Craft Fair Goodies

Morning all.  Phew, it's been quite a busy weekend in the Frecklepuss household this weekend - well mainly for me actually.  With just one week to go before my craft fair, I have been frantically trying to get everything finished off and packaged.  I'm now finally able to show you some of my creations.

These six packs of cards are my new designs of note cards.  Apologies for the quality of the photo.

Here are all the note cards in more detail.  For this first one, I used some paper that was a free gift from a magazine. These free papers are ideal for this sort of thing.  I made a paper ribbon from black card stock and punched the tag from my new EK Success punch (a really useful one).  The sentiment is stamped from a pack of clear stamps I have had for a while - not sure who they are by.

This next set is very Cath Kidston-esque!  The papers were another free gift, but they are actually from Craftwork Cards.  A bit too floral for me personally but ideal for this look.

I used up scraps from one of my all time favourite paper stacks - Making Memories Boho Chic.  This nine square style is so easy to make, but very effective.  I finished it off with some Prima flowers and a little bit of bling.

Another Cath Kidston inspired look, same papers as before.  The scalloped edges are punched with my favourite Fiskars punches.

Again. more free papers and Fiskars scalloped punch.  The daisy is a Martha Stewart punch which I haven't used nearly enough.  The sentiment is from a Marion Emberson set of stamps.  I added a touch of glitter glue in the centre of the flowers.

And finally, same as above really except that I added a couple of Petaloo flowers as a focal point.  I think the sentiment is a Paula Pascual stamp.

These kept me busy for a while as I had to make five of each design.  I have made matching notebooks which I will show you another day.

I did find time to go to the cinema to see the next instalment of the Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 1.  I had booked the tickets weeks ago because I wanted to see it the weekend it was released.  It was a great film and now I can't wait for Part 2.  I will probably have to read the books again soon (have lost count of how many times I have read them!).

I am definitely Team Edward - even before I saw Robert Pattinson in the role.  Mark is very tolerant of my obsession thank goodness!

Well off to get back to the mundane jobs such as washing and ironing - the penance for yesterday I guess.  Have fun!

M x

Yippee!

The summer holidays are here!!

Well, it's been a roller coaster of a year but it finally came to an emotional end yesterday. I've had a brilliant two years with this group of children and it was hard saying goodbye and sending them on their way to secondary school. There were tears and hugs, presents and cards and lots of photos. The children and parents gave us some lovely gifts - lots of chocolates, flowers and some very generous Cath Kidston vouchers. I feel very lucky indeed.

And now the pressure is off and the holidays are here, and I've been thinking about setting myself some goals for the six weeks, and a few spring to mind.

1. To make my ME in my MoleskinE Journal from this clever lady here .



2. To enter into a challenge blog as suggested by the lovely Autumn Mist (check out her blog here .



3. To complete my current crochet WIP (more of that later).



4. Making a start on some Christmas cards.



5. Spending more time in general on my card making, trying out all my new products and being a bit more adventurous.



6. Tidying up my craft area and making it work more for me.

That's turned into quite a list - I didn't expect that. And the other thing is to find more time to share things with you.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

M x

CK Love

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I had the pleasure of going into my first Cath Kidston shop whilst we were in Winchester at the weekend. I have to say, I don't love all things Cath. I'm not too much of a fan of the very floral designs, but I do have a thing about spots. I was really taken with these gorgeous egg cups. The ones we have are a boring grey marble type of thing, which I have never particularly liked. These, however, really caught my eye.

I also fell in love with these really cute glasses. I could only buy two, as the pennies wouldn't stretch, but I will certainly be adding to them. In fact I love the whole dinner service, but I know I won't be able to get everything I want, so I'm going to set myself a realistic goal of owning a breakfast set of this design. What a wonderful cheery way to start your day!

Hope you are all enjoying your day. I am crocheting like a thing possessed at the moment, desperate to get my current project finished. My hands will never be the same again!!

M x

Weekend Break in Wiltshire - Day 1

We have just had a lovely weekend away in Wiltshire and the weather was glorious. It was wonderful to be able to walk around with no jackets on, we were very lucky.

Our first stop was Avebury Stone Circle. The last time I went there was over ten years ago, it was a bitter January day and I had raging earache - ended up in Swindon Casualty, ear infection! So not such happy memories. However, our experience on Saturday soon put pay to that! The sun was shining, the children were happy and I had no ear pain!

After an ice-cream, we headed off to Winchester. I've never been there before, even though I used to live in Salisbury and it is not so far away. We really enjoyed it, great shops, particularly this one! Edward spotted it way before I did, and it would have been rude not to pay a visit! I've never been in a CK store before so it was definitely a must. I did make a couple of small purchases which I will share another time.

The Council Offices and The Great Hall - beautiful buildings. Edward enjoyed seeing the Round Table.

Winchester Cathedral. Very nice, but not as impressive as Salisbury (although I am a bit biased!!).

Then after a quick bite of lunch, we headed off to Stonehenge. I had been here a couple of times. Mark has seen it and so has Emily (on the way back from her Year 6 trip to Torquay), but Edward had never been and was keen to go. It was, of course, heaving! But we still managed to be able to take lots of photos. It never fails to impress me, although from the road side it is not as imposing as you think. A different story close up.

We had a lovely day, and were pretty pooped by the time we got back to our hotel. After a short rest we headed out to Pizza Express for yummy meal. And then an early night.

M x

A Present from Harrogate

Mark was up in Harrogate last week for his work's Christmas "do"! Yes I know it's March, but they always have it at this time of year. As he was away for two nights I cheekily asked for a little present and look what he bought me!!


Now I have two lovely Cath mugs to brighten my day. Can't decide which one I like the best - I don't think I can chose.

Have a good week everyone.

M x

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone. Did you all have a great Christmas? I do hope so.

Mine was lovely. It was nice to spend time with the family and have a few days off from the television and computers. Even Emily managed to stay off her laptop for a whole day (no mean feat I promise you!!). The children were delighted with their presents - all total surprises. We played games - card and board although Pictionary promised more than it delivered!

Can you guess what I got? Here's a little sneaky peak.



Not only did I get a Cath Kidston mug . . .



Look at all the other fabulous goodies that I got, including my beloved Cath Kidston bag and the complete Season One of Glee - I am a lucky girl indeed! I also got a Robbie Williams CD and calender and a Robert Pattison calender, as well as some chocolates.

We have been quite busy since the Christmas weekend. Emily has been revising for her mock exams which happen as soon as she goes back to school. Edward has had a large amount of homework to complete (and he hasn't finished it all yet eeek!). Mark and I have tackled our bedroom, sorting out all of our clothes and generally decluttering. We have filled bin bags full of rubbish and have two huge piles of clothes to take to the charity shop. Whilst it has not been the most thrilling of jobs, there is quite a feeling of satisfaction, particularly as we can now see the floor and get into our wardrobes!!!

And so today is New Year's Eve. Where has the year gone? It seems to have flown by in a flash. I haven't planned any New Year's Resolutions yet - I know I want to push myself a little bit more with my crafting - mini books are something I want to make more of. I want to give my blog a bit of a face lift - make it a bit more colourful. I want to get a bit more exercise and be a bit healthier (we'll see how that one goes!!). And that's it for now.

I would like to take a moment to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Thank you for spending time with me this year and I hope you continue to visit in 2011.

M x