Told you I couldn't cook ................

Here is a pic of a bakewell tart that Milla made. I put it in the oven to bake it and I burnt it! So what I hear you cry, we all make mistakes. Yep I totally agree but I bet you can't burn FIMO !!!!!!! Not sure how to tell her but I guess she will find out soon enough cos she reads my blog! SORRY MILLSKINS!!!! I hope she make another one cos I thought the pastry bit was fab. Well it was fab until I got my hands on it.............

On my hols now - not a good start. Rain is coming in through the back door - been telling HIM for years we need a new door! Mopped it all up and then went up to the cabin (in the pouring rain) to check that - dreaded opening the door but guess what - BONE DRY. Would you credit it. Good job too cos Linda is coming over tonight to do some crafting ! I put the heater on when I went up so it should be really toastie by 7.30pm !!!! Got the blinds up now too (teal greeny colour) so we won't look like a couple of goldfish !

Been up the town this morning too. Milla wants an elf skirt made for her and her friend. Don't ask. She wanted it made of felt. Went to Fabricland (in the pouring rain!), couldn't find any felt so I got a fab green suedette type fabric. One metre and a reel of cotton plus some elastic and some wide red satin ribbon for the wasteband - £4.25 odd I think !!!! The cotton was £1.25! I think the fabric was £1.99. Not bad eh? Will start that tomorrow.

Well best go and check the kitchen floor.

Thanks for stopping by.

Burnice x

Friday 27 November

Just got back from a pre-op assessment with Ron. He has a hernia. They did all what they had to do and then told him to go back to reception, see James and ask him for a date. Course Ron the wag said "I don't want a date with James, what would the wife say?" Anyway James arrived (Wouldn't have minded a date with James meself!) and gave him 7 December! Ron said he thought that was a bit too soon, what's the next date after that so they said the next week and so it went on.

I persuaded him to go in on the 7th cos he will have to be off work for six weeks and I have a surprise anniversary pressie for him. On 11 January we will have been married 35 years (I know - I ask myself the same question - how did I put up with him for sooooo long!!!!) and I have booked for us to go and see Cirque de Soleil at the Albert Hall on 14 January with an overnight stay in a hotel.

I thought having it done that soon will give him time to recouperate and be fit enough to do the travel to London on tubes etc. Course I couldn't tell him why but I just said "Best get it over and done with dear" and "Least this way you won't have to think about it for too long!" Also I am off work that day still on me little hols so I can drive him there and go fetch him.

Sorted then.

Off to Wickes in a min to get the shelves for my cabin now and then to Homebase for the blinds. Then at 3.30 get Milla from school as she wants to come and see her nanny this weekend. I have a sneaky feeling she wants me to do something!!! We'll see...........

BSL was good last night - did signing for clothes, days of the week, months and years. Just two more to go then break up for Christmas. This is just such an exciting thing to do. Really chuffed with myself me is. Wonder if I will be as chuffed when it comes to the assessments!

Best get me shoes on etc and brave the very dark skies that have just appeared.

Laters

Burnice x

Kids - who'd have 'em!!

My 29 year old rang yesterday morning. His first line was "Mum I need a favour!" "What now?" his mother replied. "Ermmm, d'ya want the good news or the bad news?" "Oh flippin' 'eck" she ,replied. "don't know just give it to me whatever it is". Well, he then asked if he could borrow my car over Christmas when his girlfriend comes over from Miami. "Course" said mum. What's bad about that she thought, then it hit her "What's wrong with your car?" she asks. "Ermmmm, I fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a wall!" "WHAT?" she cried. He then goes into this great long explanation about how he had not been sleeping well cos his flat mates have the heating on (he's not used to that cos we are scrooges!) and he woke up two or three times in the night. Set off for work at 5.00am or whatever time it was (he was driving to Southampton) and started to doze. He wound his windows down. He saw that there were some services a few miles up the motorway and thought he would pop in there for some strong coffee or red bull or whatever it is they drink these days(!) By the time he gets to the service station he has woken up so decided to keep going! He turns off the motorway and is now about 100 yards or so from his work and the next thing he knew he was smashing into a wall. The silly pillock fell asleep. The car is a write off. I, of course, ask if he's okay (cos I had this vision that he was ringing me from a hospital bed - don't ask me why but I did!) He said he was okay, a bit shook up but okay. He then tells me this happened on Monday morning at 7.00am but he didn't think to tell me until yesterday. Git!!!! BLOODY KIDS !

Burnice x

LTD Recipe Challenge

This was a completely different challenge for me. A Lots to do Recipe challenge. Not done one of these before but I must say I did enjoy it. Never made a skinny and never made a moo! I have now tho'. We were given a remit to use the following on each piece:

1. A moo; 2. Red; 3. Green; 4. Animal; 5. Hat; 6. Star.

Here are my efforts.

The stamps used on each one is from Inkydinkydo Snowflakes a-plenty. The reindeer stamp is a do crafts smirk stamp (I think!). I have just noticed the the girl's face on the atc is very smudged. I coloured it with my copics and obviously used the wrong ink with the wrong paper! Tempremental things these copies (but we do lurve them!). Will do that again before I send them off. The atc and 4x4 background is the residue from my Angel letters - all the spritzing and spraying that was left on my craft mat, I just wiped it off with some card and that was the result. Waste not want not!!! I didn't have enough to do the Skinny so I made up for it with all the little jewels - took bloomin ages to put them on. The edge of the card is using a silver pen. I think the star brads were papermania.

Well, that's that. Hope you like them and thanks for popping in. Best go and sort that moo out now.............

Burnice x

Sue Roddis Workshop

Went to a "canvas/metal" workshop on Saturday at the craft barn. It was run by the wonderful Sue Roddis. Had a fab time. Here is my effort:

The is the tree. The leaves are metal cut with a heart shaped punch. I then veined them and used a TSS whell round the edges. They were then "painted" with various colours of stazon inks.

The is the sun. It is cut from pages of an old book (well I think it was old!) and coloured with yellow ink with a bit of orange. The "rays" are sentences cut from the same book.

These are the house on my canvas. They are paperartsy houses coloured with distress inks. The roofs have been restamped and raised with foam pads. The rainbow peeping from the back is also a paperartsy stamp.

This is the finished article. Distress inks were used on the canvas and the "grass" is a piece of card which has been painted with gesso and before it dried the end of the paintbrush was "scratched" into it to give the effect of grass !! I then rubbed it with various distress inks.

HOW COOL IS THIS !!!

Of course when the class finished (it was an all day one) HAD to go shopping and I bought some more copics. Box C. think I will have to put Box D on my christmas list !!!! Wonder what my chances are!

Well it's getting on so best get on with me knitting!

Burnice x

Thursday is BSL day!

Had a good lesson last night. Learnt colours and verbs. Really enjoying it. Here is a pic. Paul my tutor is on my right and his friend, Phil is the other one!!!!!

Paul is soooooooooooo cheeky!

I apologise for the redness of moi but the classroom we are in gets very very hot.

Thanks for popping in.

Burnice x

Email from my friend.......

Got this email from my friend this morning, thought I would share it with you.

Thought I’d better email you – as you monopolized my dreams last night! Must be missing you! I am sure it’s something to do with the fact that my own little craft room is nearly done and I’m so excited with it. Was thinking of you and then, sure enough, there you were in my dreams. It was weird, I was on holiday and you were there , just crafting away, but knowing full well that you had to serve restaurant full of people a full meal within the next half hour. Your whole family were helping and everyone said what lovely food, but they wouldn’t come again because it took five hours……!

What makes this really funny is that I DON'T COOK !

Can you see why she is my friend - love you Kim !!!!!

Burnice x

Milla's desk calender...

........ half finished. She had put purple gems in each corner of the "easel bit". gems along the border punch bit. About an inch from the top left hand corner we got a bit of glue or something on it. Being red it kinda showed a bit so I got a piece of the DP on the base and punched out a butterfly. She put three tiny gems on the body of the butterfly and we stuck it on the mark................... She also put a huge pink (!) button on the draw with a red gem in the middle of it.

Just thought I would show you this. Forgot to put it on in the original post.

Burnice x

4 x 4 swap

I have done a challenge...... It's a Lotstodo Challenge. I had a bit of a disaster to start with. I thought I would be really clever and use beer mats. Decorated them with some blood sweat and tears. thought it would be a good idea to decorate the backs of them with a slightly lesser version of the front! I then realised the beer mats were only 3.5 x 3.5!!!! DOH. What now. I know I'll email Sam. I emailed Sam. She called me a plonker then suggested I mount them onto 4x4 card. Now why didn't I think of that. Well I goes back up to the cabin and separate the beer mats. I have six hangers !!!! I mounted them onto the 4x4 card and they look fab. Decided to paint the backs with some Viva precious metal paint. I get the silver red down, take the lid off, get my cut and dry and then knock the bleedin' pot over. Panic, panic. Half a bottle all over my craft mat. right I talk myself calm and then find a spoon to scoop it up. Not good, spoon too thick. then I got a piece of card and scooped it up with that and pour it back into the bottle. Got most of it!!!!!!!!!! Panic over.................

Here are my finished results:

This one has been painted with black pearl acrylic paint, stamped with Flower set 1 from Tanda Stamps and embossed in silver. The 4x4 mount was painting with the silver red viva (which I lost half of - all in a good cause!).

This one was done with the brilliant Terra, stamped with PaperArtsy Clocks 1 plate. the covered with Viva precious metal Rose Pink and gold. I stuck some clock parts. Just loving my weekend at Milton Keynes - have I mentioned this before !!!

This one is the well used combo of tin foil, card, cuttlebug and stazon ink. Quite liking this technique too.......

Well this post has taken me an absolute age cos I was watching "Around the World in 80 days" the Children in Need thingy. It's finished now so I can crack on !!!

I hope my swapees like my swaps.

No time for knitting now tho'

Laters Burnice x

Milla and faux metal

Just had to share these with you. Milla and I spent a fab few hours in the cabin yesterday and she wanted to make a desk calender as "classed" by Jenny over at Stamping Moments (Autumn Days).

The faux metal is just tin foil glued onto a piece of card and then run through the cuttlebug. Then painted with black acrylic paint which was rubbed off until the bright silver foil went all grubby. Stazon inks in various colours were then rubbed on. The two pieces were layered onto the "easel" part of the desk calender. She was very pleased with herself. she did find it difficult cos the rubber gloves were a bit big for her !!!!

I just love this technique. It is a technique that Linda and I did with Sue Roddis at the Craft Barn. Love that lady!

Well best get on with me knitting!

Love Burnice x

I've got an award ....

..... from my friend Lesley. Not my thursday lunch buddy but my Crafty buddy. Thanks my dear. Most kind.

I understand I now have to give you five unknown/little known facts about me. Here goes:

1. I was darts singles champion 1978/79!

2. I have a shorthand 'o' level!

3. I cross-stitched a wedding sampler for Victoria Wood's tour manager!

4. I was an Assistant Cub Scout Leader!

5. My absolute favourite song is "Tracks of my Tears" by Smokey Robinson!

There that's me !!!!

Now I would like to pass this award on to :

Linda P, Linda E, Sam, Tasha, Emma

Well lets hope that works !

Knitting calling.

Burnice x

I'm back in Blogland

Evenin' all. First of all most sorry for not blogging but I go through stages when I can't be bothered to speak!! Ron loves it when I'm like that !!!

During this time I have been very very productive. Don't know what to show first. I know I will show you the "card" I made for my bessie mate, Lesley, aka my thursday lunch buddy! It is a take on the arch book thingy I did at the PaperArtsy weekend. Did I mention that I really enjoyed myself there ! Anyway here it is :

I used the terra stuff and stamped into it with an image of four girls sitting on a wall. The "L" is the master's grunge stuff which I painted with pool paint dabber and rubbed over it with the Mother of Pearl precious matter paint.

This is it opened. The flowers were stamped and cut out. In the centre is a little jewel. The clock and bird are PaperArtsy which were a free gift for subscribing to Craft Stamper. the lady is one I got from Arty Miss at one of the open days.

Well hope you like.

Best get on with me knitting.

Burnice x

My "metalic" grungeboard/paper/whatever it's called!

Being totally inspired by my weekend away (have I told you that it was brilliant?) I found the wonderful Tim's grunge stuff and painted the letters in crimson red acrylic paint with black paint rubbed over. I then applied candy apple red glimmer mist, sticky fingers firework burst silver and then covered them with Viva precious metal mother of pearl. The result is below:
I then got Tim's smaller letters and painted them with venetian red, indigo and yellow ochre acrylic paint. I spritzed them with walnut gold glimmer mist and then rubbed copper precious metal paint over them. The result is this..................

These will be going on the wall in the cabin.

Hope you like them.

Would love to stay and chat but best get on with me knitting.......

Burnice x

The evening meal !!

Well at the risk of boring the pants of you all I would like to tell you what happened at dinner! We booked a table (thinking that is what we had to do) and arrived at 7.30 for nosh. We were shown to a table by Paolo! He was so attentive. We studied the A la carte menu and decided not to have a starter (cos we pigged out at Hampton Court) and I went for the steak and Ron had calves liver (urghhh!). P aolo kept popping by and chatting the pants of us. We (as expected) kinda took the pee !! Ron had a beer. Didn't have pudding. About 8.30 we got up to leave and Paolo said "I needa your signature pleasea! Went over to the computer (into which Paolo tapped in our eats and drinks and Ron did wonder if we were having to pay for this !). Paolo asked for our room number. 222 said Burn. Paolo tapped in 222 but the computer said NOOOOOOO! he tried again but again the computer said NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Paolo started getting a bit narked and Burn said "maybe it's because we have paid for the "deal" weekend!" Well Paolo flipped. Paolo went beserk. He went mad. "the girls are supposed to tella mea whena deala guest isa dining" And on he went. Racing over to the poor girl on reception. Tearing her off a strip. She saying she had only just come on etc etc etc. We sat down. Paolo still going mental. Letta me checka - you waita here he kept saying. Meanwhile the other chap on duty that night came up - now this was funny cos he was trying to placate Paolo with a Spanish accent. All he kept saying was "calm" "calm". That was like a red rag to a bull. Finally Paolo decided that we were on the offer weekend and apologised profusely for the rumpus. Now you can imagine what was on the tip of Burn's tongue. All I wanted to say at the end was "OH, WHAT A MISTAKA TO MAIKA" - but I didn't. We went out of the hotel to a pub up the road and just pee'd ourselves laughing all the way.............................. Nice steak tho'. £32 the meal cost !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That all folks !
Got knitting to do !
Burnice x