***HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY***

I find it hard to believe that my youngest grandchild is

today. She is such a little sweetie. These are some photos of her since her birth-day.

Our little princess.

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking time to read my blog.

Chain reaction!

One of my grandsons stayed over for the weekend and he knows the 'crafty' nanny that I am! His favourite fruit drink is J2O and after the cap was removed from the bottle, I had an idea! *Ting*. "Why don't we make something with the cap", I suggested. He was all for it! So, first, I made 2 holes with my eyelet setter and hammer.
We looked through my box of miscellaneous metal bits and bobs and found this ball chain. Check out your hardware store. They sell it by the metre/yard. B&Q and the big stores sell it too.

Then I thought we could fill the back with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder). Cameron wanted it to be gold, so I mixed some gold embossing powder with the UTEE. I don't have a melting pan, so I placed the powder in a metal food tray, (the sort your takeaway curry comes in) and used my heat gun to melt the powder - from underneath the tray. Once it had melted, I poured it into the cap - being careful as it was very hot at this stage.
Then I used my tiny alpha stamps to stamp his initials on the UTEE (had them years and never used them!) I used a black StazOn ink pad.
Next, I threaded the chain through the holes.

Voila.....simple pleasures.
Cameron loves his J2O neckchain....and there isn't another one like it in the whole wide world!

Happy crafting.

Swap shop!

I've had this very large office chair for ...hmm...at least 5 years and whilst it has served it's purpose, it was far too big to sit in and was taking up space that was needed, so I put it up for sale. It's been to boot fairs, an ad in the paper and in a local shop window - without success. I've been looking at it for a couple of years in the dining room and decided it had to go!

So, whilst I was browsing the charity shops this week, I noticed a rather nice little console table. Now, I didn't have the money to buy it but I did wonder if the guy would do a swap for it!
Sure enough, he recognised that he was the one getting the better bargain but in reality, I viewed it that I was. Get my drift? The chair wasn't being used and I had plans to transform this table.

Remember the tv programme 'Change That'?! I used to watch it religiously and I have transformed umpteen items over the years. Most of them I gave away as gifts and some have had their day and been disposed of. However, I love a bargain and whether it be new or secondhand, I can see the potential in it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and for the lovely comments you leave. I really appreciate it.

Toots for now,

Lighting the way!

I've been planning and designing my scrap room for quite some time now and am always on the lookout for ideas of storage and colour themes.

I LOVE black and white - my favourite colour combo of all time. You can then use - and change, any coloured accessories when you get bored. I am going to have 3 white walls with one fushia pink. I have everything now except my Ikea Expedit unit which I am hoping to get by September.

Yesterday, I bought my chandelier in BHS at a bargain price! It was reduced from £120 to £36 as it has now been discontinued. In the BHS brochure, there was a £10 voucher off if you spend £40, so that is what I did and I effectively got the chandelier for £26!! This isn't it. This is the Marie Therese which is similar. I couldn't get a pic of the Genevieve which is what I have but this is the link to the black one - although it says £60. I went into the store and bought it there and then. I have the clear.

http://www.bhs.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/bhsstore/976775/233051

I already have my chair which I bought in Dunelm Mill last September. It was half price in the opening sale but because it had a chip on it, I got another 10% knocked off! Instead of £99.95 I got it for £45.00. I do love a bargain.
All I need now, is to shift furniture from one room to another. It's like one of those 'slidey' puzzles - moving the squares around to get them in order! IYKWIM.

Toots for now.

It's My Life!

It's only March and already, life has had it's wicked way with me!

I'll feature the good things that have happened and then tell tales on life - and how it can deal a cruel hand at times.

Firstly, I saw the latest Disney film - 'Alice In Wonderland' at the Greenwich Odeon in IMAX 3D.
The price of the ticket was extortionate - £11.50 each and that's without any refreshments! A 'special offer' on a large drink and packet of sweets was £6.00! I am rather partial to Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Macadamia Nut ice cream, so before the film began, off went my husband to buy the ice creams while I chose our seats. It was not to be. The ice cream was too hard and as there was still a little in the tub - the girl wasn't allowed to go fetch a new one - in the hope that it would be softer! No ice cream for me. Twenty minutes and a talk with the manager later, he returned empty handed. How can they justify £3.?? for 2 scoops of ice cream anyway? A whole tub is only £3.00 in Tesco right now. Anyways, the film was pretty good - although I was somehow looking forward to more 3D-in-your-face features which didn't happen. We weren't even allowed to keep our glasses! Boo! We do when we go to Vue in Westwood Cross.

I shopped in Primark for some jewellery recently - not to wear but I had seen this necklace for £3.00 and thought it was value for money, with the idea to separate the flowers and use them as embellishments. Cheap for 11 flowers. Try buying those in a scrapbook store for that price!
I've been pretty busy with a HUGE canvas that my eldest daughter Lisa commissioned me to do for her dining room. It's not finished yet but I will post a pic when it is. Her decor is ivory with duck egg and a splash of fushia, so I have done the canvas in those matching colours.

If you have been following my blog for the past few weeks, you will know that my dear old mum had a fall, spent 4 weeks in hospital and is now in a nursing home. She seems to be settling in, although she believes it's convalescent!

Well, it's now father-in-law's turn!! Aww...he is such a lovely man and for the past 2 years, has deteriorated with Alzeimer's Disease! Anyone with a relative who has it, knows how cruel it is to watch them slowly lose their memory and act strangely and out of character.

My father in law loves to play the piano. Here is a photo that I took of him recently and it was one of the few occasions that he remembered the tunes.

Yesterday evening, we had a call from sister in law to say that he has had a stroke! He is now in hospital and she was told that he is expected to have another! Well, last night, I awoke around 2.30am and had the most painful swelling under my ear and around my jawline! I looked in the mirror and saw how swollen it had become. By 3.15, it was irritating me so badly, I decided to call the NHS Direct line. There wasn't a lot they could tell me but to put a warm pack on it. I did that and it seemed to ease it quite soon. Then back to bed, I fell asleep until awaking before 7am.

The last time that happened, was in January, the same time as my mum had a fall and I wasn't aware then that she had hit the right side of her cheek! My youngest daughter told me this morning, she too was awake at 2.30 am - feeling unusually restless, despite being really tired.

Today, I felt better and by the time I was dressed, the swelling had almost disappeared and the pain subsided. Weird.

What next I ask? I know life happens. Just give me a break. I hope you have had a good day. Make the most of the good times. Toots for now.

Something old!

Whilst clearing out my mum's home a couple of weeks ago, I came across lots of childhood memories. The bread knife that she used to cut freshly baked bread from the baker was inparticular a huge memory.
I must get the nostalgic gene from her as she had kept soo many beautiful things from her childhood. Photos and personal effects will remain with her whilst she is still alive but other items that she will have no need of in her new nursing home was shared between 2 of my sisters and myself.

Luggage tags....oooo... they were an item with TH on QVC, so I bagged them!Buttons....BUTTONS! .....a huge collection. Some very pretty and old. I remember my younger sister and I playing with them as children. They kept us quiet for hours - better than toys. Lace and ribbon. Who would have thought....well, I guess she did! Bless her.

A bottle of Iodine. Does anyone remember that? OUCH! Whenever we grazed ourselves, out came the Iodine and she dabbed some on the open wound!!!!! WOWEEE! No wonder we all avoided the kitchen when we hurt ourselves!

I also have this cute little pill box...

... and a sardine server!! How handy is that?!

A cute little owl came home with me too but he's not old....wise but not old!

The medicine cupboard in my childhood days contained a collection of weird and wonderful potions. Liqufruita cough medicine being one of them. Worked wonders for a cough. My eldest sister still uses it but it can't be bought in the shops now. It contained garlic but it wasn't an ingredient mentioned on the label. I wondered why it tasted so good! A jar of malt - used for my brother when he returned home from convalesencing after a car accident. I tasted all of these as a child - even when I wasn't in need of them!

Ahhh...memories.

"The most treasured heirlooms are the sweet memories of family." ~Unknown~

Have a Thuper Thursday and take a trip down Memory Lane....it's soo nostalgic.

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEELEY***

It's my baby's birthday today and I can't believe she is now 34!! Shock and horror.