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Sunday 27 November 2011

Just noticed you can embed your CRAFTfest stall!!

This may be a little late but I've jut noticed that you can embed your CRAFTfest stall on blogs, websites etc! There is an embed button under the main image on your stall where you can either share it on Facebook or grab the code!! How cool is that!


Find more photos like this on Creative Connections

Saturday 26 November 2011

My CRAFTfest purchases!




So far! I have already made three purchases from Christmas CRAFTfest, which is currently running over on Creative Connections I hope that everyone does well and sells lots. We have already had reports of quite a few sales so lets keep it up.
I thought that you may like to see my purchases. My first one was this fabulous card from Waterlily Cards

Handmade Personalised Xmas Card - Santa's Car

I have bought it for the small boy for Christmas and I'm having his name put at the top and Happy Christmas on the bumper. :)
My second and third purchases were from Raven's Stained Glass. Look at this beautiful Holly Decoration, it will look lovely in my kitchen window.

Holly Christmas Decoration - £10.00

And I just couldn't resist one of Chrissie's Holly Tree Decorations as well.

Holly Christmas Tree Decoration - £4.50


I'm very much looking forward to my purchases arriving and hearing how other people have been doing at the event. CRAFTfest is still running and will also be open all day tomorrow so if you have any Christmas shopping to do there are almost 175 stalls to choose from. The March CRAFTfest is now planned for the 10th and 11th so if you didn't get to take part in this one look out for the booking forms to open.

So, how is everyone getting on with their Xmas shopping this year? I think I am very nearly done and will start the wrapping sessions next week. That and trying to convince wonderful husband to get the decorations down from the loft. I thought I would get it all sent in early in case we end up with snow again. It was a bit touch and go as to whether certain gifts were going to arrive at all last year! 

Small boys preschool show was cancelled last year due to the snow as well so hopefully that won't happen again as he starts Primary School in January. He is Incy Wincy Spider apparently, which I find rather confusing as they are doing Jack and the Beanstalk! I am sure all will become clear on the day. I shall let you know. ;) 

I have had a custom healing pendant watch order from Felicity from Perfect Patchwork. Would you like to see it?

Custom Pendant Watch for Felicity

It is a Christmas gift for a friend and is created using matched gemstones, Amethyst, Lepidolite, Smoky Quartz and coordinating Swarovski Crystals.

I'm going to call it a day now as it is so dark in here I can't see the keyboard and frankly, I haven't got much else to say! Something which rarely happens in person I can assure you. lol.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Online shopping! Not going so well.

I am rather fed up at the moment! Over the past few weeks I have been trying to get a copy of Quickbooks Pro 2010 for a reasonable (ish) price on Ebay. Well, I finally got one! or so I had thought. When it arrived yesterday I installed it on my computer only to discover that it was the US version and was totally useless! :( My data wouldn't import and the tax would be all wrong anyway. I checked the listing and there was no mention at all about this so I emailed the seller and have had no reply. I could cry. :(
Today seems to be going much the same way as I ordered myself a new belt. Feeling confident that I had chosen the correct size after using a tape measure that I had found in my sewing box I was looking forward to it arriving. Which it now has!! Do they have different inches in China? Only the belt was way too small and I'm not surprised when I checked another tape measure. The one that I had used in the first place appears to have an inch measuring closer to an inch and a half! ARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH! So I am rather down, sad and despondant and also a little uneasy about ordering online. You may also add decidedly chilly into the mix.
I hope everyone else is having a better day.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Before I forget!

I did say that I would take a picture of small boy with all of his new bugs on his birthday. In all the stress with the next issue of Creative Crafting and CRAFTfest! I haven't had any time.
But here we go, a lovely picture of him covered in his new creepy crawlies.
He also adored the Dragon Fly cake that Nanny made for him. The first thing he did on arriving was to go straight into the kitchen and pull a wing and one of its legs off. Such a boy thing to do!
By the way, the cheese and pineapple was a special request from Sir himself although on the day he didn't touch a single piece!

Friday 26 August 2011

She's done it again!! Beautiful!

Maria from Minxtures has done it again! She has made me two of her beautiful fleece cushions for my boys. They will be taking pride of place on the sofa. Just as soon as I can get them to put them down! They are being cuddled constantly. If you love cushions, duvet covers, bags etc you must pop over to Marias shop as her work is such fantastic quality. I highly recommend her to you all. :) I've already been given a Christmas list from the small boy who is trying to talk me into commissioning some of Marias soft toys for him. lol.











There were actually a lot more photos of the small one as he loves to be photographed. It is his 4th Birthday on Monday so I'm sure the camera will be extremely busy. Watch this space for the fallout from all of the insect related gifts that I have found for him. Eww!

Friday 19 August 2011

A very quick, yet rather mad week!

After what has been an incredibly hectic week, I am now sat here rather 'shell-shocked'! It's been one of those times that are filled with high points and an equal if not larger amount of low ones. Very, very busy at the beginning as the manic preparations for the Creative Connections Birthday party had to be dealt with. Then it was the big day itself on Tuesday which went very well luckily. Lots of people came and we had a lovely crafty chatty day. (I now have the burning desire to scrapbook everything though, probably a good thing that I wasn't around for the felt making chat!) The next issue of Creative Crafting is coming along nicely and the first printed copies that have been purchased are on their way to their new owners. (I will be totally paranoid until I hear that they have arrived safely...chews fingernails)
My wranglings with Amazon about publishing on kindle have been bouncing back and forth and I'm fast coming to the conclusion that it just isn't going to happen. I did however whip up a book version of edited features which is all set to publish as soon as I work out what my iban number is!!! Annoyingly, although there are literally thousands of free books available, when you publish yourself you are not allowed to give them away! I think this is highly unfair as I want ours to be FREE!! It may never actually see the light of day. :( As you can see from these two images though, it does actually exist! Would anyone actually pay for it?


I have now had far too much coffee and am finding it hard to settle to anything. Hence the general waffling. So sorry, but it's something to write about isn't it.

Ooo! I almost forgot to tell you. My printed copy of the magazine arrived. I am very proud of it. I know that it is quite expensive from the HP site but it is lovely. (I did notice however that other craft magazines on there are considerably higher priced than ours!! Fancy that!) The pages are lovely and thick and it is perfect if you are featured and would like a copy. We are looking at a small print run for future issue if the printers ever actually reply to me. If you are interesting in purchasing a copy from HP however you can find it here http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/225873








Thursday 11 August 2011

School shoe time again!! Ooo! Look Dinos!

That time of year again! It comes around so fast doesn't it. The yearly trip to Clarkes. I am eternally grateful that my mum and dad buy the shoes every year for my boys as the prices seem to be through the roof. I am also having serious doubts about the suitability of Clarkes anymore. The range seems to get smaller, the prices higher and the quality lower! The year before last my eldest had some of their Bootleg range. They started to fall to pieces after about 6 weeks, it got so bad that wonderful husband had to use filler on them and replace the fitting for the velcro bar!! Last year we discovered that they hold a small amount of Clarkes brand shoes 'under the counter' so to speak. (in the back room actually!)
These don't appear to be on general display. They were far superior in quality and have lasted considerably better than the previous years. Unfortunately they didn't have any of those in his size this year so we have tried the Bootleg ones again after being assured they are better quality than they were. I have my doubts though so will keep you updated.
But the small boy!! Well, who would believe it!! This year they have a new 'Stomposaurus' range. Perfect for a little dino lover like the small one. He chose the pair that he liked, tried them on and went over and checked his appearance in the mirror. They are very cool, they have a t'rex on the sole and are named Raptoboy!
As these will be his first proper 'school' shoes we also popped along to Shoezone and bought him some trainers. (The Clarkes ones were yes you guessed it, very pricey and extremely heavy. Also a poor fit!) Incredibly his new trainers also have dinosaurs on. Triceratops this time!! He says that they make him as fast as the fastest scorpion!

Next year we may not be going back to Clarkes, does anyone have any ideas of other good quality shoe stores that offer a fitting service?


Friday 5 August 2011

Bugs, bugs and brain ache!

I keep finding myself staring at the screen! Not because I have nothing to do but because I don't seem to be able to engage my brain! This may not be surprising as I am rather tired having been up and down out of bed all of last night like a yo-yo. The small one kept thinking of reasons for me to boing out of bed the minute I lay my head down. So I am a little jaded today and no amount of coffee seems to be doing the trick.
Time away from the screen may be called for especially as the small one just asked "How's are you getting on Computer Girl?". He really is only 3! Honest!
Some exciting things have happened though, I am currently awaiting the first printed proof copy of Creative Crafting Magazine. Super exciting! I hope it comes out OK. It has also been giving me brain ache trying to work out how to convert it all to XML for the e-reader version.
On another note, I have been busily ordering insect related gifts for the small ones 4th Birthday at the end of the month. Not really my thing as I hate bugs of all kinds. On Tuesday he received a fabulous gift from his Nan and Grandad of a glow in the dark bug t-shirt and cap. HE ADORES THEM! In fact I had lots of tears on Tuesday evening at PJ time as he wanted to wear them 'FOREVER' Here is a little pic of him demonstrating them. He is currently missing the big one who is spending his summer week with Nan and Grandad.
I have no idea where this love of bugs came from, I prefer the dinosaur or car stages that he has been through. As well as publishing the August issue of the magazine this week I have also had a quick revamp of my Mystic Earth Website. and last week I totally changed my Radiance Crystals Site. No rest for the wicked! ;) Oh, and also made a couple of pairs of earrings after a little boost from selling a bracelet.

Oak Jasper
 These among other earrings can be found on my website for £5.99.
Hematite

Thursday 7 July 2011

A spot of Carrot and Parsnip soup!


Just for a change, today hasn't gone as planned! My to do list has not become any shorter and I'm not feeling particularly satisfied. I did however, decide to make myself some carrot and parsnip soup for lunch. "That doesn't sound that unusual" you say. Well, actually, it is for me. I have never liked soup so why I felt like making some today totally escapes me but there you go. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I am trying to keep to below 1200 calories a day. No mean feat I can tell you, I could easily consume that in coffee alone! So the soup, yes, I bunged the carrots and parsnips (totally random amount) into a saucepan with some water. Boiled them half to death and then whizzed them up with a bit of salt, parsley and butter. Believe it or not, it was edible. I even managed to consume almost half of the bowl! There it is in all it's orange glory. Yes, I know its very thick for soup but as I may have mentioned, I'm not a soup fan. So I left it nice and thick.
Now, what else didn't I do today? Well, I didn't revamp my website like I was going to, didn't complete lots of articles for the magazine, totally forgot to order some more beading wire and probably lots more. But I did pick up about 250 toy dinosaurs off my living room floor after the small one upended the box and refused to put them back in, and I did repair a dragon who repeatedly came apart much to his annoyance. Tescos did arrive and amazingly there were no bizarre substitutions today and the driver was very nice and not pervy like the one who delivered the other week. (eww shudder)

Ah, now I promised you a picture of my boys with their new PE bags cleverly created by Maria from Minxtures. Obviously the smaller one chose a spider (he has a thing about insects!) and the creature on the bigger ones bag is the pokemon Cyndaquil. I am expecting these to cause quite a stir at school but should hopefully mean that they are more noticeable amongst the sea of Navy Blue plastic ones. Please excuse the state of the kitchen. Maria is an absolute whizz with a sewing machine so make a note of her shop address for a later time.
Well, I'll let you get on. I must, also, as the bigger one has a friend around from school and he is in full show off mode. I give them about another 15 minutes before the smaller one gets fed up and starts causing trouble.
Ta ta for now my friends.

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Right then, here we go! Don't expect too much!

I became so bored with writing my blog that I just gave up doing it completely!! I was trying to use it to promote my businesses which just isn't very interesting is it. So, here I am, reinventing it completely and making it far more general. I can't promise that I will write that often as time is something I don't have much of but you never know, I may catch the blogging bug again.

So where am I today? Well, I am currently sorting out articles and blog posts for Creative Crafting Magazine, managing three twitter accounts and running about after my 3 (almost 4 as he keeps telling me) year old son. I must quickly tell you that we did manage to get away for a few days the other month. First time in years, short weekend trip down to Cornwall with my mum and dad, Mr Wonderful (aka, my husband) and my boys. I was far too short but lovely, apart from Midnight wanderings by the small boy which caused me to fall down the stairs! But enough about that, we did have fun. One thing that particularly amused us was the row of cupboards in the kitchen of our lodge. They had no handles and as well as cupboards hid a fridge, freezer and washing machine. Now, my mother and I had great fun with this especially  the freezer as it was extremely elusive. It soon became clear that it only exposed itself to men as only Mr Wonderful and my father could actually find it. And no, we hadn't hit the wine by this point. lol. Anyway, here is an image of the aforementioned row of cupboards.

Yes, I know, there doesn't look very many cupboards but it kept us amused for a good hour or so for some reason. I may be going slightly batty but lets keep that between us shall we.

What else have I been up to other than work - Ah yes, I was asked by the small boy to make him a scorpion. An orange one no less! It was quite a task but after spending an entire Sunday at it, here is the result.

My son is desperate for me to include a photo of him with his new PE bag that was kindly made for us by Marie at Minxtures but I will save them until I have a shot of his older brother with his. Now I am sure there are lots of other things I could mention but I think I've taken up enough of your time so I'll leave it there for today, I could waffle on for hours but who wants that! I should also get some work done.
Bye for now my friends.

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Latest Custom Designs

This beautiful custom healing necklace and bracelet are off to their new owner.


Labradorite and Hematite with Black Diamond Swarovski Crystals.


Mangano Calcite, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, Lepidolite, Sunstone, Rhodochrosite
with Topaz, Rose, Smoky Quartz and Amethyst Swarovski Crystals.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Just finished!

Created this morning.
An Amber pendant suspended from a full stone circle of Amber and Citrine, accented with topaz and golden shadow Swarovski Crystals.


Tuesday 19 April 2011

Stone Circle Charm Bracelet added to my Spring Sale

I've just added a Bronzite Stone Circle Charm Bracelet to my Mystic Earth Spring Sale at 30% off.
Don't miss out, when it's gone it's gone.


My latest Custom Order

Over the weekend I completed my latest custom healing piece for a client. It is an Amethyst, Rhodochroisite, Rose Quartz and Mangano Calcite bracelet with light rose and amethyst Swarovski Crystals. It comes as standard with a personalised booklet and silk purse. As this was purchased as a gift and send directly to the recipient I also created a personal message from the purchaser. 



Inspired by the Sun

Do you think that SAD is finally behind us for another year?
I do hope so, it's wonderful isn't it how creative a bit of sun can make you feel. Those inspirational cogs start turning and suddenly you feel alive again. 

I am currently having a big Spring Sale on Mystic Earth to make way for new designs that are popping into my head at the moment. A lot of my items have up to 45% off and I am adding more pieces to the sale over the next month. Don't forget to keep checking, something you've had your eye on may be included.

Already in my Spring Sale






Thursday 14 April 2011

Test Driving new designs.

Look at me go!! Two days in a row. Let's hope I can keep it up.

I thought I'd share a quick tip with you today, of course most of you probably already know but it can't hurt can it. When creating new designs it is always a good idea to test drive them. I am soon embarking on a new range of lockets and pendants and so I made one for my mum to see how it would go. As I guessed, there were a few teething problems but thankfully she loves it anyway.

My mum is away from home a lot so I wanted to give her something to take it along with her. I created a locket with a picture taken from in front of her house of a view I know that she loves. Inside the locket I put photographs of all three of her grandchildren. I also added Moss Agate in sections in the chain to break it up a bit. There were a few problems.


The whole gluing process was new to me so I was a little overcareful which messed it up slightly. After applying countless layers of Mod Podge I finally got to the Diamond Glaze time. I was concerned about using too much so was a little sparing. This was a mistake. There wasn't enough to come up and seal the sides and also cover the whole picture which has left shadows. Still, lesson learnt.

The chain also gave me issues. I used nymo covered with seed beads to complete it and was a bit worried about the strength. Turns out I was right as the thread snapped fairly quickly. I then ordered some brass wire and redid it. This is far better.


So the moral of this story is .... always test drive your designs. Mums are fabulous for this job. :-)


Wednesday 13 April 2011

My last post was .... Oops!!

I have actually been meaning to start writing my blog again for aaaaaaaaaaaaages, but everytime I pull up the new post page my mind just goes totally blank. It isn't through lack of things happening as the last few months have been mega hectic. I guess I just don't want to bore everyone. :-(

Blogging seems to come very easily to some people and I am very jealous, perhaps I just need to get back in to the swing of things. What do you think? Anyone else having bloggers block.

With regard to my business, it is keeping me busy, if not with website sales (which have been diabolical over the last year) than with the magazine which eats up a lot of my time, along with hubby and my two boys of course. The bigger one is currently spending a week with his Nan and Grandad so things around here are a little quieter as they are at that constant bickering stage at the moment. The smaller one has successfully come out of nappies now and we are soooooo proud of him. He's such a clever little boy. I am so thankful it all went well as it was sheer hell with the bigger one. it seemed to go on for months and was totally soul destroying. Leavng the smaller one a bit longer seems to have done the trick.

By Friday when he returns I believe my mum will now be as much as a Pokemon expert as I am. For anyone with children into this game I highly recommend buying one and playing it yourself. Not only is it a great little game but you suddenly become able to communicate with your child again. No longer is he speaking a foreign language, we now have a special little bond. Also, nothing makes them prouder than telling their friends that their mum plays pokemon. They all come round to the house to trade with me, I'm quite the local celebrity in the playgound. lol

Anyway, I do hope you can all forgive me for being away for so long, I'd love to hear from you if you have the time to leave me any comments.

Speak soon,
I promise

xxx




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