I’m a star,I’m a star

Well not really,but I like to wind my scrapping friends up regularly that I am a professional scrapper.Just because I got to work on a few design teams.They humour me and just roll there eyes,

So for Shimelles first prompt it was about digging out some metal stashed elements

Now I know the class is about using up your old stash,but I was itching to use this new prima paper.I am determined though to use as much of my old embellishments as I can.So as soon as I found these scrapping related quotes  I knew I had to use the I’m a star title.There is a pull out hidden journaling card,where I will write the truth that in fact I am not really a star.Now you may ask well were is the “metal” element.I used a metal frame around the create sticker and a couple of yucky brown brads that had been lingering in a pot.

Then today I cracked on with the album to go with the class.I had a 6 x 6 chipboard album that I’d had for years so even though its a bit small it had to be used.That got me thinking that I HAD to use the 6 x 6 book of papers I got a few weeks ago at Anna's crop.They are lilac/green/yellow not my usual colours so I knew they would sit in my stash for years.

I popped to Tesco's to get some paint,which I must say I thought was fab.I dug out these book plates which I’d had since I’d first started scrapbooking.Plus I added some rivets to add some more metal.So here's what I came up with.I have no idea what the content is going to be?

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Friends

    

Not so bubbly champagne afternoon tea

I have been so busy this week.The week kicked off with an afternoon spent at the 5*The Grove Hotel.I had arranged the afternoon for two very “posh” ladies and myself the Kerry Katona of the party.We didn’t want to go too far,but wanted to do something that was a real treat.So Champagne afternoon tea it was.The day started of on the wrong foot.I couldn’t fit in anything I wanted to wear and I was very unhappy with my outfit.Made even more so when both my friends arrived looking very dapper and classy and I was wearing a tutu!!!!

When we arrived at the hotel it turned out they didn't have my reservation.Then the waiter disappeared into a black hole when he went to ask the chef if we could be accommodated.We never saw him again.We were finally seated,but I had asked in my phone call to reserve the lounge, if something could be arranged for me to eat.I was concerned that I may not be able to eat any of the sandwiches or cakes because of my SED.She said something would be sorted and she would talk to the chef.Of course no arrangements had been made.I was right to have been worried ,when the sandwiches arrived there was nothing I could eat and the cakes ALL had fruit of some sort in them,which I too don’t eat.I ended up with two small plain scones and a cup of tea (which I don’t really drink)

We were the only people in the lounge and yet we waited ,waited and waited  some more for anyone to refresh our cold tea or to bring the glass of water we had asked for.

For what you see above plus 2 champagnes and a pot of tea was £85 ($130)!!!!

When I returned home and told my husband he was furious and immediately rang the hotel.He knew how much I would have been embarrassed,sat with just a scone all day.

The result of hubbys phone call was an email from the hotel today,apologising for my less than perfect day,and the offer of another afternoon tea or our money back.I will have to see what the other ladies want to do.They had thoroughly enjoyed our time together,and were too nice to complain.I don’t think they realised how upsetting it was for me.So they will be shocked to hear we may get to do it all again.

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Something from “almost” nothing

The day is nearly upon us.

Shimelles new class.Something from almost nothing starts this week

Well I have been checking out her forum where people have been posting pictures of their stash.Believe me they are not working with nothing!!!!!Some have as much stash as a shop.

I looked up the definition of stash:to hide or store away in a secret place.Something such as money or an illegal drug.Well as we all know those colourful 12x12’s are very addictive like a drug and I am sure a lot of scrappers would have a shock if they calculated the cost of  the “stash” they are squirreling away.That's something they would definitely keep secret from their other half.

I still feel I have too much stash that’s just sitting there,doing nothing.I am very good as restricting the amount I buy.But when the house is finished I would like to start subscribing to a kit each month.I would love a studio calico kit.But with the way the pound is dropping it doesn't make sense to at the moment.Kits it seems can be where the problem of excess stash comes into play.

So this new Shimelle class  works a treat for me as I would like a bit of a clearout, before I go to the States in June.Hopefully I will be coming home laden with LOTS of goodies.

This is the dresser where I currently keep all my stash.There’s also a crop bag in the picture somewhere .

We are in the process of renovating an old bathroom into an office/scrapbook room.

So all my stash will be moving from the conservatory to upstairs.As you can see there is a bit of work to be done.It should take my Supersonic husband about a week…..?

He had already boarded all the ceiling before I got a chance to take a picture.I’m really not sure how to design the room.I’ve told him he has to carry the current HUGE dresser  upstairs,so I can have a look if I like it up there.So I am popular….

I have a restriction in the room from some water pipes to the new bathroom.They are throwing my designing all of course.So for a change I am having problems invesiaging  the finished room.I think it maybe a room that has to evolve.

But you know what its like you want everything in one place.I would like

• all my photographs and albums(1000’s!!!)
• sewing machine
• computer
• printer
• magnetic notice board
• work table AND worktop area
• TV/radio
• stash
• interchangeable display wall like a gallery

What would you include in your dreams scrap room?

 

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(abandoned)

(sunrise-well 8am)

(whoops)

( Lover boy)

Glad rags and handbags

There is a bit of a handbag theme going around the blogs at the moment.My Friend Sandra,showed us inside hers here.All I’m going to say ,is its no wonder she has problems with her shoulders.

In the UK we call them handbags, in the States they are referred to as pocket books or purses.I looked up the definition of handbag and it says a SMALL bag used by mainly women to carry around small personal items.

Some people seem to carry half their world around in theirs.As with all things in my life I am anal about my handbags,I carry very little around with me.I have baskets full of lovely things to put in my bag ,but my back is just not up it.I have to carry as light a bag as possible.I don’t carry a hair brush or any make up except a lip-gloss.

What I love about handbags is that they always fit.You do not have to lose weight to fit into them.you are never too fat for a new bag,infact a big bag will make you look smaller.Maybe that might explain why I have quite a few.

I like good classic,designer handbags.Yes,they cost a lot ,but the fact you use them everyday means you get more value for money,than say a pair of shoes.

I am currently using this beautiful “boogie” Celine bag.It was the IT bag a few years back.Madonna and Gwyneth,among may other stars had it dangling on their arms.

This is my second boogie bag.My first black one was “stolen”from a shopping trolley.I couldn’t afford this one originally ,but when my insurance money arrived I shot up to Harrods and there was my favourite version 40% off in the sale.

The matching purse was in the sale as well,so I thought why not and bought that as well!

This is all that is in my bag.

I never go anywhere without my Chanel sunglasses.I wear them everyday.Even in the house when I have a migraine.I have my eye on a new pair that have just come out.I have found Chanel are the best sunglasses  for my face shape.The ones in my bag are green coloured as I don’t like black frames.

I am rather taken with these red framed ones.But I will have to try them on,to see if they sit right on my chubby cheeks.

 

 

I admit it,I have rather a lot of expensive bags,but definitely my most expensive is this Chloe,Paddington.

I got it a couple of Christmas’ ago.It was the last one of this colour left in the UK.It cost nearly a £1000 pound!!!!

I LOVE this bag but it is so HEAVY.I have tried everything to lighten it.But I suffer with severe pain every time I use it.Mine is in mint condition and maybe one day my daughter will use it as a vintage bag.

My usual bag is this Louis Vuitton speedy bag.It  was the first thing I bought with my inheritance.The key ring thing hanging is very useful,I use it to secure my bag to the shopping trolley.Its really an extender for the handle of one of my LV bags.My friend persuaded me to buy it for myself on my 40th.I’m so glad I did.

I had wanted a Louis Vuitton bag since I was 18.We had trekked all over Paris looking for the store only for me to find I couldn’t even afford a comb cover.

So years later when I saw my Husband coming up the garden path with a huge LV box after a trip to Paris, I couldn’t believe my luck.He had tears in his eyes because he knew how shallow I am and that I would be extremely happy.

He would have had more tears if he would have known at the time that he had bought me the wrong shape of bag.He had bought me a LV Alma.

The Speedy was what I had coveted.So for years I used this bag without telling him.

He then bought me this cute evening bag.I always take it away with me on holiday as it just sits under your arm.Its very well used and loved.

 

 

Unfortunately the new bags have now dried up.Hubby no longer travels far for work and all our resources are spent on the house.

But I’m sure I have enough to be going on with for now.Plus I have a few more I haven’t even shared on here!!

My friend Judith has ordered what is the Ultimate designer bag.A Hermes Birkin bag.They start from about $5,000 and you have to order them years in advance.This would be my favourite bag to own ,but sadly it would be far to heavy for me.As I found out to my peril when I bought this expensive mistake.Its styled in the style of a “Birkin”

It was my intention to use it as a bag to travel on planes with.

But seeing my travel has dried up of late,it too sits in a dust bag in my wardrobe.

 

 

 

I haven’t put an outfit on here for a while.I keep taking pictures and forgetting to put them on.So here's me dressed all in black.

I have my new silver pumps on and lots of jewellery bought for me from the above mentioned friend.

I was off to the hairdressers who I am giving advice too,on interior design.I had a go at curling my hair and it looked lovely when I left the house.But when I returned I looked like I had been through a bush backwards!

So its now stuck on the top of my head.

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(WORK IN PROGRESS)

Me OCD!!!!!???

My new linen cupboard is all finished.My supersonic hubby has pulled out  all the stops to get it completed.His next project is the scrapbook room.

The baskets all contain the linen for each bed.

The shelves go up in the cupboard much higher than the view here.

This used to be the doorway into our 5th bedroom.But we have made this room into our en suite bathroom,so after moving the wall,Hubby made the old entrance into a cupboard for me.

I had never wanted to lose the look of the landing with all its Edwardian doors.

So this works a treat.

I probably have more storage in this house than is legal!!!

I spent a lovely day at Anna’s crop.She had come up with a layout for us.Which I still have to play with a bit and a cute mini book.It suited the pictures I took of my nieces perfectly.

It has pop up photos and was supposed to have little pockets for pull out tags ,but I did mine upside down by mistake……..

As usual out came my K & Co for a title.

This layout is of a charity football match my son took part in.What a shame he doesn’t have this gorgeous red hair in real life,its so becoming.What a looker……

They were of course a team of kilt wearing Scots.I’m not sure if they were true Scotsmen under their kilts.They played against teams of ballet dancers,cavemen and a team riding emus.Ryan had played with some of the members of his team since he was 6 years old.Which may explain why they won the tournament.

I have just signed up ,like the majority of the scrapbooking world,to Shimelle’s new class.I’m looking forward to having lots of new inspiration and interacting on the accompanying forum.

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Spring sunshine ZZzzzzzzzzz

Perfect housewife cupboard

The Chuckle Brother from another Mother,kindly woke us with a phone call this morning.We never got to use our new shower this week ,as it leaked straight away.He advised us he would be here after lunch.We’ll we are still waiting and its 9pm!!!!

Lucky for me (and him) Hubby is very good with his hands!!!! He reckons that's why I married him.Both me and my sister married men good  with their hands!!!!

So sick of waiting ,he took the defunct part back to the plumbing shop ,exchanged the part TWICE and fitted it himself.He assures me it’s now working ,but that will have to wait for another day.

He’s upstairs now cutting and drilling away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s started on my new linen cupboard.Every ten minutes I get called up for the next position for the shelves.

I LOVE everything to look neat and tidy.Ever since I saw Anthea Turners perfect linen cupboard on her show,I have had to have one.

Every piece of linen she owned was white.

Every shelf was labelled.

Pure heaven.

So from then on I only bought white bed linen and towels from The White Company and the such.But Anthea, obviously wasn't renovating an Edwardian house.The towels soon looked like they had been dragged around the garden a few times.The bed linen is impossible to get the creases out of.

So all the towels are now all in a pile to got to the dump.I have streamlined the bed linen.Now each bed has just two changes of linen.I have to think of a way to mark the fitted sheets.We have two double beds, a king size and a single.They are all the same colour so I never know which sheet is which.Any ideas how I can mark them?

I have a day scrapping tomorrow with this clever lady.We are going to be making a mini book and a layout with Kaisercraft apparently.I am looking forward to having a look at her new book.

I had another baking session today.Just six massive cupcakes.I am looking forward to buying some cupcake inspired bits in Chicago.I definitely need a proper piping kit.I know a bad workman always blames his tools.But I have the smallest nozzle you have ever seen.(That reminds me of something Husband said on one of our first dates)I haven’t tried the cakes yet as my son just surprised me with yet another Mc Flurry.

I wanted to scrap some pictures of the day we went to choose Teddy in February 2009.We’d had a week of snow,but I didn’t want to miss out on the little cutie I’d been sent a picture of.We jumped in the car and drove all the way to Wisbech.I should have left the moment I saw Teddy's high jumping,neurotic mother.

But how could we resist this popped belly

and his little snub nose and square face

Little did we know that he would turn into the little terror that he is.Who would believe it of this little cutie.

He’s lucky we love him,even though all my new knickers now have holes in,he has an intimate relationship with Ryan's arm,he licks all the paint off my kitchen cupboards and insists on dragging me on every walk.

But then I suppose we’re not all perfect…..

Well except me…..