Attention to details - Blogtoberfest #31

I can't believe that I have actually managed a daily post for a whole month - it hasn't been easy and at times have found myself scratching my head and wondering what to post about some days.  I take my hat off to those that always blog daily - it takes a lot of commitment!!

Anyway back to today's posting and Happy Halloween to those who celebrate - not having any children I have never really bothered with Halloween but all the dressing up does appeal to me - you may remember last year my dear niece had a horror themed fancy dress party, I blogged it here

My sister had done a wonderful job of decorating the house in a spooky theme for the party, even the downstairs cloakroom had been spookified.

Good job that spider was plastic!!

I didn't wear my glasses and for most of the night I thought this chap was an unsociable party guest sat in the corner using the pc

I felt such a twit when I later found out he was just some 'Guy' but he made a great dance partner for my Mum.

The entrance to the kitchen

Other deccies -

I made my vampire cupcakes and made toppers for them using Stampin' Up oval punches, some PC generated sentiments and  tiny bat & spider punches.

New Baby cards - Blogtoberfest #30

As well as making loads of Christmas cards I have also been restocking my other cards ready for the fundraiser on Friday.

Here are a couple of quick and easy baby cards that I made using an image from Penny Black T for transparent set 'Bundle of Joy'

The scalloped border is a 12" sizzlet die and the oval punches are both Stampin' Up, the sentiment is by PI.

Christmas card making marathon - Blogtoberfest #29

This weekend has seen me embark on a Christmas card making marathon for my fundraiser at the end of this week.  I managed to make 66 cards in the end, the whole process was speeded up by having a huge pile of stamped images that had already been coloured or glittered the week before.

I won't get time to photograph them all before they are bagged up and priced up but will select a few of my favourites.

My next job is to put an insert into them all, bag them and then price them all.

Any leftovers will go into my box of Christmas Cards!!

The Perfect Read for Halloween - Blogtoberfest #28

I have recently read this lovely collection of dark mysterious stories called Entangled by Travis Little. 

This is what Amazon has to say about the book - "There are moments in all of our lives when we become 'Entangled' in situations that we seem to have no control over, and are unable to understand the direction that we are being taken. The stories within 'Entangled' show that there is always hope, always a reason for certain events that happen as well as a way back to a safer place. In 'The Gift', a teenage runaway gains help from a stranger who shows her what may well be the ultimate gift. A lone walker meets the mysterious yet beautiful 'Sevarine', an artist who lives and works deep in a forest, and uses unusual materials in her work. The ghosts of former owners wait within the silent corridors of 'Greystoke' for a new owner to release them, whilst childhood memories and a hidden secret draws someone back to a much loved coastline in 'Crenin Point'. The wishes and secrets within ourselves are brought to the fore by the visitors who enter the foreboding 'Granton House', and the collection ends with the arrival of 'Ethan', sent to re-shape the lives of certain people before the birth of a child. Sometimes in life we just need to believe"


My favourite stories were Crenin Point and Granton House, I found the whole book very un-put-downable (if such a word exists!!)  and couldn't wait for each evening when I could have time to disappear into the book and wrap myself up in Travis Little's story telling again.  It is definitely a book that I would read time and time again.

So if you are looking for some spooky, mysterious reading matter for Halloween I can highly recommend Entangled to take you on a dark journey.

Thanks to Lesley Holmes for the use of her photographs xx

Promarker storage - Blogtoberfest #27

I promised in this blog post to look in more detail at my Promarker storage.  It has taken me a while to find something that works for me - it needed to be something very portable but also not taking up a lot of room.  I also wanted to be able to find the colour I wanted quickly and easily without having to rummage around in a box.

I wanted to use this Amy Butler table top bag that I had got at a retreat and I found these vanity case compartments at Muji - three of them fit the bag perfectly.

The tote has pockets around the outside - perfect for keeping the grey sets and the limited edition seasonal sets

I have colour coded the tops and found glossy accents is perfect to stick the coloured in label.  I got a promarker colour chart from Passion for Promarkers, I have had to add the limited edition colours round the edge - hopefully there will be a new chart soon that includes the four extra sets.  As you can see I have plenty of room to expand my Promarker collection!!!

Ribbon Girl Blog Giveaway

One of my favourite online places to buy ribbon - The Ribbon Girl is having a giveaway.

Take a look at their blog to see how you can enter!!!

My Monthly Make - Blogtoberfest #26

More jewellery for my monthly make for October, a few months ago I made this flutterby bracelet for my June monthly make.  My sister asked me if I would make her a red crystal version of it.  I ended up making two bracelets as I wasn't sure what shade of red she wanted so made a dark red one and a lighter more orange red one.  She chose the dark red one and I never got a chance to photograph it before she collected it.  But here is the lighter red version.

Stretchy bracelets - Blogtoberfest #25

As well as making the memory wire bracelets, I have also made some quick and easy stretchy bracelets for my next fundraiser.

The last time I made these I never got a chance to photograph them as my sister took them to her work place and sold them all - hopefully these will fly off the stall just as quick!!

Yet more cards!! Blogtoberfest #24

Just a really quick fly in with some more cards from my last fundraiser -

LOTV stamp, K&Co paper, LOTV sentiment

Penny Black stamp, Woodware and Stampin' Up punches, Pink Petticoat and Wild Rose Studio sentiments, paper from my scraps bag (might be Fancy Pants)

Penny Black stamp,paper from my scraps bag ?? Bo Bunny, Woodware, Stampin' Up and Martha Stewart punches

Happy Birthday - Blogtoberfest #23

 A few more cards made for my last fundraiser

Penny Black stamp, Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Penny Black stamp, Martha Stewart butterflies

Crafty Individuals Stamp, EK Success butterflies

Kanban stamp, SU frame stamp and punch

Kanban background stamp, Pink Petticoat sentiment, butterflies downloaded from Swirlydoos

American Pie - Blogtoberfest #22

I picked up this recipe back in 1994 when I was off sick from work with a back injury and had to resort to daytime TV for entertainment.  Jane Asher use to host an afternoon TV show called Good Living and one day featured this lovely, tasty alternative to a shepherds pie.  I only grabbed the basic details of how to make it, but it is one of those recipes where the quantities really aren't that important - you can just develop the recipe to suit yourself.

Ingredients

500g (approx) pack of turkey mince
1 onion
1 jar or can BBQ sauce - I usually use the Homepride can
Lea & Perrins (optional)
Brown Sauce (optional)
1 x 420g tin baked beans
Grated cheese
Potatoes and assortment of root vegetables

Peel and chop potatoes and root vegetables - I usually use ordinary potatoes, sweet pots, carrots, parsnip and swede. Cook in boiling water until soft enough to mash with a little milk and butter - put to one side.  Quantities of potatoes and root vegetables depend on how thick a layer of mash you like on your pie.  Preheat oven to 190 c.

Chop the onion into small pieces and gently cook until soft in a little oil.  Add mince and cook until all the mince is browned - strain off excess liquid that has cooked out.  Add jar of BBQ sauce and other sauces to your personal taste - I always put a good dollop of L&P and brown sauce in but you could leave these out.  Gently simmer for 10 mins.  Stir in one tin baked beans and simmer for a further 5 mins.  Put meat mixture into a deep ovenproof dish and add rustic mash to the top and sprinkle some grated cheese on top.  Bake in the oven for about one hour.

 I always double up the ingredients and bake two large ones and a couple of small ones for Mr P to take to work - they freeze really well.

Serve up with vegetables for a lovely winter warmer meal - the weather must be getting cold enough for American Pie here as Mr P has been dropping lots of hints about the lack of American Pie for the last couple of days LOL!!!

Memory wire bracelets - Blogtoberfest #21

A few more bracelets ready for my next fundraiser!!

Made with memory wire and assorted bead mixes from Jillybeads and odd beads from my stash.

Orange Jelly - 

 

Greens are good for you -

Arctic Sunset -