Sunday 30 January 2011

What a weekend!!!

Why is it, that everything comes at once!

Well this weekend for us, was just crazy ... but crazy good. I’ve managed to capture a couple of photos to share with you, but sorry they were taken on my phone or in semi darkness.

The first well, what can I say – we were invited by one of Simon's clients to see the amazing Elton John .... now awesome is a word I rarely use, as I think it's used too often, and far too easily, but I can honestly say he was AWESOME! First we had dinner at the Ritz! ... I know, how cool is that! And then we were whisked off by taxi to the Royal Opera house, where for one night only – Elton John and Ray Cooper, in aid of the Royal Academy of Music, preformed! He was on stage from about 7:15 until about 9:30 – and throughout the evening, he just sang or played the piano ... no needless chatter – just pure entertainment. You forget what an amazing pianists he is! A true entertainer!
But amazingly enough that was just the start of our wonderful weekend. Yesterday we attended a charity ball, at the Plaisterers’ Hall, in the City of London – oh and it was such a beautiful and fun evening. In attendance was the Lord Mayor, and entertainment was from the Royal Marines Band and two magicians. We ended the evening with dancing ... it was so glamorous and fun, and then to top it off .. the real cherry on the top, so to speak. As it turned midnight, we went into Simon’s Birthday, so more champagne followed - and the band sang Happy Birthday to him.


So today was celebrated with family, which is just how birthdays should be.

All in all, an amazing weekend ...right, now back to real life!

Tuesday 25 January 2011

333 days to go!

I know, I know, you're screaming at me, aren't you?  Well, I don't think I'm to blame in all this ... in all my blog reading, I can't remember for the life of me, where I saw it ... but one of you ... yes you! wrote something in your blog at the beginning of the year, saying how you would make something for Christmas on the 25th of each month! .... Well, I just LOVED that idea. 

I've never been so disorganised as I was for Christmas 2010 - I made no cards and even those that were bought, were posted out last minute .. so this year, I'm going to be super organised and super ready.  Hence, today I've made a couple of cards.  Both are the same, so, I'm not making my life too dificult - and again, it was a shape cut from the silhoutte and then lifted by foam pads and a ribbon added. 

I'm probably keeping my Christmas box handy, and who knows more Christmas cards may pop up during the month. 

Monday 24 January 2011

Happy New Home Card

My closest friend has just moved house ... and all I can say, is WOW what an amazing home she is going to have :) it's been a struggle, and a long time in the works, but now the dust is settling (and boy, does she know it LOL) it's going to be fabulous. 

Anyway, I made this little card, using the silhouette - oh how I love that little machine. 


I'm hoping to have a few more cards made this week, and also finish off my page from the Ali Edwards, one little word, so fingers crossed, I'll have more to share with you.

Friday 21 January 2011

I'm a Park Avenue Cocktail!!

You're wondering if I've lost the plot, aren't you?  Well go on, see what your design style is?  Over on the amazing How About Orange blog, I clicked the link .. like you do! and I found myself at  Stylish Home.com





Aparently, I like an intimate home of modest proportions and my kitchen is my prize.(yup, got that right), I like Decorative, finished… elegant. The subtle refinements of my sleeping nest reflect a desire for order (again true) and my decorative canvas stretches to the property lines. (and then the bit that really does say it's me)..... "Your 3rd coffee and just beginning to be productive. Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Fun, yet cosmopolitan - your style abides."

And looks like I'm in good company, with Suspected "Park Avenue Cocktails" such as; Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn & Frank Sinatra

Go on ... find out if your a cocktail too :)

Thursday 20 January 2011

Happiness once more

The thing of beauty is back home .... so happiness can rein once again in our home.  I am of course talking about my beloved laptop! .... For those that may not know, last week I did the most stupid of things, yup, I caught my foot in the lead and my laptop fell on the floor.  For several seconds I wouldn't look, but just kept thinking, please let it be ok - but of course, nope the screen had broken.  So off it went for repair over the weekend - and today I drove to collect it.  Honestly, I just haven't realised how much I depend on it. 



The most annoying thing in all of this though has been my so called loving husband .. who is, without doubt, one of the most clumsy people I've ever met.  He has dropped his laptop and mobile, several times .. never once breaking them! and I've had to put up with him sniggering at my loss for near on a week now and telling me, how I need to be more careful!!! He will soon, be walking with a limp, if he carrys on!

Well the good news too, is I can get back to all my blog reading, I think I have quite a bit to catch up on.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

52Q Challenge

This year, I'm going to try and take myself out of my comfort zone ... and also join in with a few more challenges.  So I was really pleased when over on UKS I saw the 52Q Challenge - it was run some years ago by Emily Falconbridge, and the questions are going to be the same, but I didn't follow it then, so I thought, why not.  For this challene, I'm going to try my best and keep my answers craft related, although, I'm sure for some of the questions, I won't be able to;

So the question for week 1 was ... Your hopes for 2011

The words on the back read; "I hope in 2011 to be more creative and leave that comfort zone"
Week 2; Am I scared of Change
The back reads; This question couldn't be better for me - My word for 2011 is CHANGE, so am I scared of it? ... YES and NO.


As you can see, I'm doing mine as index cards - I'm not sure if I'll end up decorating the box, finding another to fit them in, or somehow binding them .. but I'll cross that bridge at the end.


Monday 10 January 2011

My First Resolution

I WILL be organised this year!!! Now those that know me well, will be a bit shocked by this – normally I make the character Monica from Friends look disorganised, but I really don’t know what happened to me last year. I felt like I was forever chasing my tail – well, this year things are going to change. In fact, I’ve signed up to do the Ali Edwards, One Little Word, and “CHANGE” is the word I’ve picked. Anyway, more on that in a later post, but for now, an organised me, is the first of my resolutions. So with that, I decided I needed one place to keep everything I may need in a month – so I bought a file from Staples at the end of last year, and made a start.

Each month I’ll pick my favourite photo from the month before as my cover ... this months’, I loved the snow so much on the logs for the wood burner, I couldn’t resist photographing them. Now everything I need is in one place, and as you can see – I’ve printed out the calendar for January from Outlook, which we can both write what we're up to and where we are; so nothing is forgotten! Next is a list of the birthday’s for the month – and the cards I need to make or buy and when to post them. Next comes my menu plan for the week (along with my shopping list, which is left loose). The following pages hold all the recipes I pull out of magazines or get from the internet that I want to cook in the month. Next are all the documents we might need, for instance, eye test and shopping vouchers, take away menus etc.  And then right at the end – I’ve stapled two envelopes, and stamped “stamps” and “receipts” on each.

So there you are! This year I WILL BE better organised ... (fingers crossed)

   


Thursday 6 January 2011

The smell of Baking

The smell of hot muffins just out of the oven is wafting around me as I type this ... and the reason I'm blogging is to try and be good and let them cool before I dive in.

Last year, through the wonderful world of blogging, I came across the very talented Cath, now at, (Living in the Moment)... she can do it all!  Her last years, blog "The Year for Change" had some really good recipes on it, quite a few which I've tried - but my favourite so far has been the one for Banana Muffins ... trust me, they're gorgeous, and far too easy to make and eat - so you find yourself making them again and again. 

Her recipe,

200g (7oz) Plain Four
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp of Salt
1 tsp Bicarb of Soda
3 Bananas, mashed
150g (5oz) Caster Sugar
1 Egg
75g (2 1/2 oz) melted butter

Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas mark 4
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together and leave to one side
Combine mashed bananas, sugar, egg and butter together, fold in flour mixture until smooth.
Spoon evenly into 12 muffin cases
Bake in a preheated oven for around 25 mins or until springy to the touch.

Now, this is one way I just love getting one of my 5 a day ... I'm sure by now they'll be cool :)  Thank you Cath.

Saturday 1 January 2011

Happy New Year

Wishing all my friends a very happy New Year .... and I promise to be a better blogger in 2011 (well that's just one of my new year’s resolutions).


Cheers ... and my this year bring you every crafting happiness.