Monday 28 February 2011

Quickie

Hi everyone hope you're all well and happy. Just a quickie tonight.
I've been busy adding items to my  pretty jewellery website today and I'm glad to say everything is finally on now YAY.
Now when I get chance I can make some more items, which is the fun part. The new beads and pendants I ordered last week came on saturday and I'm hoping to use some of them this week, I've earmarked one of the pendants, a goldstone one, for myself.
I also went shopping last friday and bought some material and wool for some more baby items so that's yet more crafting planned for me. I dont know when I'll fit everything in but I'm certainly going to try lol.
Well sorry its only a quick one girls but I think its time for my bed now.
Hope you're all enjoying your crafting and take care xxx

Thursday 24 February 2011

Crafty week

Well I'm not doing much better at keeping up with my blog this week am I girls, tutut andie I must do better.  So what have I been upto???? Well I'm still on with updating my jewellery website, yesterday I put a few new items online and updated a few photos of older items too. Today I've been taking some more photos and hubby will be working on them and uploading some of them tonight. Hopefully next week I should have got most of my waiting items online. 
Because I've been photographing my jewellery its made me want to get my beads out for a play, so one day next week I hope to make a few new pieces. Also today I've ordered some new beads and bits and bobs so thats tempting me to play even more. I only went online to order some ring bases but ended up spending £30. I ordered some lovely navy glass pearls and some semi precious pendants which I'm really looking forward to using so I hope they come quickly.
Besides working on my website this week I've also been knitting, I'm really enjoying knitting baby things at the moment and on sunday I started another baby cardigan which I'm about halfway through and also during this week I've knittted 3 baby shoes. Yes I did say 3, one pair and an odd one still waiting for its partner because I didn't particularly enjoy making it, you had to use double wool and with really small needles so it was a bit of a bind, also you had to sew on the sole to the upper and sewing up knitting is not something I enjoy. I will get round to making the other one just not at the minute lol.

Just waiting for buttons

These I didn't enjoy making











I also had a go at sewing a baby dress on tuesday too, my friend eil sent me a copy of a pattern she had so I decided to give it a go to see how easy it was to make. I only used cotton sateen fabric lining as it was just a practice dress not intended to be worn. It was quite good to make and doing a practice run meant I figured out a few things I would do different next time. It turned out ok apart from I did go slightly off circle on the neckline which I did realise but as it was just a practice I didn't bother altering it. All in all its been quite a crafty week for me.

front view

Back view











Besides crafting I'm still going on my exercise bike most days, I do 30 minutes and try to do at least cycle a distance of 10.6km the distance from here to my mums house lol. The last few days I've been trying to go faster and go a bit further in the same time frame. Yesterday when I sat down on the sofa after my 30 minutes I could feel the back of the top of my legs vibrating, I hope this means it doing something good.
Right well thats enough from me girls, time to go see if our dinner is ready. Hope you are all keeping well  I'll be back later to catch up on all your blogs xx

Saturday 19 February 2011

Snow and websites

Hello blogettes. I don't seem to be keeping up with my blog very well lately do I, sorry about that girls. I do pop by to see yours but I keep forgeting to write my own, maybe I'm running out of things to say!!!!!!!! Mind you when has having nothing to say ever stopped me from talking lol.
Its snowing here this morning which I am not happy about. I saw enough of the stuff last year thanks and dont want any more now but unfortunately the weather doesn't listen to me. If it did we'd all be wearing shorts and tshirts now and sunbathing, instead its boots and winter coats for me today, oh and of course I'll have some other clothes on besides my boots and coat, I'm not some sort of weird winter weather flasher lol.
This week hubby and I have finally got around to making a start on taking photos of the boxes of jewellery I have yet to put on my website, items have been mounting up for months as we haven't added anything new for ages. We always seem to struggle getting the lighting right for my web photos and also the best way to take the items whether on a bust on card or whatever so this week we have bee playing around trying to find the best way. In the past I have used a black velvet covered card bust, a clear acrylic one and also laid or pinned items on card, both black and white, each method has had it s drawbacks and we've especially struggled with shadows and getting the true colours of the items to show.
A few weeks ago on a trip to ikea we bought a table lamp with a fexible arm so we could place it over my jewellery to give better light and also inspired by the lightbox Chrissy made for her card photos we decided to try something similar ourselves. We stuck 3 pieces of white foam board together to make 3 sides, used another piece with matt paper on for the base and then placed the angled lamp behind the foam so it angled down into the lightbox and onto the jewellery.  Its not perfect and the pictures still arent professional quality but its an improvement on what we had before. The detail and colour of the jewellery is a lot better this way.
So far we've taken about half the photos, now we just need to take the other half , and then hubby needs crop the photos to fit my website and upload them onto the internet, then I can add them to the website with their details, size and price, not much left to do at all then eh lol.
While we're at it we're going to redesign some bits to do with how my site works too. Well I say we, what I really mean is I'll tell hubby what I want and he'll sit down and play with the coding to see if it can be done or not and then do it for me. Hubby wrote all the coding and made my website himself which is great as I did get to have a few more things personal to me than on a bought ready made website but it also means I'm at his mercy for doing certain things as he hasn't shown me how to do a lot of the work on it (Mainly because I wouldn't understand most of it).
He has written a control panel programme which allows me to do some things on it without needing to know the working computer code so I can do things like add and delete items, change details, empty shopping baskets etc but the rest he has to do for me.
Anyway over the next few weeks I'm hoping we'll get all my waiting jewellery online and also do a few changes too, fingers crossed I can keep hubby in the mood for working on it.
Right well I've just noticed the time and I'm still in my dressing gown so I'm off to get showered and dressed ready to brave the snow, have a good weekend blogettes, especially Jo who's birthday it is today.

Friday 11 February 2011

Hello just thought I'd come on and write a quick blog before I get on with my housework, I don't even know what I'm going to write about I just thought ooh I know I haven't done a blog since wednesday lets do another a great way to waste time lol.
 mmmmmmmm eeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm what to put???????????????????
Lets see what have I been up to????? Not a lot to be honest, yesterday I spent most of the day ironing, no excitement to write about there then ....... Last night I made a few necklaces for my niece who has asked for a black & pink cameo necklace. To be honest I'm not that fond of any of them and so I'm not really expecting her to like one.It could be back to the drawing board with these.




After that hubby and I watched a bit of tele and I did  a bit more on my knitting, I'm knitting a baby matinee coat at the moment. I'm enjoying knitting baby things right now as my friend and sister from another mister Eily is expecting her first grandchild soon so its the perfect excuse to get the baby wool out. Yesterday I sent off a pram blanket and a cardi I've knitted and hopefully soon I'll have this matinee coat finished too.


I forgot to go on the exercise bike yesterday, I meant to go on after ironing but then I strarted on making dinner and once that was on I decided to parcel up some things I needed to get ready for posting today so I said I'd go on after tea, but then got busy with other things and didn't. I realised about ten o'clock I hadn't been on but thought it was a bit late to be doing it then and I'd started my knitting too so I didnt go on. The guilt is getting to me a bit though so I must make sure I go on today.
Well thats about all I can think of to put so it looks like there's nothing for it but to go get on with my cleaning YUK I am not a natural cleaner at all, but unfortunately we have to do it dont we so away I go.
Tata for now girls xxx

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Multitasking

I've had a very odd day today, you know how some days you just seem to be 'off ' a bit, well today I had one of those days, especially this morning. Yesterday morning I was chatting online with Eily while I straightened my hair and later we were joking about my multitasking abilities as I said I often do other things while chatting online like talk on the phone, doing my hair or making my lunch so I thought I was quite a good multitasker. Not so today.
I set off this morning chatting online while I straightened my hair again which was going ok until I burned my finger as somehow I managed to spin them round so my fingers ended up between the plates and burning my finger more than once.  Then my friend Jan rang so I put her on speakerphone to chat to her, I was also still chatting online and inbetween typing I was straightening my hair. I was just about managing these three things when hubby rang from work on my mobile. I went to pick it up to answer and managed to press the button to cut him off not once, but  four times !!!!! I ended up texting him to tell him to say I was on the home phone and hadn't meant to cut him off, luckily he wasn't ringing for anything important lol.
When Jan rang off and I had finished my hair I thought right I can concentrate on one thing now, just chatting online, but then I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to have prepared and put tonights dinner in the slow cooker this morning and had competely forgotten about it. I hurriedly peeled the potatoes and carrots, made the gravy, washed the meat and turned the slow cooker on high (with all the ingredients in obvoiusly lol) .
Lucy our cat had meanwhile decided to be sick underneath the table so when I'd finished I had that to clean up before finally managing to sit down and breathe....... but I had managed to get myself all wun up and to be honest, even when I could just sit and chat my mind was still going and I couldn't relax, so much for my multitasking abilities eh. 
The day got a bit better this afternon but I have still been a bit 'off kilter', even managing to get myself into a tizzy while putting my cardigan on before going out to the hairdressers this afternoon. I put one arm in one cardi sleeve then tried to put the other arm in its sleeve and couldn't understand why it felt so tight, after a few minutes tussling I realised I still had a couple of buttons fastened from when the cardi was on the hanger in the wardrobe. I felt a little like I was in a strait jacket lol. Eventually I managed to get myself dressed for the hairdresser and off we went. Luckily my hairdresser Cathy wasn't having the same sort of day as me and apart from me poking myself in the eye while I was there the visit passed without incident.  Im hoping the evening goes better fingers crossed eh girls x

Monday 7 February 2011

Blog awards

Hi girls well here I am accepting my blog awards I mentioned in yesterdays post, sorry it took me so long to accept them, it isnt that I'm not very grateful, I really really am, I was just not blogging last week due to decorating duties.
Here's the award I have been nominated for by Cathy at Its a stitcharama  and Chrissy at Ramblings of a rusty mind Thanks so much girls.

Now I'm to pass it onto blogs I follow and like so
Sue at Sues creative World I'd like to nominate you as I love to read about what you have been up to with your beautiful cake decorating and also house decorating x
Also I'm going to nominate my hubby's blog (nepotism anyone lol) he hasn't kept up with it since starting a few months ago but yesterday he said he might try again even though he hasn't got many followers (everybody say awwwwwwwwww for hubby lol) So Paul at Art, snowboarding and computers here's yours xx
Sandra at Sandyscards I'd also like to nominate you for your blog all about the lovely cards you make. x

I'd love to nominate the other blogs I follow too but they already have the award but Jo and Julie and Chrissy and Cathy who nominated me I would love to have nominated you too I really enjoy reading your blogs xxxx
Also a little while ago I was awarded another blog award by Jo at Just Jo Thanks Jo I don't know why I never accepted this one, I completely forgot about it, I don't know how but there you go I am a bit lax sometimes sorry x

I'll pass this one to Sue at Sues creative world too, I love her new background of cupcakes and the lovely photos she adds to her blogs. x

Thanks to all my fellow bloggettes for reading my blog and keeping me entertained by writing theirs xxxxxxx





Sunday 6 February 2011

By eck lass wis tha bin???

Have any of you been wondering where I've been lately??? I've been MIA from blogland for over a week now did anyone notice Lol.
I've got behind on the blogs I follow too and haven't commented for a few days, sorry girls but I've been busy decorating nephews bedroom while he's been away on holiday and although I have popped online a few times this week I haven't had as long to meander around as usual. I will be going round and catching up next week though I promise.
I've been nominated for a blog award while I've been absent so I will be popping alont to the blogs that nominated me and accepting them later with much thanks to Cathy and Chrissy who nominated me. This reminded me that Jo nominated me for another blog award a little while ago and I can't remember accepting that and passing it on either oooh dear I am lax aren't I so sorry girls I'll do them soon xx
I have another online thing to take up my time now too as my friend (and sister from another mister lol) Eily got in touch today and said she was setting up a group on windows live so we could chat live so I've spent a few hours playing about on there today seeing how it works, to be honest I'm still not right sure but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Me and Eily managed a chat anyway so we're not doing too bad, even chatted with her hubby at the same time too, bless him he was having to do all the figuring out and then tell me and Eily what to do. Thanks Al x
Apart from the decorating what else have I been up to since I last blogged???????
Oh hubby and I went up to my real sisters in scotland last weekend, it was my youngest nephews 10th birthday on wednesday so we went up to see him and also drop my mum off who is staying there for a visit at the moment. We had a lovely time with my sister, her hubby,two nephews and my niece.  Hubby especially had a nice time as him and brother in law went out to the pub for a couple of hours on saturday night and bumped into our niece who was out with friends. She introduced him to her friends and then asked my hubby to help her win a friend at pool, he won, so they were both very happy. Hubby said it was funny being surrounded by a group of young uns, Gem is 18 and her friends are around the same age, I think he thought he was down with the kids lol. Hubbys excitement didn't end there as they came back on the bus from the pub, he hasn't been on a pub for about 17 years, especially not the last bus on saturday night with a group of merry young uns, he said it was an experience lol. We drove back from sisters after lunch on sunday and got back just in time to unpack and make some tea before dancing on ice started.
I'm still going on my exercise bike although I have missed a couple of days with being away from home at the weeekend and also working on nephews room most days and some evenings this week, but I have managed to get on a few times. I try to cycle the distance from here to my mums house in the half hour I do each time now, I keep meaning to add up the total I've cycled since I started noting down the distance and see where I could have got to. One day I'll do it lol.
Yesterday hubby and I had a day at home we had the supermarket shopping delivered,and after a bit of a houseclean which had been a bit neglected due to my decoarating this week, we had a lazy day reading, chatting, watching tv and then in the evening we played wii games. Wii party is our favourite as it has lots of easy silly games on it. I just love the mi characters they are so cute and the little expressions they pull and things they do are so funny. On one of the games we played, spin off, when you won medals the character did a little dance and jumped up and down it was so cute hubby and kept joining in. If anyone was passing and saw us through the window they would have wondered what the eck was up with us but hey we had fun lol.

We had another play go this morning after we'd had a catch up with nephew Matt who came back from his hols today and then I've chatted online with Eily and Al, had lunch and now when I end this blog I'm going to do a little knitting for a while.
So its goodbye for now blogettes and I promise I will catch up on all your blogs this week xxxx