Happy Birthday to a very special Mum...and Happy Halloween to you all!

Image heavy....sorry.....xxxx

Just a quick fly through tonight. Just got home from a halloween birthday party at my Mum and Dad's house. Its my lovely Mum's birthday today and we always ALWAYS have a halloween party for her, normally its held at my Sister's house, but what with one thing and another we decided to have it at our parents house this year instead. We bundled round there earlier today and put up decs everywhere, took along pumpkin lanterns and giant cobwebs and spiders and then came home again. We changed into our costumes and then invaded them again dressed as witches, pumpkins, funky fairies, pussy cats and scary skeletons. For birthday tea we have had some delish jacket spuds, homemade chilli ( my sisters) and all the trimmings followed by cupcakes, birthday cake and other goodies. Unfortunately I have just remembered that sitting in their fridge is a giant choccy gateaux and some profiteroles that I totally forgot were there, so I guess a visit down there will be on the cards for tomorrow he!he!he!

.......hope to catch up tomorow..xx

Baby Cakes!

Today was the Sunday that my sister and her friends had their crop and her best friends Sharon and Lizzie decided to throw her a Baby Shower. This is Donna and Ian's 3rd baby and is due at the beginning of Dec, she has had a pretty rough ride so far bless her and so this was a lovely chance to give her a special day, she so totally deserves one.

She had some wonderful gifts from the girls that she scraps with and they laid on a lovely lunch for her too and the afternoon also included some fun games that everyone joined in playing.

. Me, Lauren and my Mum popped down to spend some time with them this afternoon and I made my first ever Baby Cake as a gift for her.

I must say it took longer than I thought it would and was a little frustrating to put together, but eventually I managed it....it does look a bit cluttered though LOL! It was filled with baby bits from me and our Mum.

I made a tag with a list of the ingredients, it's surprising just how many things went into it!

Here is my lovely sister, she certainly is blooming......I love her to bits..xxxx

Donna, you look beautiful Hun, you are a smashing Mummy and I cannot wait to meet the new little addition..xxxx Thank you for making me an Aunti again xxxx

Breakfasting on Banana Loaf.......Yummy!

Bit late in the day for blogging about breakfast, but that's what I am going to do LOL!

This morning Dale thought it would be a nice idea to bake us girls some scrumptious Banana Loaf for our brekkie, unfortunately we were out of eggs and so her had to wait for Tesco to open and then up he went, shopping list at the ready.

It wasn't long before the delicious aroma of Banana Loaf was floating throughout the house. Both Chloe and myself were in the lounge watching tv and Dale thought he would surprise Lauren by waking her up with a nice glass of milk and some warm buttered loaf, but her nostrils alerted her to the fact that something good was in the oven and she staggered downstairs before he could surprise her.

We all love Banana Loaf and we stand there wishing for it cool down enough quickly so we can have some, Chloe likes her bit as it is, but the rest of us are rather naughty and like it spread with butter...MMmmmmm! So here it is in all its glory.

If anybody else fancies the recipe to have a try yourself here it is for you. This is a recipe that my Mum has used for years and was a firm favourite at home when we were children and I love the fact that now my girls love it too.

You will need

4oz Caster Sugar

3oz Marg

1 egg well beaten

2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed or sliced ( we prefer mashed)

8oz Self Raising flour

pinch of salt

Cream together the sugar and marg, add the egg and then fold in the flour and salt.

Stir in the banana and then pour into a loaf tin and cook for between 40 and 50 mins in a fan oven at 150.

thats it....yummy! Go on , try it....you might like it :)

On another note, I have been rather busy today making something for my sister for tomorrow. Her friends are throwing her a baby shower ( for her 3rd baby due beginning of Dec :D ) and Me and my Mum are popping along about lunchtime, so I have been working on a gift today, hope to post some pics tomorrow after she has been given it :)

Totally Chuffed, that's me!!!

Yep, I totally am, well and truly chuffed to bits! A few weeks ago i entered a comp on a new challenge blog, called The Dotty Divas http://dottydivas.blogspot.com/ We had to take inspiration from a chosen advert and scrap a page based around it. This is the advert we used........

and this is the layout I made from it.....and I really love the page and had a lot of fun making it. Whats even more important though is that Lauren LOVES it :D!

The prize is awesome! Its 10....yes TEN packs of new release American Craft Thickers.....just feast your eyes on these little beauties......

and thats not all!!!! There is also a fab multipack of Bazzill from Jill at Cardinal Colours http://www.cardinalcolours.co.uk/catalog/index.php

Now if you haven't yet visited Jill's shop, then do yourself a favour, pull up a chair and go and have a look round! Its filled with THE most lush goodies and Jill's service is second to none, I bet you don't come away empty handed.

So anyway...I'm rambling now BUT, I am so chuffed to say that I WON, yep, me! I was beside myself when I read my email from Katy telling me I had won....I never win thing LOL! So, thats my news....good innit! Hope my luck passes onto someone else also.

So go check out the dotty divas forum and get involved, I am sure you will enjoy it :)..xxxx

Beautiful Beads and Bits....

On Saturday I went, with my best friend Sue and her Mum Chris, to Sandown Racecourse to the Big Bead Fair, it was brilliant, but packed and very, very hot.

Anyway here are some pics of the scrummy beads I bought.

I haven't had much of a chance to play with them yet, but I have a few ideas mapped out. The little silver charms I have bought are for adding to cards hopefully. Anyway, the only thing I have had chance to make so far is this bag charm/ key chain, I rather like it too, love the colours especially.

Pretty in Pink.....and other colours too!

Pretty In Pink

Evening all :)

Bit late blogging tonight, so this will be short. I just wanted to share another couple of cards I have made today. The little girls are Tilda's by Magnolia stamps and once again they are ones I have bought stamped images of from ebay. I have used a water brush and Whispers pens to colour them and added Stickles and/or Liquid Pearls. Let me know what you think :-)..xx

Wow! What an evening!

Hello again! Well, after having a wonderful time at The Big Bead Fair at Sandown racecourse today with my best friend and her Mum( more about that tomorrow!) I came home, had some bread and soup and then Dale and myself took Chloe up to the town Bonfire procession and firework display( Lauren went with a group of her friends....*sigh* she is growing up too quick!)

And what a totally fantastic evening it was, the sky was totally clear and filled with sparkling stars of its own before the fireworks had even started and it was lovely and nipppy, just how it should be. The town was alive with families and several teen gangs were hanging about having fun and generally behaving pretty well. The fireworks were breathtaking, I have ALWAYS been fascinated by them, ever since I was small and they still hold the same joy for me now. What clever people the manufacturers are to cram all those sparkly stars and golden showerfalls into the tubes, waiting to be set free at the flick of a switch. It seems that gone are the days where you had to light the blue tough paper and step back. Now its all electronically controlled and co-ordinated....with the odd stray banger thrown in from the crowd just for good measure! The procession meandered through the roads of the town, settled for a while for a drink and to re-fuel and then headed back along the route and down to the bonfire. The burnt out torches were collected along the way and dropped into large half barrels that were being pulled along by some of the society boys and those that were still burning well were thrown onto the bonfire.

I will leave you with a few shots, unfortunately they are not really in sharp focus, but they will do the job.

An easel card.

I have been blog hopping for ages now and found some truly beautiful and inspiring ideas both on the scrapping scene and also cardmaking. I have literally spent hours oooohing and ahhhhing over other peoples work and instead of getting on and making my own things I have satt and enjoyed everyone elses. So, enough was enough and yesterday I tried to make an easel card, with no instructions to follow, but just looked at one I had saved on my desktop and worked it out from there. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out and I can see I shall be making a few more of these I think. I thought I would put some of my bead collection to good use too and hung a little charm under the flower.....yep, I can definately see some more of these coming along. I am so sorry I am not sure what blog it orginates from, I think I found the blog from hopping from links on one of the Magnolia stamps one. There are some amazingly talented ladies out there, go have a look see....xxx

Going straight!

Lauren has been visiting the orthodontist now for nearly 2 years after being referred from her dentist to him. She has a slight overbite and was rather self conscious about the gap between her front teeth , so when, after the initial visit, he said she needed a brace she was 'chomping at the bit' to get it fitted! Its taken nearly 2 years to eventually have the braces put in place and originally we were told that she only needed one on the upper jaw, she has actually got them on both!

From the initial appointment when all the xrays were taken it was discovered that she was missing a tooth on one side of her jaw and that as there was no sign of an adult bud waiting to grow that there should be no reason for over crowding on that side. Unfortunately that tooth decided it was going to grow on the opposite side instead! And as there was no room for it the only place it could erupt from was the roof of her mouth **shudders**. After quite a traumatic removal ( for her and for me....can you tell I don't like dentists!) we have just had to wait for the fittings. Now I don't know about you, but when I was at school a brace was the LAST thing you wanted to have to have! My best school friend Lynn had a brace and I remember only too well the name calling and teasing she went through, it was horrid! But it seems that nowadays they are almost a fashion accessory and you are not a 'cool kid' unless you have one!

So last month we went down and Lauren had the posts and clips fitted and then a week later we had to return for the wires to be fitted on......oh yes and of course the all important fashionable coloured bands that they pop on at the end! Lauren had been thinking about nothing else but what colour to have for weeks and eventually decided on purple! She did suffer for a few days when the braces were initially fitted, but she has been pain free for quite a while now ,thank goodness. The orthodontist thinks that she should be sorted in about a year and will have the 'perfect smile'.....now I know I am biased, but i think she already had one....don't you?

A few older layouts.

Just thought I would upload a few peices of my older work :)

Have a nice day..xxx

Wooohooo! My first cards!

Yes, sad I know, but I am chuffed to bits with my first 2 cards. I ordered some stamped images from ebay and they came end of last week. So when I was down at my Mum and Dad's house doing some scrappping on friday I borrowed their Whispers pens and a water filled brush and had a play. I know I need lots of practice( especially with the colouring), but I am really happy with these first attempts. I guess I just treated the card like a little mini layout and had fun. I used some of my new Prima E-Line Bling from Cardinal Colours( I SHALL be needing lots more LOL) and some prima flowers frome my stash. It was actuallly really nice cutting up some papers that I have had for YEARS! It felt so good to actually get them out, use them and not just shove them into a box somewhere. Anyway, here they are....what do you think?

I have found a really lovely lady on ebay today who I am going to buy some other different images from, she has been really helpful.....so guess who shall be stalking the postie in the not too distant future LOL!

Today I have been working on a project for my December classes at Jill's, so far its looking ok, just needs the finishing touches ;).

Tomorrow I am having my Autumn colours put in my hair, I can't wait, I love being fair in the summer, but always love the warm reds and browns that I have in for the Autumn/Winter. I don't know about you, but I always like a new hair do better about a week or so after it has been done and had chance to settle. Well, I think its time I went for a surf about other peoples blogs, hope you all have a lovely evening.

ttfn..

Warmest wishes

Anita..xx

Totally Inspired...............

Totally Inspired .........

by the incredible Gabrielle Pollaco. She has long been a favourite of mine and never fails to inspire and make me want to scrap better. I have been working on this page on and off for a

couple of days now and I am really thrilled with the result.

After going away with my best friends, who are all very talented ladies, in April to a scrapping retreat I came home to a wonderful welcome from Dale and the girls.

But Chloe had made a special welcome home present for me. She had spent a long time with a pair of scissors and some leaves from the garden and made me this Welcome Home message. What a little treasure eh! And I thought it deserved a page. I have used Basic Grey,AC Glitter thickers, MM Mini Alpha Stickers, Prima Bling and other pearls and crystals, Stickles and mettallic thread.

What a welcome home!

Today has been a really busy one for us all. I spent most of this morning ironing, hairwashing and scrapping, then went for a stroll to find Dale and Chloe who were out skating ( well Chloe was anyway!) Then I came home and made 2 cards!! Yes me....who is so NOT a card maker! And I am really chuffed to bits with them, hope to upload some pics tomorrow.

Whilst I was busy scrapping with Chloe in the lounge, Dale and Lauren were busy in the kitchen. Dale fancied having a try at making some shortbread....and I have to say it was truly scrumptious and I can definitely say I look forward to the next batch they make!

Ingredients
125g/4oz butter55g/2oz caster sugar180g/6oz plain flour
Method
1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.2. Beat the butter and the sugar together until pale.3. Stir in the flour to get a smooth paste. Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm/½in thick.4. Cut into rounds or fingers and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Put on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale golden. Cool on a wire rack.

And that was our sunday......so I guess its back to work in the morning!

Warmest wishes

Anita..xx

The Pumpkin Patch Posse

Hello again. Hope you are having a smashing weekend so far? Well ,after this mornings excitement that was the shopping trip to Tesco, Chloe and I thought we would go along and meet my sister and her little ones at Sharnfolds Farm P.Y.O. at Stone Cross. We visit there several times throughout the year for strawberry picking, plums and always for the pumpkin patch. They have now just opened a little tea room as well as an onsite butchers and it was lovely after our patch visit to sit and enjoy a cuppa and a slice of delicious cake and watch the little ones playing in the play area.

Unfortunately we were a few days late to catch all the pumpkins before most had been harvested and popped into big displays at the farmshop, but there were still a few to be found and lets face it, its always good fun for little ones to trapse around in mud and stuff with their wellies on!

They have a huge variety of different pumpkins, squash's and other things at Sharnfolds and the different colours and textures are quite fascinating. On the way from the patch to the shop Chloe and Holly found a centipede type bug and a bright, lime green caterpillar ( hope it doesn't become a moth ***shudders***, I CANNOT stand moths!!

Here's hoping that the weather tomorrow is as lovely as it has been today, I have got 2 loads of washing dry in the garden and I have a sneaky suspicion that Chloe would rather like a ride down the Cuckoo Line again. Right, just off now to make some lovely fluffy dumplings to go into the stew that has been in slow cooker for most of the day, Dale should be home soon and I know he wants a haircut too so I best get my butt into gear!

Warmest wishes

Anita..xx