearing them rehearse.

I survived..........

my first week at college and I've even managed to find time to do my "homework". All the class had to make personality posters over the weekend to hand in on Monday (last Monday that is). Here's mine in all it's glory, LOL

we then had to stand up on Monday morning and explain to the class what we had done and why. It helped break the ice and we all found out a wee bit about one another. They are all now hanging on the wall in one of our class rooms. LOL just got to get on with my "homework thats to be handed in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It's like being back at school, but better. I should have done this years ago.
When O when will I find time to craft again???

Some very exciting things .....

have been happening...........well exciting for me anyway!!
Thursday was my 1st day at college, a bit nerve wracking but mostly exciting. I'm the oldest in the class, my class mates are all teenagers :-) but that is fine, they seem a good bunch and I can see we are all going to have some fun.
Thursday was also exciting because my new computer arrived. I've been needing a new one for ages, so decided to treat myself as I would be needing it for my college work.
Boss knewI would be going to college (she encouraged me to go for it!!) and is letting me split my shift in two. So I will be doing half my shift in the morning starting at 6am and then the other half whenever I get home from college.
Dora the hen has been laying an egg every day noo for over a week, just waiting for all the other hens to start laying too!!! come on girls!!!! we want eggs!!!

It's been a long long time

since I last blogged, in fact it is over a month and so much has happened that this will be a bit of a long blog. The last 8 weeks I have been busy with all the pups and having families coming to view them and keeping the puppy blog updated. It is quiet around here now that all the pups have gone to their new homes, but there has not been much crafting going on. The big living room make-over came to a halt, but is starting to to get done now.

I have had exciting 3 things happen since my last blog. The first thing, you might remember me saying in a previous blog in April that I had done something that I had wanted to do since I was 16. Well, I have been accepted at college (me! whoo hoo I'm going to college) to study Graphic Design and New Media. I'm so excited and nervous, but if I don't do this now when I've been given the chance than I'll never do it and would look back and regret it. So I'm off to college at the end of August.

The second thing that happened was I had one of my ATC's published in August's Craft Stamper magazine. How excited was I when I saw my ATC with my name on the page? Everyone was fed up with me showing it to them. I have had artwork published before in an advertisement, but my name wasn't on it, so no one knew I had done it. So this was special to me.
The third thing that happened was, my chickens have arrived. When I first thought of getting chickens I was just going to get 3, then it was maybe 5, but then I had to have one more, so I now have 6 chickens. Still waiting for my first egg though!!

Above we have my Issa Brown hen called Dora, who my grandson Kian named, he also named the Sussex Star (white hen) Iggle Piggle for his wee brother Kailub. Kian was great with the chickens and loved it when Dora ate out of his hand. Below we have my Rhode Rock hen called Abby, in honour of the Buckfast monks (my sons choice of name).

At the end of my last blog, I rememered orange squash, I used to make this from my grans and mum recipe when my children were growing up. I have started to make it again, but it never lasts long, my children (all adults) still love it and so does my grandsons. I might post the recipe here in a future blog. I also have started making home made bread, which so far has been turning out quite well, still room for improvement though.

I also managed a day out at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh. I had a totally great day, as always there was so much to see and do.

I never knew you got ginger sheep?

And of course I had to see all the highland coos

I always love to watch the lumberjacks racing up the poles,

The last night before the last pup went to his new home I managed to snap this photo of dad (Buzz), mum (Fearne) and the last pup together. Do you think they know it is the last night they will be together?

I think I have covered everything ......... I feel that I've forgotten something ...... Oh well!! theres always next time

Debbie XXX

It's been ....

...a week since I last blogged! How do people find time to blog every day?

Last weekends BBQ went well and it was great catching up with my sister and 2 brothers and their wives and my nieces and nephews. We don't live that far apart, but we don't see one another enough we are all too busy do our own things. My uncle Mike was there too, he has been staying at my mums (well it is her brother) for a wee holiday before he flies back to Australia on Monday. This will most probably be the last time I see him unless I win the lottery and pluck up enough courage to get on a plane. If I was meant to fly I would have wings!!!

The big living room make-over (to shabby chic) has kinda come to a stand still, but it will get finished. anyway I did get the TV unit painted so here is the before photo

and here is the after photo with my new TV on top. Daughters TV broke so had to get an new TV so she could get the old one, so good reason to get new one LOL

Look at my OH veg petch (as our grandson calls it) everything is growing well. That's my chicken run in the background, more about that in the days to come.

Now our grandson Kian wanted to plant his own tottie (like he did last year) , so he planted one in a big tub. Here is your tottie noo Kian

I managed to snap this photo of a greenfinch the other morning, they are nesting in our garden. We also have blackbirds, blue-tits, thrushes and wrens that I know of nesting in our garden this year.


The pups are all growing and getting livelier by the day,I have been busy looking after the pus and I have updated the puppy blog today.
My only crafting this week has been a wedding card and a guestbook. So pleased that I managed to squeeze a wee bit of crafting into my week.

and finally (I bet your glad) look what came doon oor street today........

Natalie a young lassie from up oor street was getting married and this was her transport. It was just a pity it kept raining on her special day. What a way to travel and the horses were stunning, Oh! and so was the bride.
At last it is the end, I think I have covered just about everything. I've just remembered orange juice, but that will have to wait for another day!
Debbie xxx

I'm in mourning :-( ..........

one of my blue orfs (fish) has died. I found him floating in the pond :-( He had lived in my pond for 6 years and had grown to about 12 inches long. He has left behind his orf friends, another blue orf and two golden orfs and a wee baby golden orf. I hope he is orf to fish heaven :-) He was buried in the garden and he smelt orf-ful.......

anyway been really busy .... whats new?
pups are all growing and getting livelier by the day and shittin' more
pond still has a leak somewhere
chicken run is built OH is sorting oot the coop
Oh veggies are all growing and so are the weeds
bought a new TV
ordered wine making stuff (going to make elderflower wine) ... do I really have time to make wine?
made two lovely quiches and a batch of drop scones ... they're all gone noo!!
not a single bit of crafting has been done this week, I must get creating again, I must find the time!
Going to a BBQ tomorrow at ma mums, a bit of a family gathering

Off to give pups their supper and then relax for a wee while before bed.

Debbie xxx

Another chair ......

and the TV unit have been painted this afternoon after my work. This is going to take me ages to do ....... I need a week off work!!! :-) photos will be posted on another day. I'm awa for a wee glass of wine and watch a bit of TV.

Debbie xxx

What a scorcher.....

this weekend has been. It's been far too hot for me to get any gardening done, I would have been burnt to a crisp :-)

So I started on a wee project (that's turning out to be a bigger project) in the hoose. My living room needs a total make-over and I am going for the shabby chic country look. I managed to pick up a pine dresser from a local secondhand shop at a very good low price (I hate partin' with hard earned cash) and this is going to get a makeover too. I've been looking for a secondhand extending pine table and chairs, but had no luck. Then thought why part with cash when the table and chairs I already have are sturdy and serve the purpose that they were made for. I'm just fed up with the dark mexican pine look. So here is a chair before makeover

and here is the chair after a wee make-over, painted with ivory satin paint and then rubbed with sandpaper on place that would wear to give it that distressed look. I love it :)
Now I've just got 3 more chairs, a table, a dresser and a tv unit to make-over. Then walls to paint, curtains and blinds to make, a new rug to buy. I think thats all.......

I had a sympathy card to make, so I kept it quite simple. I used the soft shimmery card that I used last year for the wedding invites.

Now as if I already don't have enough to do, my application is in the post for an allotment. There could be quite a waiting list so I should have time to get myself more organised before I get an allotment.

Measurements and plans have been done for my chicken hoose and run and friendly Mr PJ is going to order the wood for me (cause he's a joiner and can get it a wee bit cheaper). So I am starting to get excited, cause I could be gettin' ma chickens soon. woo hoo......

The pups all opened their eyes on Saturday and they are moving around a lot more. See videos and photos on the puppy blog.

Well I'm off now to do a bit of sanding and painting

Debbie xx