HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY FAMILY, FRIENDS & BLOGGER MEMBERS!!!

Hope 2010 is a good year for us all xxxx

BLOG AWARD - Thankyou Melinda!!!

My beautiful friend Melinda has passed on this awesome Blog Award to me which she has received. On receiving this i must mention 5 things that i love, these are;
1. My husband
2. My cats, Bert & Simone
3. My family
4. My friends
5. Everything to do with crafting, especially my new Cuttlebug!!!

Thankyou so much for this award Beavergirl, love you & you rock xxx

IM BACK.......

Hi everyone!!! so sorry i have not updated for a while but as a lot of my friends know i have been really poorly. Not sure if it is connected but i had the Swine Flu vaccine over a week before Christmas & i have been really sick. Could be a coincidence or maybe a tummybug but boy was i sick. I am still not eating properly & my normal Christmas day feasting was non existant. I have lost a bit of weight which is never a bad thing but not a nice way to do it.

Funnily my New Years resolution was to eat healthier & take care of myself more, guess it's started early!!!

So hoping that you all had a wonderful Christmas. I managed to have a wonderful day despite not feeling great. My Dad spent the whole day with us & my Sister & her family came over. We went over to Mum's memorial & popped her gifts & cards down & said a few words, had a few tears.... i managed to find a beautiful ornament of a Robin Red Breast in a nest which is now hanging from her "Red Robin" memorial tree. We all headed back for lunch at mine & we spoke to Helen & family in OZ which was lovely.

Well was i spoilt??? oh boy was i!!! I got a beautiful Pandora bracelet & 4 charms (one which is a sterling silver heart with the MUM on it), I got a CUTTLEBUG!!! whooohoooooo............ i have been wanting one for such a long time & hubby thought he would spoil me this Christmas, he gave me the Pandora too. I got some folders & a set of nesties for it. Got heaps of crafty gear, Bodyshop & Sanctuary smellies, chocolates, Hedgehog book & ornament, candles, necklace, money......... incredibly lucky.

We made the best of the day as although Mum passed before Christmas last year i think that we were all in a daze & had been Mum's funeral on Christmas Eve. This year felt more real & felt like the first. Dad has spent the last 3 days with us & we have had some laugh's, some cries & lots of reminiscing.

I do hope that you have all had a truly wonderful Christmas. I hope that 2010 is a great year for us all.

Now off to play with my Cuttlebug...........!!!!!

A Year Ago Today Mum Lost her Fight.......

My beautiful Mum passed away at 12.55am today one year ago. I cannot believe it has been a year already, more importantly it does not feel like it. I still cannot believe that she is gone & still do not feel like it has even sunk in. I still expect her many daily calls, i still expect to see her every day & i still expect to be spending Christmas day with her.

The only comfort i have is knowing that she is no longer suffering the years of pain that she had. I am also relieved that the whole passing experience of my Mum was made easier with the wonderful care of St.Wilfred's Hospice, all of the family & friends that we had around us.

We always promised Mum that she would never be alone & in no pain in her final days, i hope & pray that we fulfilled this for her.

Today me, Martin, Dad & Carolyn spent the day together. We took a Christmas tree that has been potted in our garden over to her memorial in Dad's garden & we each decorated the tree. We made a decorated tag & added words for Mum & placed it on the top of the tree. We had a good cry, and a good laugh at some of our wonderful memories of our Mum.

We went off for the day & went to the shops, had lunch & shopped for pressies, something we all used to do together.

I would like to thank all of our wonderful friends for their kind words of support, without them i think that life would be much harder. I was given this beautiful poem by one of my Mum's dear friends as she felt that it would help me & my family & our grief. It makes me feel happy that my Mum is in such a wonderful place and one day we will join her there 
http://www.christmasinheaven.net/christmas.html

Thankyou for listening xxx

Cybercrop Challanges Completed!

THE NON-CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CARD!


ME & HELEN AS TODDLERS


DAD BEING A GOOF-BALL!!!

Well after a very busy weekend i managed to get three CC challenges completed which i am please about. I did a sketch layout by the lovely Kerryn, a card sketch by Deanne which had to also be a non-Christmas decorated Christmas card!!! the only reference to Christmas could be some words to a carol and the Layout had to be very colourful, think i achieved that one!. The third challenge, by Tracy, could only contain the colour white with a hint of silver & had to be a black & white pic. I dug out a picture of me & sister Helen as toddlers & for Kerryn's challenge i decided to do a funny layout of Mum & Dad. It is Mum's Anniversary on Thursday & i am trying to think happy thoughts & have some happy memories instead of reliving all of the trauma of last year.
All in all i enjoyed this month's cybercrop, i have not scrapped for months & although the layout took hours to do i think i am getting my mojo back!, roll on January CC!!!

Till next time xxx

Feeling Festive!!!.....

Not sure about you but still got lots of Christmas cards to make!!! im trying to make lots of little handmade gifts too. Money is pretty tight & decided to buy a few bags of Christmas sweets & biscuits (not expensive brands)& make my own boxes & bags & decorate them.
I had a play last night & made some little triangle boxes stuffed with goodies & made some matching cards. Im a great believer that it is not the amount of money that you spend but the fact that you have gone to the effort to make it that counts. Just hope the recipients think that!!!!

Big Apologies!!!!

You have probably noticed that every day i seem to have a different background for my blog!!! every day i find new sites & cannot decide in which one i like! i had a very pretty mauve one a few days ago then noticed one of our UK top card designers had the same one & do not want to look like a "copycat!".
You will be happy to know i have finally settled on this very pretty blue floral design by Aqua Poppy designs, as blue is my favourite colour & have finally found one suitable, hopefully this will be here to stay!!!!

Have a great day everyone xxx

LSBS Christmas Cybercrop, Can't Wait!!!!

Come over to LSBS & join in with all of the fun with their Christmas Cybercrop on 11th December. It is so much fun!!!

Wow Look at my New Stash!!!

I am absolutely stoked with my new stash that i received from Craft Stamper magazine for my winning card entry. I have received lots of gear kindly donated by Do-Crafts & includes 9 packs of Papermania stamps, 2 packs of embellies, 200 sheets of beautiful papers, clear stamp cleaner & a Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper (which is perfect for my RA hands!) and a 12 month subscription of my favourite magazine "Craft Stamper".
I am going to frame my "Congratulations" letter & hang up in my craft room where it will sit proudly by the picture of my beautiful Mum.

Just added pics of my new stash! By the way my 2 kitties Bert & Simone are loving the new additions to the craft room xxx

I Won Best Card Category!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am feeling incredibly happy in my heart today!!!! i have just found out i have won the "Best Card Category" in "Craft Stamper" magazine!!!! It is for my Flowerpot & Bookmark card i entered for "Stamper of the Year 2009". I cannot believe my work was chosen, it is my very first entry.

I have won a selection of craft goodies & a 12 month subscription to the magazine. I will add a pic of the write up i got (sorry if it is a bit blurry!)& i have managed to get a couple of copies which i will send to Helen in Australia.

I would like to thank Helen & all of my beautiful family & friends for encouraging me to enter.

Lots of love Clare xxx

Can't Stand the Wait!!!!

Well i only have to wait till Friday (5th) to get the results of Craft Stamper mag's "Stamper of the Year Competition". I had a look on their website & notice one of my cards is on display as one that their judges likes but didn't win. I personally don't think i have won but they will be announcing in a 5 page spread.
You know what though i feel proud of myself as this is the first ever competition i have entered & have previously not had the confidence to do anything like it. I am also happy to atleast of got some recognition, although first prize of over £1000 worth of stamping goodies was soooooooo appealing!!!!

Keep you posted girls xxx