Pancakes!

its pancake day!....i love pancakes...my nan used to make the best pancakes in the world!..it was one of the days in the year when she knew that all her grandchildren would visit...every year up until the year we lost her the four of us would all go after school and then work and eat every concoction made!....

so are you a traditionalist or a contemporary pancake eater?

can you tell that i was having a Nigella moment!..... this week i'm juggling 2 books on the train...one is "the Thrift Book" by India Knight...some fab hints & tips on how to live well & spend less!...watch this space I will be sharing tips....the second is "Confessions of an Agony Aunt" by Jane Sigaloff which I am loving , a real spur of the moment buy but a really big comfy chair & hot chocolate book!...unfortunately not available on the tube!

forever friends black & white challenge

This week sees the challenge on Forever Friends as Black & White... not always the easiest topic but a great challenge which has been set by DT bud Nicki. As you can see I've designed a 'male' card with a football theme. I've used the Birthday Wishes stamp (minus the party hat & sentiment) and the football embellishments are cut from the 'For Him' forever friends paper pack. A very simple card ...check out the design teams here.....

Bellas work collection!

This week over on Cupcake Craft Challenge was the challenge to alter something... i like a bit of altering! ... what started with me altering an old mint tin to store my ipod in resulted in a little collection of necessities for my journey to work! helped along with the fabulous Bella collection and Be Merry papers from Minds Eye. I loved these papers at christmas and have used them here....

So my work collection consists of :~

Y Coffee cup

Y Ipod holder

Y Notebook

Y Bookmark

Talking of journey to work, this weeks book to eat has been Second Chance by Jane Green. I read misgiving reviews about this book, but was hooked from the first page, ...anyone who has searched friends reunited (or other sites) looking for the people that you shared your youth with will enjoy this book, 4 friends reunited by tragedy sharing the 20 years since school....this book is so much more then chick lit...i loved it.

I am so lucky still to have my school friends as a major feature in my life, and would be lost without them, they are so much more to me than friends they are truly the family that i chose myself! love & hugs Tx

saturday sprinkles & candy cane cupcakes!

wow another week gone...can't believe that next week is the end of february .... today is a lovely crisp sunny day and i'm posting a layout of christmas cupcakes!!!... thursday evening whilst watching ER, Brothers & Sisters & Without a Trace ( IYmore 4 tv!!)..instead of languishing on the sofa I was inspired to scrap my Peppermint Candy Cane Cupcakes. I tried 2 new things on this layout...I coloured my own title, by stamping some white foam thickers and handwritten doodling for the recipe ...

Layout recipe:

Y papers from sassfralass

Y tag K&co

Y ribbon ~ taylored expressions

Y rub-ons ~ heidi grace

Y letters ~ foam thickers

Y stamp ~ amuse

Cupcake Recipe....

these are quite yummy....especially with a peppermint mocha!

Enjoy!. Tx

Happy Birthday Libs....

Today is my gorgeous nieces 6th birthday...so happy birthday Libby.... to accompany her FF card i've wrapped her 'goodies' to compliment!....

Last night saw the conclusion of Whitechapel, which was fab (little biased as it starts RPJ!)...mmm, great 3 parter and showed some great scenes of London. Tonight sees the return of the 2nd series of Mistress's which i was hooked on last year, so i'm hoping that the 2nd series lives upto expectations, followed by the fantabulous Mad Men.

Enough of TV...

on to cinema..this week sees the launch of Confessions of a Shopaholic, loved the book by Sophie Kinsella, but having seen the trailers i'm mixed on whether i'm going to see it...however with the mix of New York, Shopping and styling by Patricia Field, i'm sure that I will.

Now scrapping!.........at the beginning of the year i highlighted 3 ranges that I would be coveting in 2009...

"Sweet Celebrations and Spring Fling from the fabulous Bella Blvd company. I'm not sure who stocks this in the UK but will be actively seeking!...also Farmers Wife from the lovely Jenny Bowlin...check out these buttons! and finally for today....Neighbourhood from the scrummy My Little Shoebox."....thankfully my internet trawling days are over...Sarah over at Sarahs Cards is ranging all 3 ...how fab is that...I am now stalking the website until they move from coming soon to here!!!

forever friends birthday

This weeks challenge for forever friends is Birthday ... so here is my card. Tuesday sees my niece celebrate her 6th birthday, coincidentally this forever friends stamp see's the cake with 6 candles...

Card Recipe:

Y Papers ~ imaginisce ~ all kinds of happy

Y Stamp ~ forever friends

Y Velvet Ribbon ~ from stash

I have used this paper lots recently, but love it and find it really versatile for birthdays, especially as its dbl sided with some really fun colours...

Cupcake for valentines....

Happy valentines!.......today i've spent the morning doing gramps's housework and shopping, and this afternoon i've photographed my card for taylors cupcake challenge over on taylored expressions, challenge 55!...as you can see i've 'staged' my card and accompanied it with a cupcake!... how cute.

Card ingredients..

Y Papers ...free with a magazine!

Y Stamps...Magnolia

Y Sentiment stamp...Taylored Expressions

Y Ribbon from stash

Work this week has been still as stressful, I was hoping it would calm down a little after the financial year end, but with the current economic crisis its analysis to the finest detail...so lots of late nights and headaches.... my tube read this week has been Catherine Alliott ~ A Crowded Marriage.. great book, lots of interlinking relationships with a few surprises on the way!

My must see tv this week has been Whitechapel with the scrummy Rupert Penry Jones... it is not for the squeamish as the scenes have been quite graphic, a great twist on the Jack the Ripper plot!...final episode next week... i have uploaded the recent 'this morning' interviewed that was aired on the snowy monday. I had 6 text messages that day that he was on, all from friends & colleagues that hadn't made it to work!..who was at work ...me!.. also the 2nd series of Mad Men was back this week.

I'm off now to finish watching the rugby.... YYY Tx

Forever Friends ...1st DT!

well here it is ..... my first design team piece for Forever Friends. This weeks theme was 'Valentines'!.... i was a bit stumped with this as i didn't have any conventional FF valentine stamps etc.... so thinking out of the box i've come up with this!....... my other love Shoes! ....

Card Ingredients:

Y Papers & Pin ~ Heidi Grace

Y Stamp ~ Forever Friends celebration range

Y Ribbons & Bling from my stash!

thanks for looking...check out all the others ...here

Today sees me complete a layout & a weekly challenge on uks!..... it also got me using my january kit from sarahs cards which i've been coveting in a pile of unused kits... so as i'm on a scrap diet i felt inspired to use some of my kits..

Challenge was to use the Round sketch, use black & white, flowers and stamping.

The weekend also saw me curled on the sofa watching the rugby, which was good, we were very lucky against Italy.....roll on next week....

I finished 2 books this week on the train.... the first being the fantabulous Tell me Something by Adele Parks....this book was so good i missed Bond street station stop twice and ended up at Marble Arch! and Thursday's at Eight by Debbie Macomber which i thoroughly enjoyed. I've been fighting a chest infection for the last couple of weeks so it was nice not to do much at the weekend, Gramps gave me the weekend off so a quiet weekend was had!........large mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and rugby mens thighs...what more could a girl ask for! mmmmmmmmmmm

snow, scrapping & stuff!

wow...have we had some snow in London!.... nightmare to get too & from work but beautiful to look at.... here's some snaps from yesterday an iconic telephone box (which is in rapid decline in london now.) and horseguards parade.
Other than the snow I have 2 other bits of news.............
Y I have been asked to join the Forever Friends Design Team.... i am really chuffed and very surprised...so watch this space ...
Y I received this comment today on my blog... " Adele Parks has left a new comment on your post : Big thanks to you for spreading the word about my books being yummy. Glad you enjoyed them. Adele x " what a lovely surprise... you never know who's reading your blog!
and to top it off the lovely rupert was back on the tv last night!!.....oh well a girl can dream!....that's all the news to reprt today!.....hugs Tx

sunday snoozing & scrapping!

well the weather predictions haven't been wrong today....it's chilly!..... yesterday was our financial year end at work so along with working flat out for the past two weeks solid I had to post everything yesterday for the year end financials!....at my desk at 8am....key in the door this morning at 12.15...needless to say this morning was filled with snoozing on the sofa watching the tennis!....this afternoon i've made my friend a birthday card for her birthday at the end of the week. I have also played along with the 3-2-1 challenge on Cupcake Craft Challenge... also i'm not one to miss the opportunity to win the fab Cupcakes designed by Sammi.

Y 3~patterned papers

Y 2 ~ embellishments
Y 1 ~ ribbon .........

hope that everyone enjoy's the rest of their sunday....T ... Y Y Y