Wednesday Witterings!!!

So sorry about the lack of blog posts. I haven't had much time to be crafty for a few days......everyday life just keeps getting in the way and I'm sure you all know what that's like. After Thursday though I have nearly a week to myself.....just a girly film night on Monday with DD and DDIL and her sister and a Doodle Day next Thursday. Surely I will be able to squeeze some crafty time in.
We have set a date for our trip to New York. It won't be until February next year but I am already excited about it. I foresee a 'using up' period for my crafty stash as I try to save my pennies.
I'm so not loving the heat at the moment. I feel like a grilled lettuce....very limp and lifeless. Roll on winter I say.
We've had a lovely day with Ruby today. Mr Manic and I took her into town to buy things for her dressing up box then to a pub for lunch. Oh she loved that and had to try out every seat in the garden. Then we went to the garden centre to see the animals. A bit disappointing as there weren't many but Ruby was very happy looking at the garden ornaments and was fascinated with what I think is called a helicopter chair.....whatever.......if we had one there wouldn't be much garden left........it was huge.
Anyway I had best get to bed to be on form for her again tomorrow.
Thanks for your visit.
Sheila-x-

A Bowl Of Cherries!!!

We had a lovely day out with Ruby yesterday at Trentham Gardens. Gosh it was flippin' hot though. We started off with a walk around the shopping village and the highlight of Ruby's day.....a visit to the bookshop and the very unexpected treat of lunch at Frankie and Bennies where we sat outside. Ruby gave an impromtu concert for the other diners....singing the lullaby from the film Mighty Joe Young (not in Swahili....I hasten to add) and London's Burning. She had us in fits as her favourite bit is 'fire,fire' and I had visions of a mass stampede for the exit.
Afterwards we went for a walk around the garden centre where she tested just about every furniture display and we ended up outside falling in love with the Tiki Hut. We spent a good half an hour yelling cheers as we drank pretend cocktails. Ruby thought it was fab and we had a job to get her out of there but the promise of some ladybirds on sticks to take home for the garden did the trick.
I've digiscrapped one of the pics we took using a Sweet Shoppe kit called Cherry Sweet.
Today I have been skulking up in my room away from the sunshine and heat as I ended up with a pretty bad headache after being out in it yesterday. I've done quite a bit of diecutting of big scalloped circles which I shall put to good use at the weekend.
Tomorrow is a Doodle Day and I was considering taking her swimming but I'm not sure that my little corner of the world....or any corner of it come to that......is ready for the sight of me in a cossie so I may rethink that one.
Well it's a bit early but I think I am ready for getting my head down. The heat really does me in.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sheila-x-

Simply For Dad!!!

Just a very simple card for Father's Day.
I have used paper from a MME stack and an image from a Sweet Shoppe download.
It's been a pretty quite day today. None of the hustley, bustley sounds of people going about their weekend jobs nor sounds of children playing. It was a bit weird really. Still it gave me a nice peaceful day upstairs and I got a lot done before I had to come down and feed DD at 5pm and then Mr Manic at 6:30pm. I can't go back up now as the Mr is gone to the Land of Nod so I am going to have a bit of a browse around some New York City breaks and shock myself with how much money I need to save.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

Upstairs, Upstairs!!!

Here is one of the cards I have made using the doilies I painted the other week.
I do apologise most profusioushly for the rubbish pic but I am trying out various programmes at the moment to replace my Microsoft Picture It which will not work with Windows 7 (my upstairs computer died and I am now using the downstairs one for everything). This one has been done in Scrapbook Artist.....which I can do without resorting to bad language. I have also been messing about with Gimp 2 which has me totally baffled.
Anyhoo.....I have used K & Co paper, Quickutz circle dies, Sizzlet Flourish die and various flowers from Wild Orchid and Hobbycraft.
Large cream pearls are Paper Cellar and the small pink ones are Kanban....I think.
Well I have managed pretty much most of the day upstairs finishing off Father's Day cards which need to go down to the shop on Monday but a spanner has been thrown in the works by DS who has asked me to babysit tonight so I won't get everything finished that I wanted to as I had planned a late night crafting. I wouldn't mind but I won't even have the bonus of a cuddle with my Ruby as she will be in bed when I get there.
I'd best get off for a shower and get myself changed before I get picked up.
Thanks for dropping by
Sheila-x-

Digital Scrapping!!!

Needed to have a few quiet minutes after Hurricane Ruby had passed by today........boy was she hyper........so I thought I would have a play with some digital scrapping which I haven't had time to do for ages.
I've used one of the baking pics I have already blogged and a Sweet Shoppe download called Baking Day Memories which I bought some time ago. Ruby will be thrilled when I show it to her tomorrow.


DD is back from New York. The poor girl got back home at 2pm-ish yesterday and had to be at work for a night shift by 8pm so she hadn't had much sleep. Today she slept like a log but I think it will take her a couple of days to get back to normal.
She had a whale of a time and took very special care to visit 808, Columbus Avenue (Michaels') and The Ink Pad in Greenwich Village where she purchased quite a few crafty items. The Grand Nestability Scallop Circles she got were ridiculously cheap with 40% off at M's.....bargain!!!
After seeing all of her pics I think I need to go to New York myself and the man from Manic Towers....he says yes. Not sure when it will happen but at least he is agreeable.


I hope Ruby is a little better behaved tomorrow. She has been such a little monkey today. I think she was still a bit hyper after a busy and exciting weekend. Lunch out with mummy and ganma on Friday, then a wedding reception in the evening and a trip to the zoo on Sunday. She particularly loved the wedding and told me all about her new pink dress and sandals...several times...lol!!!

Rightio.......I am off for a mooch around the web before bedtime.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Shattered!!!

Well.....I never got my nice peaceful day upstairs on Saturday. There just seemed to be too many jobs left over from the week to finish and other jobs that needed doing. I did try to grit my teeth and ignore them but it's hard to relax and enjoy my crafting when I felt so guilty about it. Good news was though that Mr Manic thoroughly enjoyed his day at the races and he did have a modest win so he was chuffed to bits.
Sunday we had the Doodle family round for lunch to wish DD bon voyage and then Monday we waved her off on the first leg of her journey as she and her BFF were staying overnight at a hotel near the airport. Luckily they haven't had to park the car there as DDIL's mum lives nearby and so they left the car at her house and got a taxi to the airport.
I got a call on Tuesday night to say that they had arrived safely and I expect that will be all the contact I have now as she will be so busy enjoying herself.......which is just as it should be.
Yesterday I had a lovely surprise visitor. Deb who I used to work for at the craft shop popped by for a coffee and we had a good old chat catching up on gossip and news. Thanks for that Deb......it made my day.
I have a nice relaxed start to the day today as Ruby won't be here until mid morning and tea for tonight is cooked. It sure makes a change I can tell you. I'm hoping the weather will play nice so that we can go out for a walk today.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

This And That!!!

 The very gorgeous Miss Doodle enjoying a baking session with ganma. She is such a 'girl' that she was more interested in which bits she could wear as jewellery.......although we did make several pastry snakes and worms.

She absolutely floored me the other day when I was sitting with her while she ate her dinner. Chatting away she suddenly turned to me, put her hand on my face and said 'you're boofiful ganma'. How cute is that? I mean we all know I'm not boofiful but how precious that Ruby thinks I am. Love that little bean so much.

Today I have been doing one of those 'life's too short' type jobs. When DS got married I ordered two huge packs of four inch doilies from the catering suppliers which I have never really done anything with. So today I set about painting some of them with some of my huge stash of acrylic paints. They look fab but boy what a boring job that was.
Anyway I have made a few cards with them but didn't finish until the light had gone so I shall have to take pics tomorrow. I have an unexpected day to myself as darling DDIL is taking Mr Manic off out of my hair for the day. They are off to the races at Uttoxeter. It would be nice if he came back a rich man.....lol!!!

Well I am off to do some investigating of a pile of discs I have found with no inkling of their contents written anywhere on them.
Have a great weekend.
Sheila-x-

The Best Laid Plans!!!

Yesterday was a non Doodle day so I decided that I would have a good sort out in our bedroom to get rid of some books and clothes. It all went very well and was done by just after lunch time so I then decided I would treat myself to a couple of hours or so designing some new cards until it was time to cook tea. Halfway through cooking tea there was a phone call from DS asking me to go down, within the hour, to the cottage to look after Ruby as he had a call to travel away for work. So the plan to go back up and finish off the cards was scuppered and by the time I got back it was time for Mr Manic to be off to bed and that was that. Result.......one crabby Mrs Manic I'm afraid.
Ruby arrived in a foul mood this morning so I'm not expecting a great day today either although she has gone down for a nap so she may wake up in a bit better mood.
This time next week DD will be having her first full day in New York. I've managed to refrain from slapping her or locking her in the shed......lol!!!
Right......I am off for a browse around the www while I have five minutes peace.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-