A NEW ANIMAL ORIENTATED BLOG!!!!

Just wanted to spread the word about this so cute new blog started up today by Joanne at Crafting Pets Blogspot. It is a place that we can post pics of our perfect pets, wildlife or any creature which we happen to have in our lives. Go visit the site and show your support!!!!

Going to add these pics;

Simone on my crafty tote bag and Bert on my craft table. By the way, that nice purple bag now has no handle as Simone took it upon herself to chew, dribble and demolish it making it thread bare!!!! think she was using it as a teething ring, lol!!!.

I love my babies so can never get cross with them.

Take care all & have a great day!!!

FORTNIGHTLY CHRISTMAS SKETCH!!!

The Beautiful Claire has set the next 2 weekly challenge with a fantastic sketch!!!!. The next deadline will be Sunday 27th Feb so why not come join me, Claire, Keryn, Crafty Chris and Pinky and make a start on those Christmas cards so time doesn't creep up quickly!!!!.

Just give one of us an email or comment on our blog and you will be included in the fortnighly email and have your turn to make up the criteria for a forthcoming challenge. Remember we have set this challenge up for fun and inspiration, there is no pressure, we are a fun and friendly group of gals and there for support and a few laughs along the way. Hopefully by the end of the year you should have atleast 20 cards towards your Christmas stash, even more if you decide to make a couple the same as you go.

Have fun, we are!!!.

Love Clare xxx

MY BABIES!!!

Just wanted to add some pics of Bert & Simone!!!

Simone is such a Mother hen with Bert. Gotta say though folks, after this last picture Bert lost his rag and got Simone into a headlock and started kicking her!. Well she did wake him up after all and he did tolerate her licking him to death for quite a while!!!.

They have been so good with me being sick this week. They are always good anyway and know when im poorly. They curl up with me on the bed and give me fusses which is so so nice. I reckon animals have such a way of making you feel better.

I love you Mr.B and Moo xxx

A CHRISTMAS CARD!!!!

Me and a few of my bloggy friends have decided that we want to get ahead with our Christmas cards this year and have decided to set each other a fortnightly challenge. We are going to take it in turns to set the challenge and this week was CRAFTY CHRIS' turn. Our challenge was to use Chris' card sketch.

Here is Chris' card!!!

So far in our group we have me, Keryn, Claire, Pinky and Chris. There are no hard or fast rules, just a group of friends wanting to encourage each other to get ahead with Christmas cards. We will take it in turns to set the fortnightly challenge to give us a theme to work to whether it be a sketch, colour, certain materials etc.

This coming fortnight will be the lovely CLAIRE'S turn so stayed tuned to her blog over the next couple of days. Please pop over to the girls blogs and leave a comment and remember anyone is welcome to play along at anytime, it is a bit of encouragement and a bit of fun.

So here is my card;

INGREDIENTS

WHITE & RED LINEN CARD STOCK
DREAM STREET PAPERS "MERRY & BRIGHT" CELEBRATE PP
NELLIES SCALLOP FRAMES
MARTHA STEWART BUBBLE BATH PUNCH
PRIMA FLOWER
PRIMA JEWELL
BUTTONS FROM STASH
KAISER RUB-ON
RED TWINE
RED STICKLES


Come and join us when you can!!!!

Lots of love Clare xxx

Scrap Therapy Home Alone Card Challenge - Week 3

Due to the dreaded virus on my lappie i was late submitting last weeks challenge but i have entered it anyway to keep my mojo going!!!.

The card challenge for week 3 was to use only old or scrap stash which was set by the lovely ALLIE.

Here's my effort;

INGREDIENTS

BOBUNNY PETAL PUSHERS DOODLES PP

WHITE & LIME CARD

MSE RUB ON SENTIMENTS

BLACK RIBBON

BLING

Thanks for stopping by my lovelies!!! xxx

IF YOU FANCY PLAYING ALONG CLICK HERE!!!

An Update

So sorry i have not been around for a bit. As many of you know i started a new drug just over a month ago for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had my second round last Tuesday and unfortunately i have had to be taken off the trial as it has made me really poorly. When i had the first session i had about 3 days of feeling icky and had not noticed any relief. When i went for my second session Tuesday my Biologics nurse told me that most patients notice some sort of relief from treatment one, but not uncommon. After Tuesdays treatment i felt really poorly and am only just getting back on my feet today. My Rheumatologist has taken me off the trial as he said that i should not continue if i am getting this reaction and is obviously not suited to me.

I am having a break from trials for now and feel like my body needs a break. This week has been one of the worst with this disease for me and scarey especially not even having the energy to get out of bed which is just not me. Hopefully there will be something else out there in the future.

To make the week even worse some A-hole in cyberland decided they would send a virus to my beloved laptop, grrr!!!!. Not that i was well enough to even pick up my lappie this week, last Saturday evening a warning came up from "Security Shield" a so called anti-virus programme telling me that i had deadly viruses, trojans etc working it's way through my computer and there were hackers trying to access my password and card info, to get rid of them i had to pay $$$$$ to get rid of them. Yeah im not that gullible but i was unable to rid the screen of this annoying attatchment. I was really scared too as i worried they could access my card info. I could not do anything and i had a challenge i had pics ready to update and there was not a thing i could do.

Luckily i now have my beautiful pink lappie fixed so am ready to update!!!.

Hope all of my friends out there are well and keeping warm on this dull and miserable Sunday afternoon.

Bi hugs Clare xxx

Scrap Therapy Card Sketch Challenge Week Two

Hello my lovelies, hoping this post finds you all well on this cold and freezing Monday morning in the UK.

Here is my card for this weeks SCRAP THERAPY card sketch challenge by the beautiful MARGI.

I am loving these card sketches and challenges as they are making me create to a particular theme. I just love seeing what all of the other girls come up with in the gallery.

Will be back real soon with more creations.

Godbless, love Clare xxxx

INGREDIENTS

WHITE & LIME BAZZILL CARD

DOODLEBUG "NATURE WALK" PP'S AND ACCENTS

CARD CANDY

MEMORY ACCENT RUB-ON SENTIMENTS

NELLIE MULTI FRAMES (SCALLOP & OVAL SET)

COME JOIN US FOR THIS WEEKS CHALLENGES!!!

Two New Blog Awards!!!

Wow i have been a lucky girl!!! i have been given 2 blog awards lately. Both awards are from the beautiful KERYN. The first being;

Click here to Keryn's Post!

Thankyou very much Keryn for thinking of me hun!!!. Now the hard bit is thinking of 8 things about myself, so here goes!!!.

1. My very first childhood memories are sitting in my highchair and lobbing my bottle

across the kitchen floor (haven't changed much) and on another occasion sitting in my highchair at the tea table and my Brother Mark was being naughty so i called

him a "sod" (definitely haven't changed much). I personally blame the highchair for

my actions as there seems to be a pattern going on there!!!.

2. I love crime and investigation. Love watching things about mass murderers etc.

Hoping that doesn't make me too weird!!.

3. At the moment i am really into red and white polka dot things and wanting to

transform my kitchen in this style. Seen some gorgeous stuff on Amazon!!!

4. I feel so happy and content in my life. I always look at the good in my life if im     

not feeling great or having an off day with my Rheumatoid.

I have just started on a new drug trial which means going in to hospital for one

morning a month. I am keeping everything crossed that it works. I am very lucky

to be getting this treatment.

5. I am a vegetarian.

6. Things i dislike are cheese, milk, sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, tea,

coffee, salad cream, coconut and anything without the V sign on products (oh

that's vegetarian!). Bad eating and table manners, rude people, mouthy people,

bullies, two-faced stirrers, bitching and sometimes losing my mojo!!!.

7. I will not have anything in my household which has been tested on animals. I

get all of my cleaning and washing products from CO-OP and all bath, body and

make-up from the BodyShop and other ethical companies.

8. Things i love in my life are my cats, family, friends, animals, crafting, my craft

room, my bungalow, chocolate, rice milk, fruit tea, rice cakes, all vegie stuff,

the smell of fresh cut grass, petrol and fresh bread, sunshine, snow, a warm

summers evening in the garden listening to the birds flying above, the sounds of

a distant plane while laying in bed at night, colours, happiness & laughter.

   

There i think that may give you a bit more of an insight into my life!!!. And now to the best bit is passing it on to 5 of my beautiful friends;

HEATHER

TRACEY

PAULA

MARELIZE

SUSIE

All of these gorgeous ladies have beautiful blogs and their own unique style which i think everyone needs to go check out. Now it is your turn girls to pass on to 5 of your friends and to add 8 things about you!!!!.

Now the second award arrived today from KERYN which The Love Blog Award. Thankyou again my beautiful friend for thinking of me. Below is a note describing the purpose of this lovely award.

Dear bloggers:

The aim of this action is that we bring unknown, good blogs to light, so I would ask you not to blog fellow bloggers that already have 3,000 followers. As always, the hardest part is to pick who to pass this on to, there are so many bloggers I could give it to but I pick these...

The conditions are that you must display the award on your blog if you are chosen and link your post back to the person who gave you the award and your acceptance. You can choose 3-5 blogs that you would like to give the award to linking their blogs to your post so people can go check them out. Hope that is all clear!!!.

Here are my five choices;

HELEN

SQUIRREL

MARG

DEB

MELINDA

Each and every one of you girls deserve the love. Just wish i could give it to all of my followers, that's the difficult part!!!.

Well guess i had better get back to card making.

Godbless, love & hugs

Clare xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scrap Therapy Challenge

I am entering this card in to a Scrap Therapy Challenge. They will be running a weekly card and layout sketch while Lee-Anne is away touring American CHA!!!.

This card is for my friend going through tough times and she has a hospital appointment tomorrow so wanting her to know i am thinking of her.

INGREDIENTS

PRIMA "JACK N JILL" PATTERNED PAPERS
PRIMA FLOWERS
PRIMA JEWELLS
RED RAFFIA LACE RIBBON
DREAMWEAVER HAT PIN
WHITE CARDSTOCK
LABELS ONE
CRUSHED OLIVE DISTRESSED INK PAD


Thanks for popping by and hope you are all having a super weekend!!!
Godbless Clare xxx

Go Get Some Therapy & Play Along!!!

Friendship

Would just like to share one of my creations which i have been working on. It is a chipboard keepsake for one of my beautiful friends who is going through very tough times at the moment.

I just want her to know how much i love her and just how much she means to everyone. I just wish i could go through this battle for her but as i can't i am going to do everything in my power to be a positive friend in her life and make this journey as easy as possible for her. She has become somewhat of a surrogate Mum to me since i lost my beautiful Mum 2 years ago. I know my own Mum will be looking out for her.

Godbless you my dear friend xxxxx

INGREDIENTS

CHIPBOARD CUT BY THE BIGSHOT AND NESTIES LABELS

WHITE LINEN CARD

MY MINDS EYE PAPERS "PLAYFUL POSIES"

ALL PRIMA FLOWERS

KAISER BLING AND PEARLS

NESTIES LABELS ONE

RIBBON, BUTTONS AND CHARM FROM STASH

KAISER AND MSI SENTIMENTS

Australian Flood Devistation - Lets Help!!!!!

I would like to appeal to all of my blog buddies!!!!

As im sure you are all well aware, the devastating floods in Australia have not only affected the citizens but also the animals, whether it be pets, cattle or wildlife. So many have lost their lives over the past few days and many have been injured or left homeless.

Guess you all know by now, i am the biggest animal lover and i would really love to do something to help as i do feel totally helpless seeing these images and speaking to all of my Aussie friends and also Helen my sister who lives in Queensland (luckily she was not in the affected areas).

I have added a link to one of the many animal charities that i support and 100% of all of the donations will go to the appeal.

THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE

There are many more charities out there collecting for the welfare of animals for the Australian floods and i am sure each one is as good as the other and at the end of the day as long as all of the funds go to the cause to help, that is all we want.

So what am i going to do???? as many of you know i had my first round of the drug trial for my Rheumatoid on Tuesday (all went well by the way) and as a treat my friend said that we should both go have a pampering and get our nails done this coming Wednesday. It is going to cost £30 which is a lot of money to me but thought "bugger it, i deserve a treat!!!".

But NO!!! there is absolutely no way that i could sit there being pampered now knowing about all of this devistation going on out there. I am going to donate the £30 i would be spending to the THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE which will help pay towards rescue, food, shelter, vetinary costs...........etc.

So my blogger friends, are you prepared to sacrifice something in your life for this needed cause??? even if it is £2.00 or £5.00 or £100 im sure that we can do without something which, lets face it, do we really need????.

Here are some pictures which may help you to decide;

Please, please, please help these beautiful creatures!!!

Thankyou for listening friends xxxx 

MY FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD FOR 2011!!!!

Keryn should be very proud of me!!! true to our pact i have made a Christmas card for 2011. We are trying to make a card/s every fortnight.

It really helped bagging this BoBunny kit in the sales for inspiration. I love limes, purples and blues and had my eye on this range long before Christmas but being an expensive  time of year i thought best to use what i had.  SALES ARE BAD FOR US!!!!!.

Im off for my first round of the new drug trial for my Rheumatoid tomorrow morning. Hoping & praying it helps.

Godbless and will be back again real soon.

Love Clare xxx

INGREDIENTS

CRAFTWORK CARDS BACK TO BASICS

BOBUNNY "A GIFT OF LOVE" BACK TO BACKS

BOBUNNY "WINTER WHIMSY" CARDSTOCK STICKERS

BLING FROM KARS

BUTTONS, RIBBON & EYELETS FROM STASH

TH DISTRESSED INK PADS - SHABBY SHUTTERS & DUSTY CONCORDE

HAPPY NEW YEAR & MY FIRST CARD FOR 2011!!!

Happy New Year to all of my gorgeous blog friends. Ok we are eight days into 2011 but im trying ok!!!.

I made this for my lovely friend Amanda's Birthday this week.

So did anyone get any yummy crafty stash for Christmas??? i have been surfing all of the sales on the crafty websites and have bagged some bargains with money i received. Just wish they could keep the prices down all of the time, especially with the recent VAT increase, grrr!!!.

Not sure about you but it is so nice not being pressured to make Christmas cards anymore. It is lovely just to have a play and start using all of those stamps and materials that have been neglected or unused over the past few weeks.

Saying that though me and KERYN have kind of made a pact to make Christmas cards (or card hopefully!) and put our creation on our blogs once a fortnight. That way we will be way ahead for Christmas 2011 which is bound to creep up as quickly as 2010.

Promising to get around to see your blogs everyone and make sure im HERE more often and actually taking pics of my work and posting!!!.

Bye for now, back soon.

Godbless Clare xxxxxx

INGREDIENTS

CRAFTWORKCARDS BACK TO BASICS CARD & ENVELOPE

WHITE & RED LINEN CARD

MY MINDS EYE, GARDEN PARTY LUSH BLOOMS DAISY CHAIN PP

MSE! SENTIMENTAL RUBZ

RED PRIMA FLOWERS

KAISER BLING

EYELETS

RED BUTTONS

RED RIBBON

SPELLBINDERS NESTIES LABELS ONE

TH DISTRESSED INK PADS WORN LIPSTICK & TATTERED ROSE

MY MUM

It is two years today since we lost our beautiful Mum

IM SPENDING CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS THIS YEAR

I see the countless Christmas trees

around the world below

with tiny lights, like heaven's stars,

reflecting in the snow.

The sight is so spectacular,

please wipe away that tear.

For im spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

that people hold so dear.

But the sounds of music can't compare

with the Christmas choir up here.

For i have no words to tell you

the joy their voices bring,

for it is beyond description

to hear an angel sing.

I can't tell you of the splendor,

or the peace here in this place.

Can you just imagine Christmas

with our saviour, face to face.

I'll ask him to light your spirit,

as i tell him of your love.

So then, pray for one another

as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your hearts be joyful,

and let your spirit sing.

For i'm spending Christmas in heaven,

and i'm walking with the king!

by Wanda Bencke



Not a single day or minute goes by where we do not think of you. We miss & love you so much. Godbless you Mum xxx

Some Hedgie Info & Pics I Would Like to Share With You All!

Hello my lovelies! i just wanted to share some information to all of you caring folk out there who have been emailing me about the hedgies. A lot of you want to know why they have not hybernated yet so thought i would fill you in on what i know.

Usually Hedgehogs hybernate between Nov/Dec to Mar/Apr. A lot depends on how cold the winter months are as to how long they are around for. The only reason they hybernate is to survive the winter as food is so scarce for them at these times. When the little guys go into hybernation mode their metobolic rate drops dramatically so they burn much less fat. This is why hedgies need to store up as much fat during the summer/autumn months as without it they will not live through winter (this is why so many do not wake up and die in their nests).

Very often the hedgies wake from their hybernation several times, especially if food is available to them (like in my garden!) and often they have more than one nest (some have up to 12!!!) which they may move to especially if their current one is under threat from preditors or the elements (not enough insulation due to the weather etc).

So now you all know why i leave food out every night of the year come hail or storm. Infact it is encouraged even during hybernation. Cat food (meat and biscuits) is the best things that humans can put down for them but usually suggested is chicken flavoured only for their digestion.

If anyone would like more info please do not be scared to ask as i love these creatures so much and would encourage anyone to do their bit to help our little endangered friends. I have added this link to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society which makes great reading with loads of facts including encouraging them into our gardens.

TAKEN BEHIND THE CONSERVATORY DOOR DURING THE FIRST HEDGIE SIGHTINGS OF 2010

Thankyou for dropping in guys. Take care and keep warm in UK and cool in OZ!!!.

Love Clare xxx

WANT TO SHARE SOME PICS!!!

Just wanting to share pics from the past week in the UK. This is mainly to benefit my Aussie mates who do not get to see snow. I am sure all of my mates in the UK are well over snow pics by now!!!.

 SOME PICS I TOOK ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

 THURSDAY

 YEP, THAT'S COLD!

 LOOK AT THE BIRD BATH!!!

 MANAGED TO CLEAR SOME SNOW SO THE POOR BIRDS COULD EAT

 THE HEDGEHOG CABINS RESEMBLING IGLOO'S!!!

 ALL THE PROOF I NEED TO KNOW THAT I HAVE HEDGIES IN THE CABIN'S

LOOK HOW CUTE THOSE TINY LITTLE HEDGEHOG HOOF PRINTS ARE!

The snow was really handy as i now know that there are definitely hedgehogs in the two cabins. I saw all little tiny tracks leading from cabin to the food i put down every night by the conservatory doors. I could also actually see where they had burrowed out of the snow from the cabin's. The fox is also still around as i found his/her tracks and the food has always gone by morning.

Today we have had really heavy rain and the snow has completely gone now.

It was definitely beautiful while it lasted!!!.

Hope everyone is safe and well. Will be back again soon.

Big hugs Clare xxx