Looking backwards & forwards

Well here we are, the last day of the year and what a year it was!

I know I wasn't going to post, but seeing everyone looking back over their memories I thought I'd jump on board & share some of mine too!

Health-wise it was rubbish - I'm a lot worse now than I was this time last year, and I've had to accept changes and adapt even more than before. I've had to buy the blue wheels which I now use when necessary. But on a positive note - I now know so much more about my conditions and how they effect my body and am lucky enough to have a specialist hospital nearby who have supported me so much.

But this isn't about that, this is about my memories so let's take a look - 

Okay those of you with any knowledge of shoe fashion will notice those gorgeous red soles, oh yes, Louboutins! Though I confess not mine, but as the owner wears the same size as me I had to try them on, but I stayed sat down the whole time. I mean, me walk in those heels.........never going to happen!

Costa breakfast - over the last few months of going in to hospital me and my mum have enjoyed many of these.

The view from my seat at The Memorial Stadium, Bristol Rovers. Can't beat an evening game, something magical about those lights.

Saturday at The Mem - crisp cold afternoon, blue sky, though I confess there's been little to cheer football wise!

I love this picture and only wish I could have had a go!

A very happy day took place in October meeting up with fellow WOYWW crafter's. We had such fun and it was so lovely to meet many lovely ladies in person.

 Then in November myself & my good friend Debs went up to Milton Keynes to meet up with my fellow Crafty Boots Design Team, we had a fun, fab and crafty time.

A highlight of that weekend was visiting the very lovely and talented Gabrielle and visiting her studio! Wow, I loved it here we are together in the studio!

On a personal note, seeing my boy grow into a young man who now towers over me and become a kind and caring person has filled me with so much pride. Seeing him enjoy his horse riding, doing so well at school & choosing his GCSE subjects (scary stuff!) and for us both to enjoy so many football trips together.

And enjoy a few puddings too!

So what will 2013 bring? Who knows, but it'll be fun finding out I'm sure!

Whatever you are doing at Midnight, enjoy it but take care. Me..... I shall be tucked up in bed long before the bongs of  Big Ben so I'll bid you a Happy New Year now!

Take care Zo xx

Just catching up...

Hello everyone - hope you all had a super Christmas!

I've been rather quiet I know, having to rest up, but it was worth as we had a fab Christmas. So I thought I'd share some pics with you all.

My beautiful Christmas flowers.

Keagan trying to work out how to play his new game!

My mum sorting the aftermath of lunch.

Me and my boy taken Christmas evening.  Our friend's were down from Yorkshire so we went to their parent's house for the evening to catch up with everyone. 

We tend to have quiet festivities compared to some, and that'll continue for New Year, we'll be in bed long before midnight!

I don't expect I'll post again till next year now!!! I love saying that, so childish really but funny! 

Take care everyone and enjoy whatever you are doing over the next few days.

Zo xx

LADS tags only

Good Morning, how are we?

I confess I am just a little excited about the visit of the big red man tonight! Eeek, I'm sure I've been a good girl (what do you reckon?) so hoping for a few presents, wonder if there will be any crafty stash type presents....

Anyway I'm here today to share with you my DT project for the latest challenge over at Crafty Boots Challenge Blog, the theme is LADS TAGS ONLY.

SO we want to see tags, obviously, and they must be for the boys, no girls allowed. Looking forward to seeing your creations.

Here's my tag - 

I'll be honest, I had no plan, I just played! I started by covering the tag with London Blue Dylusions ink, then laying down the brick mask and spraying Melted Chocolate Dylusions ink through. I dried it all and then got to work with stamps, randomly choosing different stamps from Wendy Vecchi and Dylusions.

This bottle was a stamp I had as part of a kit, I covered it with Picket Fence distress stain then once dry, I applied Crackle Paint over the top and dried it. Then I rubbed Chocolate pearl paint over it with my finger working it into the crackles before rubbing off the excess. I added brads and the label.

All over the tag I got to work with a white pen, randomly picking out details.  The chain is a leftover bit from a necklace I think and I thought I'd add it to this tag.

At the end I looked at the tag and realised I think my message is enjoy life, and perhaps take on board inspiration and bottle it up for another day! 

Hope you like it. Now I'm off to clock watch and no doubt I will go to bed really early as I'll be up before Keagan tomorrow insisting he gets up so we can go open presents! Yes I'm the biggest kid in this house.

Take care Zo xx

No desk but thought I'd share some of the cards I've made for Christmas

Hello everyone.

As I've given out all my cards now I thought I'd just share a few of the ones I made. I confess I didn't make all of my cards this year.  My health has made making over 100 cards too difficult, so only special people got cards made by me!!

Here's a few - 

I made many cards with similar design of these stamped bauble cards, in lots of colours too. The character cards are from the Hunkydory and Kanban Christmas blockbuster kits. 

Right I'm going to pop by a few of your blogs and see what you've been up to.

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 184 - Oddies

Good Afternoon everyone!

Phew running a bit late with my desk today but I've been catching up on different things & easing myself into the day after falling getting into the shower earlier! 

I'm okay! Bit sore but nothing a spot of rest and a good old lie down won't cure I'm sure, well till tomorrow when I expect to be rather stiff and sore!

Right the desk -

It's all about Some Odd Girls, I've been colouring lately and generally playing with the stamps, I even made the hanging, you can see there on the desk, which you can see in full detail on the Crafty Boots site.

I love colouring these images, they are great fun & appeal to my style!

I've been trying to colour paler images as I tend to go for the bold and bright so on the pile of images already coloured is a paler looking Kaylee!

Right pop over the Julia's to check in for this week's desk hop that is a worldwide weekly wander of wonderful workspaces! (See that there alliteration!!!)

Lastly a huge thank you to everyone who popped by mine last week despite the fact I never got to anyone's desk :( sitting at the pooter is a trying task of late, one that means a full on lie-down after posting just this, not helped by that shower slip earlier!. But I have to grit my teeth and type this post to the end.....cos... well... it . just . has. to. be . done!!!!!

Take care Zo xx

Crafty Boots does Christmas!

Good afternoon everyone - I'm back today to share with you all my project I made for the latest challenge over at Crafty Boots challenge blog. No surprises that the theme is CHRISTMAS!

I wanted to make a decoration to hang in my kitchen window, my colour theme is lime green, white & turquoise accents so I took some bauble stamps, dies to cut them out, appropriate colour ink pads & Crafty Boots deluxe card plus some white felt, gems & Star Dust Stickles to decorate and got to work to create this dimensional decoration - 

I basically stamped out the baubles, cut them out using the dies through my Cuttlebug and then took 3 at a time. Scored 2 down the centre & stuck them together and then stuck those 2 to the third. It's a very simple process once you get your head around it. Once all the bauble pieces were ready I roughly cut a circle to which I arranged the baubles using both flat & dimensional glue to keep the bauble at different heights, this last photo shows a closer look at how I arranged them. Once it was all dry I stuck a small circle which I had covered with the white felt I had die cut over the top to hide the centre area. Added gems and went a little mad with the Stickles!

To finish I attached ribbon to the main section and then glued it between the matching baubles to create a dangling display. More gems and Stickles were added. 

It is now hanging in my window and gently moves & twinkles and looks rather fetching even if I say so myself.

I can't wait to see what you all come up with for our challenge, how about thinking outside the box and coming up with your own decoration or something different than your normal style?

On a personal note, apologies once again for my lack of  blog visits & comments, I'm having to rest up lots & every time I try to catch up with things I end up going round in circles!! 

I'll get there! 

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 183 - stuff!

Hello my friends!

Firstly a quick apology for not getting round many of you last week, I just haven't been able to sit at the laptop for too long.  Another hospital appointment sees me struggling again after having my legs, knees specifically, bent every which way and pins stuck in me!! But that was good, cos it showed that it is my conditions causing problems not anything  horrible happening with my spine. Phew! My knees are a strange set of problems but I'll not bore you with those this time of the morning!

So the desk, poorly lit, but I confess I'm only showing half my work space because there are things on the other side I don't want people to see (Christmas presents!) -

So there's the box of Card Candi, a pile of .....erm.... leftover sheets I need to put away cos I've used some of the images from them. The rather lovely Creative Expressions project book which I bought cos our very own Gabrielle has a project in there (to be honest that's the reason I bought it!!). Then there's a character I coloured and a decoration I made!

Closer look at the colouring - I tried different colours to do the red hair after seeing different combinations on Pinterest. I'm rather pleased with it and love the vibrancy. Wish my own hair would look like that!

Time to see Keagan off to school before I go back to bed, yep being lazy. But on a serious note my fatigue has stepped up a few notches so I'm resting and sleeping when I can.  I've found if I do sleep in the morning  I tend to sleep better at night. So far anyway. I just go with what my body is telling me, though yesterday I could have slept all day! 

Right lovely people take care out there.

Love Zo xx