One Size Fits All

Morning, sorry I didn't get back yesterday (well I did but the internet was down, bah!)

In my huge box of goodies was a tear drop shaped paper punch, it's an X-Cut for those of you that know about these things and I didn't want to let it go but couldn't think of what to use it for. So I cut lots from some swirly handmade paper and then cut some from some lovely metalic green and made this;



I didn't crop this picture like I usually do because you can see my rather groovy purple knitting needle bracelet that Swirly made for me! I love it and it gets lots of comments. And you can't see my lovely button ring that Jenny made for me on the other hand - I am truly a crafty person on so many levels!!

And here is a lovely thing that Kae-Lei brought me back from her weekend away where she celebrated her 8th birthday. A thank you for the present I made her. Think it says it all really, don't you?




Daisie xxx

From Yucky to Yummy

'There's a funny smell in the kitchen,' said Simon this morning, so when Nathaniel was having a snooze this morning I got down on all fours and decided to investigate the source of said smell.

We only have a very tiny kitchen and we have legs on the bottom of our cupboards (not a foot board like most other people). This makes the kitchen look bigger, don't ask me how but it does, and it's a great place to stash the stuff that we buy in bulk; cat food, washing-up liquid, orange juice cartons etc. The smell was definitely worse at floor level but I only have ordinary length arms so I went in search of a broom. Found one, back on the floor, glad no one came to call as it probably wasn't the best view in the world, me with bum in air grunting and flailing around with a broom. I managed to sweep out this;




A hair bobble, a triangular brick from a teaching clock (been looking for that for ages), Barbie's bicycle helmet, lots of bits of paper, a knackered orange felt pen with no lid, twenty pence (woo-hoo, we're rich) and I found what I believe was making the smell, if you look in the centre of the pic you'll see it too, a red pepper, or at least I think it used to be a red pepper! Ugh! There were also many grapes in various stages on their journey to becoming raisins, they can't have helped the aroma much!

Nathaniel awoke so off I trotted to fetch him downstairs, he sat beside the washing machine laughing at me while I swept my broom around one last time before filling the mop bucket. I found this;




A half squashed tin can, probably jumped from under my foot when being squished to go in the recycling box (they do that) must have said to myself that I'd pull it out later and didn't, a Barbie handbag, an empty water bottle (?), a toy motor bike thingie, and best of all a box of beer that still had two bottles left inside! It was worth it after all!! Don't know how long they've been there but they're going down quite well.

After collecting Francesca from nursery school and mopping my new empty under cupboard space, it's gleaming now, I decided to have a play with some of my nice papers. Francesca loves to help but some of her paper combinations were just scary, we compromised on some but the combinations were mainly mine (she just thought they were hers) and this is what we ended up with;

Quite pleased with these, am off now to drink beer and pack these lovely cards ready for sale and then off to bed to do some knitting, it has been somewhat neglected of late, Lynsey's book has inspired me again but I think she'll have a long wait for a gnome!!!

Daisie xxx

Tidy House?

Well, the day has been eventful, we haven't got dressed all day!!! Bad Mother, again! We've had a lazy day, Simon spent the morning in bed with a terrible tummy ache (I think the same bug that Elizabeth and I have had) and the girls did many interesting things with the bricks, Nathaniel tried to join in but got no further than eating the bricks, bless. I will post some pictures of their creations (and they took many) soon.

Just wanted to do a quick one tonight and show you my new tidy work station, this is the tidiest it's ever been (no, really)! I found loads of things that I forgot I had, it's been like Christmas.

Let me take you on a tour; this table sits behind the door into the kitchen so is a general dumping ground for all things paper and items belonging to the children. When my cry of "Tea's ready, clear the table!" this is where everything ends up! The green drawers were bought by Simon when we moved in here (1997) to store our, wait for it, cassette tapes. Needless to say we moved onto Cd's and then moved on again and now have MP3s instead. The drawers are now full of lovely toppers and embellishments for cards, card blanks, envelopes, stamps and inks, stencils and lots of other interesting things. On top of the green drawers is a huge stack of beautiful handmade papers Simon bought for my birthday. In the yellow box are cut out bits from last year's Christmas cards, ready to be turned into gift tags for this Christmas. The magazine boxes and the top shelf are where I store my SAMS card, great for all sorts of occasions. On the left of the top shelf there are reels of bargain ribbons, many of which have not been put to use yet.....The margarine tubs are filled with off cuts of felt that I use for badges and to decorate the Daisie Davies Gift bag. The bottom shelf has flat boxes with loads of compartments, these are full of buttons and tiny pegs and ribbons and sequins. Under those are boxes of acetate sheet, Simon made me stock up as he believes the time of the OHP may soon be over! There are loads more things hidden away and you can see on the right the assorted children's craft boxes and pencil cases. And last but by no means least, my trusty guillotine is there for all to see.

This is just paper crafting, wait til I show you a picture of my fabric room!

Night, Daisie xxx

Retail Therapy

Once we were organised yesterday me and the children went to a craft shop nearby where I had some birthday money to spend (from my brother) and it was like being in heaven, a little on the expensive side, but wonderful none the less and it wasn't like spending real money!! I bought, amongst other things, a large paper punch with the image of a dress which I have had my eye on for a while. Later we went out to our cash and carry and I bought some beautiful handmade papers (love fancy papers) and here is what I made whilst slurping wine last night:




While sorting out my dress photo I found a cool one of Nathaniel, we should call this 'Things To Do With An Infant Whilst Cooking' Number 3; give child large comedy vegetables!! Haha!!!




The snow is beginning to fall and the forecast is for much more over night so hopefully we'll wake up to lots of lovely whiteness and we can go for a walk in our wellies and throw snowballs then come home and get warm and eat chocolate easter eggs!

Daisie xxx